On August 21, World Entrepreneurs’ Day, we celebrate the creators, the risk-takers, the builders. But at Not For Sale, it’s not just launching companies but launching movements.

These impact entrepreneurs ignite movements that restore dignity, create opportunity, and protect those most vulnerable to exploitation.

What is World Entrepreneurs’ Day?

World Entrepreneurs’ Day is a global observance held every year on August 21 to recognize the power of entrepreneurship. It celebrates founders, innovators, and changemakers who contribute to economic growth, job creation, and social transformation.

When done right, entrepreneurship becomes one of the most powerful tools in the fight against modern slavery and exploitation.

At Not For Sale, we’ve seen it first-hand: survivors and at-risk individuals building businesses that restore not just livelihoods, but agency.

Why entrepreneurs matter in the fight for freedom

Modern slavery and human trafficking aren’t just crimes, they’re symptoms of broken systems. Poverty, lack of opportunity, and exploitation fuel a cycle that traps nearly 50 million people globally.

Entrepreneurs, especially those building with purpose, have the power to disrupt those systems.

Through ventures in ethical fashion, sustainable agriculture, regenerative tech, and socially responsible supply chains, founders can:

• Create stable income for vulnerable communities
• Reduce dependency on exploitative industries
• Reinvest profits into education, infrastructure, and freedom
• Build long-term alternatives to aid and charity

When entrepreneurship is used with intention, it becomes a form of liberation.

Not For Sale’s approach: Enterprise as activism

Not For Sale partners with impact entrepreneurs to build businesses that break cycles of exploitation for good. Each venture is guided by a single principle: people, planet, and enterprise, and your business can be part of the solution.

Whether you’re just getting started or already running a company, you have the ability to build with impact.

This World Entrepreneurs’ Day, we challenge you to ask:

• How can your supply chain empower rather than exploit?
• Can your business provide opportunities to survivors or at-risk communities?
• What would it look like to embed freedom, sustainability, and equity into your model?

Being an entrepreneur isn’t just about solving problems for customers but about solving problems for the world.

If you’re not building a business yourself, consider supporting companies that do, or investing in ventures that put people and the planet first.

When we create new systems, we dismantle the ones that exploit people.

Entrepreneurs are agents of change

More than just a job, entrepreneurship is a mindset that says we can imagine better, and then build it. On World Entrepreneurs Day, we don’t just celebrate founders, we celebrate possibility.

At Not For Sale, that possibility includes a world where no one is for sale, and everyone has the freedom to thrive.

World Entrepreneurs Day explained: Meaning, impact, and how to get involved

Every year on August 21, people around the world observe World Entrepreneurs’ Day to recognize the power of entrepreneurship. At Not For Sale, we use this day to highlight how entrepreneurs can fight exploitation, reduce vulnerability, and empower survivors of modern slavery.

Entrepreneurs help break cycles of poverty and trafficking by creating ethical businesses that provide stable jobs, fair wages, and sustainable practices. Social entrepreneurs — those who build ventures with impact in mind — play a critical role in supporting vulnerable communities.

Get involved in World Entrepreneurs Day by supporting ethical companies and social ventures through donating to Not For Sale.