In this interview from Yale's Creating Change through Social Entrepreneurship course, Caroline Tanbee Smith, founder of the New Haven-based venture Collab, discusses how social entrepreneurs can effectively communicate their vision and build lasting trust within the communities they serve. Smith shares practical experience from launching and running a community-oriented enterprise, describing how consistent, honest communication helped establish credibility with residents and partners. The conversation reinforces the course's lessons on pitching and communications planning by grounding them in a specific local venture, showing students how messaging strategy plays out in practice rather than in the abstract. It offers a firsthand account of the patience and consistency required to earn a community's confidence over time.