Category Archives: Economic Thought

UK Social Enterprise Awards 2018 – nominees list

Community Economics, Economic Thought, Innovation, News, SocEntEastMids, Social Enterprise, , , , ,

The nominations list for the 2018 UK Social Enterprise Awards have just been published.

SEUK - button image and web link
Discover more of SEUK here…

What a cavalcade of fantastic projects, across many impact themes, and a wide geographical spread. The list itself is evidence alone of a thriving, multi-dimensional social enterprise topography in the UK.

Read more about the awards at SEUK here.

Can you see a social enterprise or community change organisation in your area?

Category 1 – UK Social Enterprise of the Year (Sponsored by NatWest)

Auticon

Cafe Direct

Change Please

Point and Sandwick Power/Trust

School Space

Big Lemon

Hertfordshire Independent Living

Wildhearts Group

Allied Health Professionals Suffolk

Category 2 – One to Watch (Sponsored by GLL)

Revival Whitstable – Mind In Bexley Ltd

The Bread And Butter Thing

Minds Ahead

Hey Girls

FamilyCarersNet

The Integrate Agency CIC

Category 3 – Prove It: Social Impact (Sponsored by Employers for Childcare)

Company Shop

Recycling lives

Sharp Futures

Winter comfort for the homeless

Ealing Community Transport (ECT Charity)

Category 4 – ’Buy Social’ – Market Builder (Sponsored by PwC)

Amey

Hackney Co-operative Developments CIC

London Borough Of Tower Hamlets

The University Of Northampton

Category 5 – Social Investment Deal of the Year (Sponsored by Big Society Capital)

Resonance

Social And Sustainable Capital

Clearlyso

Business Enterprise Fund

SharpFutures

Category 6 – Health & Social Care Social Enterprise

Hertfordshire Independent Living Service

East Coast Community Healthcare

Designs in Mind

Baby Lifeline Training

Smile Together Dental CIC

Category 7 – Consumer Facing Social Enterprise (Sponsored by Co-op Group)

Birdsong

Cafédirect

Clarity Employment For Blind People

Fair For You Enterprise Cic

From Babies With Love

Juta Shoes

Madlug Cic

Miss Macaroon

Stand4 Socks

Toast Ale

Category 8 – Education, Training & Jobs Social Enterprise

Alive And Kicking

Enabling Enterprise

The Growth Company

The Hoxby Collective

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) International

SharpFutures

Category 9 – Environmental Social Enterprise (Sponsored by Landmarc)

Camara Education

Energise Barnsley

Low Carbon Hub

The Skill Mill

The Bread And Butter Thing

Stand4 Socks

Category 10 – Tech for Good: Technology Social Enterprise (Sponsored by Linklaters)

Anglian Community Enterprise (ACE) CIC

Harley Therapy Ltd

Integrated Care 24

Meetwo Education Ltd

NOW Group

Viarama CIC

Category 11 – Women in Social Enterprise (Sponsored by Santander)

Sue Black

Tracey Bush

Rosie Ginday

Elaine Lilley

Marie Marin

Rose Marley

Amma Mensah

Liz Tapner

Category 12 – International Impact (Sponsored by British Council)

Cafe Direct

Skillmill

Camara Education

From Babies With Love

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) International

Category 13 – Transformative Community Business

BH Live

Choice Housing Ireland

Coast And Vale Community Action

Company Shop

The Exchange Creative Community Cic

Made In Hackney

Category 14 – Employee Engagement

CDS CIC

East Coast Community Healthcare

Halo Leisure

Care Plus Groupk in the judging and award making process!

EBP

Congratulations to everyone, organisation and individual, on the nominations list. We wish you all the very best of luck in the judging and award making process.

Starting your social enterprise?

Community Economics, Economic Thought, Enterprise Start-ups, SocEntEastMids, Social Enterprise, , , , ,

Social Enterprise UK, with the support of NatWest Bank – ‘Start Your Social Enterprise’ booklet.

A featured article from our archive…

This is a great primer on social enterprise, clearly laid out and packed with information for those of you about to start your SocEnt journey.

Start Your Social Enterprise cover image and web link
See more here – pdf

You can view, print or download a copy of this publication here (pdf).

The chapters include sections on Mission, Market and Money, as well as Marketing and Branding and the all important Business Plan.

There is also a very clear grid format page which illustrates the choices of good governance you can pursue, in order to control and support your Social Enterprise ambitions as a community.

We particularly liked the SEUK section on Looking After Yourself.

It is easy, in the whirl of excitement and drive to make things happen to forget about individual well-being in pursuit of the goal. We have repeated the sensible advice below…

”Pay yourself properly – as soon as is practically possible, pay
yourself properly; some social entrepreneurs pay other people
first in the organisation, but everyone needs to live…

Find a mentor – a mentor is someone independent outside your organisation
to talk to who can provide advice and support to you; organisations like
UnLtd and the School for Social Entrepreneurs will often link you to mentors
as part of their support, but you may be able to identify your own…

Be part of networks – there are lots of local, regional and national groups and
networks for social enterprises, from national bodies like Social Enterprise UK
to the Social Enterprise Places across the country to local and regional networks
like SELNET in Lancashire or SEEE in the East of England; they will often run
events, send newsletters with information, and provide connections to others. (…and SocEntEastMids too…Ed).

Don’t neglect family and friends – take time out, spend time with
the people you like and love, and you will be better refreshed, more
focused and more productive when you return to the enterprise…

Keep learning – this is a fast-moving world, and there are new developments,
opportunities and information to find out about; events and newsletters can
help with this, as can podcasts or books on business and social enterprise…”

Source: Social Enterprise UK, Start your social enterprise, p.13   Accessed 02.08.2017

A useful addition to your armoury when building your community business to effect change.

We recommend it as a great starting point for changing the world, or even a bit of it in the immediate vicinity at first!

If the SocEntEastMids team can help you reflect on your start- up plans, you can contact us here. You can find our enterprise and support philosophy here.

Taking a new view

Economic Thought, Enterprise Start-ups, SocEntEastMids, Social Enterprise, , ,
Digging a hiole - image
Getting the right direction of travel first really helps!

Sometimes, in a committee room or at your office desk, starting a new community enterprise – or entertaining the very thought – can be a bit like the image above.

SocEntEastMids logo and web link - About us.Here at SocEntEastMIds we are trying to build a new starting point. A resource for information about social enterprise, news and stories from successes, and those that didn’t go well. To promote understanding and to get easy access to a community project road map.

First principles are important and you can find a good read about building social businesses on our Good Reads page here. We will be expanding our library of good reads in the future. (It’s been our road-map for a long time now too…Ed.)

Having a chat about your idea is also important too. Not all project ideas grow, but those that do invariably begin by talking to experienced practitioners, even informally. You get an idea about a business landscape before you enter it. SocEntEastMIds is happy to have a conversation – contact us here.

Social Enterprise in the UK - British Council - cover image and web link
View, print or download your book here – pdf

The British Council have published a great resource, Social Enterprise in the UK, a sort of ‘SocEnt primer’ and an illustrated overview of the social business sector. One of the best we know.

It covers everything you might need to know about social enterprise and community business – from governance to diversity, from incubation to consortia.

You can download your free copy here. It’s a big book, packed with information and structural insight.

 

If we can help pick a chapter and we’ll come and talk to you about it.  Contact us here.

If you need it, pick a chapter, and we’ll create a one hour workshop and come and deliver it to you.  Contact us here.

We are particularly keen to hear from community groups, faith groups, childcare and education settings of all kinds who are beginning to wrangle with ‘sustainability’.

No charge and, as our Partnership Australian colleagues say, ‘no worries’. You can find out more SocEntEastMids on our About Us page here.

Think Enterprise!

Community Economics, Economic Thought, Enterprise Start-ups, Innovation, News, SME Support, SocEntEastMids, , , , , , , ,

A new magazine, Think Enterprise, from the IOEE.

‘The Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs has been over 15 years in the making and exists to make sure that all those involved in enterprise are able to access the support they need, when they need it’.

Whether your interest lies in tracking SFEDI Centres of Excellence or in developing apprenticeships and wider learning in business, then Think Enterprise has something of interest for you.

Be sure to check out pages 16 & 17, with their 2016 Enterprise Awards almost upon us, if only to read of the developmental success of others can in itself an inspiring and confidence building thing as you grow your own business, whatever sector you are in.

You can find the IOEE on-line here.

Social Saturday – coming in October

Community Economics, Economic Thought, Events, News, SocEntEastMids, Social Enterprise, , ,
Social Saturday Badge - image
Find out more…

Will you be ready for Social Saturday this year again? A date for your diary, 15th October 2016.

A whole day dedicated to the promotion of, awareness raising about and the engagement with new customers, clients and service users.

Get your Social Enterprise in full broadcast mode with the readily downloadable Media Pack from the Social Saturday web pages. A great resource.

Check our the ideas for promotion, templates for everything from press releases to a letter to your MP or elected members to give  your enterprise a boost, support Social Saturday in 2016.  Celebrate the work of your community with invited guests. Makes great copy!

emailIconMiniYou can always support the team at Social Saturday and add interest to your own energetic promotion by emailing news of your events or occasions to socialsaturday@socialenterprise.org.uk

Give your enterprise a boost, support Social Saturday in 2016.

Finance Innovation – the film

Banking, Community Economics, Economic Thought, Innovation, SocEntEastMids, Social Investment, , , , , ,

The Finance Innovation Lab have just launched a short film that nicely encapsulates their work, featuring the collaborative, facilitative and encouragement of change aspects of their work.

  • The Finance Innovation Lab seeks to help create alternative business models in the the finance sector.
  • It is a movement for advocacy, promoting financial sectoral change to key actors.
  • They also work to effect ‘change from within’, campaigning for the re-alignment of finance professions to a more equitable and fair model.

The Lab web site has an inciteful article, written by Angela Clements, founder of Fair For You. It shows the journey that a finance sector principal can be driven to follow, when the inequity of access to mainstream credit, for example, makes even more difficult the life of an economically disenfranchised family.

If you’re a full-on corporate banker, do watch the fim and explore the Finance Innovation Lab web pages. You might even turn a corner yourself!

Starting your new social business in 2016?

Economic Thought, Enterprise Start-ups, News, SocEntEastMids, Social Enterprise, , , , , ,

Planning your new social enterprise in 2016?

The Key Fund have a range of on-line resources available for the budding social entrepreneur, or social enterprise that is leaning towards developing its business in 2016.

You can find some simple and effective Key Fund toolkits below. Whether needing to survey and assess your income needs as an individual, or a family unit, or to calculate various loan interests.

You can also find a template for creating your Social Enterprise Business Plan. This will guide you methodically and clearly through the steps you need to plan your governance, your policies and your operational delivery – all focused on social enterprise creation and sustainability.

internetIconMini

View, print or download your cashflow template here (MS Excel file).

internetIconMini

View, print or download your Business Plan template here (pdf file).

internetIconMini View, print or download your Loan Illustrator here (MS Excel file).

internetIconMini

View, print or download your personal survival budget template here (MS Docx file).

The Key Fund main web pages also have a more comprehensive and detailed set of resources available on the Fund Start-up Advice web centre (Courtesy of Start-up Donut). This offers you more insight and detailed resources for creating a new social business and has links to a variety of services and information that new groups or companies will find useful.

So, wherever you are on your social business journey in 2016, from first idea to seeking social investment, you can contact The Key Fund Team here.

A happy and enterprising 2016!

Buy Social this weekend?

Community Economics, Economic Thought, News, The Key Fund, , , , ,

This Saturday, 10th October 2015, is Social Saturday – spend your cash with a social enterprise and get some real ‘community multiplier effect‘ for your money!

‘In the UK alone, there are 70,000 social enterprises, contributing £18.5 billion to the UK economy and employing almost a million people. This exciting movement is growing fast all around the world and we’re seeing a boom in start-ups being launched that combine doing business with doing good’.  Source: Social Enterprise UK

At the Key Fund, research that shows that this confusion persists about what social enterprise is.  Although two thirds of us support the idea of social enterprise, only a fifth (21 per cent) knew what social enterprises were.

socialsaturday2015Button‘Simply, it’s about buying or using services from businesses that make a positive difference in our community or on the environment. Social enterprises reinvest their profits into furthering their social mission. They have to have good business models to be financially sustainable, so they don’t rely on grants or charity’. Source: The Key Fund

Key Fund is itself a social enterprise.  Matt Smith of the Key Fund, quoted in a recent article in The Guardian, speaking about the misconceptions about Social Enterprise in the UK stated ‘…what’s interesting is this misconception that social enterprise relies on grants or donations. We escaped a culture reliant on grants many years ago, and the main impetus of social enterprise is to ignite local economies, create jobs, and be profitable or at least sustainable in delivering their ethical aim.”

internetIconMini You can see this informative article from The Guardian in full here.

Invest in your community – buy from a Social Enterprise, not just this weekend, but every week if you can.

Ethical business with a social dimension...
Ethical business with a social dimension…