Starting off with a (little) lie

Origin of the word Entrepreneur Prendre to take

Entrée entrance, opening…opportunity

Not quite true but…

Social Entrepreneur

-The taking of social opportunities- We need to learn to identify and take the opportunities that needing to make

ourselves more sustainable gives

Opportunities are everywhere

• Food miles • Cost of transport• Cost of production

inputs• Village hall with

renewable energy

• Better local tasty food• Stronger local

networks• More efficient usage• Turn one of largest

costs into income stream

The opportunity

• Direct benefit through enterprise activity

• Disabled people refurbish furniture that is then sold

• They receive benefits in skills and confidence

• The trading activity pays for this

• Grey areas bulk buying – addresses fuel poverty and develop income

The opportunity

• Indirect

• We sell consultancy services to business that pays for our charity work

• Areas of grey- we have a energy generation that pays for the heating in the village hall

The opportunity

• Cross-subsidy

• Our shop sells carbon neutral organic carrot cake to those who can afford it in order to sell bread and milk to those that need it

• We use the mini-bus from our paid for school route to run a lunch club route for older people

• Social Enterprise- An entrepreneur wanting to achieve social good through a business model

• Community Enterprise- Primarily socially driven but has ended up with a business model

Support needs and motivations are different

• Social enterprise• Enterprise is normal• Can support like a

business

• Community enterprise• Enterprise in alien• Need to support like a

community group • Social is primary• Need to force focus

on bottom line

In a recession it doesn’t matter if what type of enterprise you are

the weak fail

Running a shop is hardMaking it a community shop doesn’t make it

easySimply allows you to operate when it isn’t

commercially viableIf it was the market would usually provide

Can be harder than traditional business as have more things to consider and you are likely

operating in an area of market failure

Sense check your model

• Using the criminally insane to run a hotel may be good personal development for them but how much repeat business do you think you would get?

Sense check your model

• So you want to pay for an outreach worker from profits of trading activity

• Outreach worker £50,000

• Assume 10% net profit

• Turnover £500,000???????

• Best community shop turns over £180k makes 20% gross profit net breakeven

Understand who you are

• Are you really a community enterprise?

• Or are you:

• Socially responsible business but profit is still key

• Soft sale charity – how many people purchase a charity tea towel because they need one

How to get a perfect 10

• Risk

• Innovation

How to get a perfect 10

• Virtuosity – Doing the common uncommonly well

• Start by making a small difference in what you do already

Use a toolbox approach

• Use what you need and what works for you• Keep it open - if you want to engage people you

need to let them be involved

• Do the essential things well

• Get support and get support early – You learn plumbing before you start not when the

water is gushing our of the tap

• The reward – Great Ryburgh

• We moved to a village because of the pub, church and shop and within 2 years they had all closed

• The community shop catalysed new pub, butcher, and wide range of community shop, community energy audit, bulk buying scheme, good neighbour scheme

• See the challenges for opportunities

• Range of approaches- think differently

• Be realistic – its hard and without the bottom line there is no social benefit

• Doing the common uncommonly well

• Do essential things well

• Success is worth it, sustainable and catalyst for other activities