Rhetoric or reality? GMCVO Conference, 3 June 2008
Dec 01, 2014
Rhetoric or reality?
GMCVO Conference, 3 June 2008
What we’ll do today
• Outline why I’m enthusiastic
• Let you know what winds me up
• Open it up to discussion
What do I do?
• Training - market research, marketing, social business planning
• Consultancy - social enterprise
• One to one support
Photo from Ant Smallwood via flickr.com
What have I done?• University of Leeds - Spanish & French
• Senda Juvenil
• Trade for Change
• Social Enterprise Leeds
• WYSE School
• Social Business Consulting
• A journey from activist to entrepreneur
Trade for Change 1995-2004
Blogito ergo sum
• I blog
• I write
• I think
• I challenge
Social entrepreneurs are not superheroes
• Guardian article
• Irrational
exuberance
• Credibility crunchCredit - dougward via flickr
Why I’m enthusiastic about social business
1. Customers come first
2. Marketing - building relationships
3. Learn from the best in the business
4. The double-bottom line
5. Problems need entrepreneurial responses
Why I’m enthusiastic about social business
6. It’s attracting talented young people
7. A challenge to the voluntary sector
8. A challenge to the private sector
9. A challenge to the public sector
10.Some openness to learning from failure
Things I’m not so enthusiastic about
1. Celebrity social businesses and
entrepreneurs
2. It’s a bit too popular with politicians
3. Unrealistic expectations
4. Financial buck-passing
5. Social enterprise shock-therapy
Things I’m not so enthusiastic about
6. Big is beautiful/corporate lite
7. Football clubs were not-for-profit too once
8. “Oh yes, we now do social enterprise.”
9. Still not enough maturity about risk/failure
10.An assumption that business = smart
Bradford and Bingley
From mutual to bank to biggest buy-to-let lender
Good to Great and The Social Sectors
We must reject the idea - well intentioned, but dead
wrong - that the primary path to greatness in the social
sectors is to become “more like a business”. Most
businesses - like most of anything else in life - fall
somewhere between mediocre and good. Few are great.
The critical distinction is not between business and social,
but between great and good. (Jim Collins)
On balance
• Social business and social entrepreneurs give me
hope
• There’s a lot of nonesense spoken - but a lot of
good done.
• For me, you can’t argue with the idea of doing
good and doing well
• But we need a more mature attitude towards it all
Over to you….
• Comments?
• Questions?
Photo from aymlis via flickr.com
www.socialbusinessconsulting.co.uk
• Lots more resources on
all aspects of social
business planning
• Links to other sites
www.thesocialbusiness.co.uk
• Blog about social enterprise
• e-newsletter
• 0113 257 3942
• 07905 800 710