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

• rob@thesocialbusiness.co.uk

• 0113 257 3942

• 07905 800 710