It's about social change, stupid

It’s about social change, stupid
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

What we’ll do today
Outline why I’m enthusiastic about social business
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
Writing and blogging
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 crunch
Credit - dougward via flickr

Ten reasons why I’m enthusiastic
Customers come first
Marketing - building relationships
Learn from the best in the business
The double-bottom line
Problems need entrepreneurial responses

Ten reasons why I’m enthusiastic
It’s attracting talented young people
A challenge to the voluntary sector
A challenge to the private sector
A challenge to the public sector
Some openness to learning from failure

Ten reasons why I’m not so enthusiastic
Celebrity social businesses and entrepreneurs
It’s a bit too popular with politicians
Unrealistic expectations
Financial buck-passing
Social enterprise shock-therapy

Ten reasons why I’m not so enthusiastic
Big is beautiful/corporate lite
Football clubs were not-for-profit too once
“ Oh yes, we now do social enterprise.”
Still not enough maturity about risk/failure
An assumption that business = smart

Popular issues on the blog
What’s the point? (social change, stupid)
Does ownership matter?
Are we being irrationally exuberant?
Social enterprise - social business - or both?
Is it OK to make a profit?

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

Opportunities for you
Social enterprises need talented graduates as much as any other business
Social enterprise offers a different route into business - often for people who wouldn’t otherwise go into business

Liam Black, The Same Wavelength
“ Getting and holding on to people who are happy to live with the pressures of balancing the commercial and social missions is really difficult.
I would say this is the biggest barrier to scaling up the social enterprise part of the economy in this country.”

Over to you….
Comments?
Questions?
Photo from aymlis via flickr.com

www.thesocialbusiness.co.uk
Blog about social enterprise
e-newsletter
[email_address]
0113 257 3942
07905 800 710

www.socialbusinessconsulting.co.uk
Lots more resources on all aspects of social business planning
Links to other sites

It's about social change, stupid

by Rob Greenland on Jan 23, 2009

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It’s about social change, stupid — Presentation Transcript