Five starting points for social entrepreneurs

Starting your social venture can be a big step. The social entrepreneurs we work with have often spent months and years thinking about starting a social venture before finally taking the leap. We’ve helped thousands of social entrepreneurs make that first step. Supporting them to refine their idea, and get everything in place so that they can sustain their venture and create social change. If you’re looking for inspiration this Global Entrepreneurship Week, we’ve put together some starting points to get you thinking, from the stories of social entrepreneurs.

Start with a great story, like Edinburgh Tool Library

The Edinburgh Tool Library has been going just over a year, giving local people access to the tools they need for a £20-per-year membership fee. Chris Hellawell set up the Tool Library after visiting a similar one in Toronto. He was inspired by a young man he met there. The man had been offered a roofing job but had no tools; the library let him borrow what he needed in exchange for the membership fee when he had a wage packet. ‘The difference this made to him was huge, and he wasn’t far from tears. What it showed me, was how something as simple as a tool library can make to one individual. Giving people access to equipment, means handing them the potential to better their environment and potentially their lives. Before I visited Toronto, I understood the environmental argument for sharing resources, on leaving, I understood the human argument.’ Chris’ website tells the inspiring story behind Edinburgh Tool Library in more detail. Being able to tell the story behind your social venture, it’s impact and the reason you set it up can be really important. It can help you to market your business, build partnerships and attract funders. Our Your Idea, Your Guide toolkit has a section to help you think through how you can tell your story (page 12), as well as a range of advice and activities for aspiring social entrepreneurs.

Start by tapping into a crowd, like The Holding Project

Derv Heaney has big ambitions to help young people in Northern Ireland get on the housing ladder. She’s set up the Holding Project, with plans to create 20 low-cost, sustainable homes for young professionals in Ireland. People living in these eco-friendly homes will have a portion of their rent set aside to help them to save for the future. ‘We are dedicated to helping people transition through housing, because where you live affects your life so deeply. We see so many people stuck in transition – renting properties and without help it can be simply impossible to move on with your life. This can mean moving on to buy a house, but also it could mean going into education or even saving up for a wedding. The housing crisis makes many of these life stages a distant dream for too many people.’ The Holding Project is in the last few days of a crowdfunding campaign to construct their first prototype house. Watch our webinar to find out more about crowdfunding your social enterprise.

Start with what you know, like The Melting Pot

Thomas Marshall has a deep love of music. He created The Melting Pot, an inclusive social club encouraging people to come together to play and learn music. He’s also passionate about encouraging local musicians to perform. He’s created a mobile stage that he can take to events in his town, Morecambe. He often gives people their first taste of live performance at these events, supporting them to overcome their fear of performing. His stage gives people confidence, transferable skills and is playing a small part in Morecambe becoming a real festival town. Thomas is one of our Star People Award winners, dedicated to making his area an even better place to live. If you’re interested in starting a social venture to improve your area, our Your Idea, Your Guide toolkit is developed with community entrepreneurs in mind.

Start by solving a problem for your customers, like Sensations Jewellery

Zoe White wanted to create jewellery that could be loved by people with different needs - such as people with vision impairment. With the support of UnLtd’s Star People programme she created the Sensations Range. She creates pieces that are designed to allow for swelling fingers, that incorporate braille or include felt pieces to hold the scents of perfume. ‘I created this collection so that everyone can feel good and take joy in what they wearing. Everyone deserves to celebrate who they are.’ Read our toolkit on how to identify a social issue and create a strategy for tackling it.

Start in your local area, like Well Grounded

Eve Wagg wanted to do something to harness the potential of local young people in Hackney. She set up Well Grounded which matches speciality coffee shops with budding baristas. All of the baristas are local people given free training courses, apprenticeships and mentoring so they can find sustainable routes back into employment.

'Well Grounded links young people looking for work, with an industry desperately looking for employees. Through specialist training, mentorship and ongoing support we provide pathways into employment as Speciality Baristas. In our first year we have supported 15 people into employment, and many more into work placements and further education and training.'

'My advice for others looking to start a social venture is prototype something early on. You never learn more than through doing, and it's a great way to work out if your concept is viable.'

Our Changing the World toolkit is designed to guide young people through their first experience of social entrepreneurship.