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What is Social Enterprise?
Social Enterprises are businesses first and foremost, but they trade with a social purpose – they put their social aims above the need to maximise profits and they employ ethical business practices. They benefit society by re-investing profits, supporting their aim of addressing specific social issues. A successful social enterprise will combine a public service ethos with the entrepreneurial drive of a business approach.
Social Enterprises come in all sorts of shapes and sizes - the Big Issue and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant are some high profile ventures, but other smaller projects, like a recycling project or childcare group, which benefit the local community in a simple and effective way are also examples of this kind of business.
The social enterprise movement throughout Scotland is inclusive and extremely diverse. Some local examples of social enterprises include Recycling First, Roots and Fruits, and the Poldrate Arts and Crafts Centre. Businesses like these are operating across an incredibly wide range of industries and sectors from health and social care, arts organisations, renewable energy, recycling and fair trade – and many social enterprises are started by individuals with ideas and the determination to make a difference.
To sum up, social enterprise:
- Transforms lives and communities
- Challenges the rules of conventional business
- Is a dynamic way of doing business
- Drives social change
Social Enterprise is Big Business
Recent government data suggests that there are more than 55,000 social enterprises in the UK with a combined turnover of £27bn. Social enterprises account for 5% of all businesses with employees, and contribute £8.4billion per year to the UK economy.
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