1. The Road to Sustainability Challenges and Support
Douglas Westwater
Community Enterprise

2. Stories – What activity have you tried to move your organisation towards self-generated income. Small groups and feedback What have been the challenges? What are your aspirations?

3. The Challenges to Grow Enterprise
Struggle to fit within existing support mechanisms
Time – limited hours in the day
Lack of skills and capacity - being Mother Theresa and Richard Branson
Lack of support. Old CVSs / New TSIs, Community Workers etc
Out of the loop – how to navigate the support eco-system (88 orgs supporting social enterprise)
Lack of capacity to undertake market research, feasibility work and business planning
Difficult to get kick start investment
Board risk aversion
Staff risk aversion
New legal structures
Lack of a commercial market where you are

4. Model 1 : Trade in what you know

5. Model 2 : Trade to Earn

6. Real Life Stories

7. Reflections : Pairs and feedback
What do you have that could be commercialised?
Are there any non core opportunities to generate money?
Selling services
Selling goods
Consultancy
Letting space
Sponsorship / pay it forward
Buying a business

8. Assets What assets to you have to build a business on? Our Assets
Product or service
Staff
Ethos
Buildings and land
Equipment
Partners

9. The process
Ideas generation
Mapping and gap analysis
Market Research
Options Appraisal
Business Plan
Financing
Branding and Marketing
Evaluation and monitoring
There may be a gap in the market but is there a market in the gap?

10. What has been your experience of such a process? Whole group session

12. Social Enterprise Strategy and 3 year action plan

13. Summary 92 actions backed up with funding and contracts

14. Key areas Geographic SENs Thematic SENs Networking Just Enterprise
Enterprise Accelerator
Business Support
First Port
Government
Funding
Soc Ent Academy
Learning