Business services 'should cater more for social enterprise'

By Paul Jump, Third Sector Online, 2 July 2007

Mainstream business support services need to be tailored specifically for social enterprises, according to a report commissioned by the English regional development agencies and the Office of the Third Sector.

The document, produced by research agency Rocket Science, calls for regional development agencies to be more sensitive to the particular needs and motivations of social enterprises and highlights the need for proactive specialist support to be provided at the pre-start phase.

Based on a mapping exercise of existing practice, the report also emphasises the importance of helping social enterprises to understand the financial products available to them.

In order to help social enterprises prosper, it calls for greater clarity within each region about the kinds of support different agencies provide, and for consistency of service within and across regions. It also says social enterprises should be permitted to choose between support services.

The findings will be used to help develop the additional business support mooted in last November’s social enterprise action plan.

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Myles Cooper

Myles Cooper, 3 July 2007, 13:47

Sadly the Rocket Science team missed the Social Enterprise focussed programme developed along a modified IDB (Information Diagnostic Brokerage) model with Business Link Essex (as was). This was, as far as we were aware unique. They referred to every other subregion in the East. These things have a habit of slipping. However they give some good examples from elsewhere e.g. SEEM in the East Midlands. Pehaps now that Business Links are based by region the support for social enterprises can be made available.

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Mick Jones

Mick Jones, 11 July 2007, 11:56

I have ideas as a social entrepreneur but have limited skills and experience in financing them and so I welcome the call for business services to cater more for social enterprise

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Linda Cox

Linda Cox, 13 August 2007, 12:13

AWM have said publicly that as social enterprises wish to be treated as businesses they see no need to differentiate between commercial and social enterprise.

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