If you ask someone in the know to give their definition of a social enterprise chances are they will come up with the standard Department of Trade and Industry Description or perhaps something really stuffy like " a local community acting together to provide services needed by the local population, particularly where the service cannot be provided through the market economy" (yikes!) and though all the descriptions (and there are many) may be right it is very difficult to understand what one looks like until you delve deeper.

Each social enterprise is unique, in the community it works with and how it tackles the often complex issues within that community, however there are similarities that have been identified that are common but not exclusive to community interest; trading activities; co-operative thinking; entrepreneurial in nature; profits re-invested; local.

The evidence is stacking up to give a resounding yes. However I feel I should caveat that statement with some advice, becoming a social enterprise is not a panacea to society’s problems. Social enterprises work because they have a high level of input from the skilled individuals involved in running the organisation, who usually wear many hats and work with very limited resources to ensure things get done. This is called 'entrepreneurial effort' and it is this element of the social enterprise which is the key to its success. If you take that away it will be very difficult for a social enterprise to succeed let alone make a difference to the community.

More Than Profit

Brighton & Hove Social Enterprise Strategy