PHASE 2. FORMALISING THE WORK-INTEGRATION SOCIAL ENTERPRISE MODEL Insights from the case study
Suggested actions
Self-assessment questions
MAIN ACTORS An important Italian company with more than 2 million euros in turnover and owner of 7 clothing brands sold in over 50 countries9.
Engage strategic players that can provide funding and market access (i.e., banks, philanthropic foundations, companies)
Are there strategic players (banks, philanthropic foundations, companies, …) that can provide funding and market access?
An Italian philanthropic foundation originated by the abovementioned Italian multi-brand clothing company and which allocates contributions to organizations which undertake schooling, human and professional training projects worldwide.
Once the enterprise starts to take-off, reach out to the people with fragilities you intend to re-integrate in the workforce: begin with job training and, eventually, offering them job contracts. Start with few people at first: your business idea is still at the start-up phase.
Does the business idea have the means to begin employing new people, including people with fragilities you intend to re-integrate in the workforce, hence enlarging its initial team?
Another Italian philanthropic foundation originated by a national insurance company with the aim of providing funds to territorial enterprises with a strong social orientation.
Begin mapping and expanding your local network of suppliers
At this stage, the initial group of strongly motivated project developers started to expand and included the first 3 women with fragilities which were directly employed by the newly founded Quid social cooperative. A local district prison where a tailoring laboratory previously managed by the social cooperative mentioned in Phase 1 carried out a training program for female prisoners. Local textile industries providing Quid with discarded fabrics. MAIN RESOURCES Project developers’ capacity to communicate the business idea and vision.
Rely on a well-built Business Plan in order to effectively communicate your business idea and vision to potential funders, investors, suppliers and partners.
Is the Business Plan well-planned, piloted and able to convince potential investors of the soundness and economic sustainability of the business idea?
Build on the results of the first market test to convince potential funders, investors, suppliers and partners that there is a wider market
Can the results of the first market test convince the potential investors that there is a wider market opportunity to scale-up the business
A well-planned and convincing Business Plan already tested on the local market. In the start-up phase of the project idea, the support of the multi-brand Italian clothing company was fundamental. The company provided 15.000 euros for the first year of project 9
As of 2020.
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