SEEE is a membership & networking organisation for social enterprises and others. We also have a strategic influence on national, regional and local policy relating to social enterprise. Our primary aim is to support and promote the social enterprise sector in the East of England
in WINTER 2008/09 issue 24
cover story When I Grew Up.
Maternity Matters. Building Community Assets.
How to Beat the Credit Crunch.
Gala Dinner Photo Spread
Co-ops. Credit Unions.
Focus on Norfolk.
Re-defining Profit.
www.mistakes.
in inside
Apples from Australia in autumn… what’s going on? When I was a little kid back in the 1950s I lived next door to a man who had a plum tree in his garden, I think it was a Victoria and in the autumn it was laden with fruit. I remember it so well because if I stood on the second rung of the fence I could just reach the lower ones and would steal a couple when no one was looking. Now, as far as I know, despite global warming, and the credit crunch, Victoria plums and dozens of other varieties are still in abundance in Britain during the autumn, so why was it this year I couldn’t find a single one in my local supermarkets? Even the Co-op only had plums from Spain and Italy on the shelves. It was the same with apples, there were ones from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France, but hardly any from the UK – what’s going on? And I’m really puzzled that apples come from the southern hemisphere in our autumn, it’s spring over there isn’t it – maybe they’ve been in storage for six months? Now, I can understand why we import food from around the world when it’s not in season over here, but that’s not what’s happening. Runner beans from Zambia in July, asparagus from Peru when there’s tons of it in our own fields, and flowers from Kenya in the middle of summer are just a few examples of what appears to me to be a blatant waste of fuel; not to mention the carbon emissions that we’re told are destroying the planet. But really you can’t blame the supermarkets, they sell what their customers want to buy and if the public is so dim that they’ll buy apples from Australia when they can see them growing on trees all around them, that’s what they’ll be given. Thank goodness there are still some people who take the trouble to seek out shops where they can still buy local produce, and sanity still prevails.
David Jordan Editor
CONTENTS PAGE
WINTER 2008/09 issue 24
1
Michele Rigby CEO SEEE. Meet the Team.
2
Cover Story: When I Grow Up. Making Sure No-one Goes Hungry.
pg
pg
3 pg4 pg5 pg6 pg7 pg8 pg
9
pg
Maternity Matters. Building Communities Fund. David Lloyd Photographic Competition. Workaholics Anonymous. How to Beat the Credit Crunch. Gala Dinner Photo Report. Gala Dinner Photo Report. Co-operating for Business Success. Credit Unions. What You Told Us. New Members. New Member Wins Buy Local, Norwich Award.
Good Times. 10 Celebrate Enterprising Women Award.
pg
11 www.mistakes. Capacitybuilders. pg12 Re-defining Profit in the 21st Century. Book Review. pg13 Contact Details. pg14 Dragon’s Den. pg
Michele Rigby CEO Social Enterprise East of England
One year ends and another begins, and there is much to celebrate here at SEEE. In the last issue of In Touch, I reported on the transitional state of our staffing, with three members moving to pastures new, and the temporary help from a couple of ‘old hands’ over the summer months. We are now starting 2009 with a new team and you can read about our new recruits elsewhere in the magazine. I believe the staff composition is a rich mix of ages and experiences – it’s always a good idea to bring in fresh ideas from time to time. We are still on cloud nine following the Social Enterprise Day celebrations at the end of November. Diverse and innovative activities around the region throughout Global Entrepreneurship Week climaxed with the Black and White Gala Dinner in Cambridge and the announcement of the winners of the David Lloyd Photo Competition. The fun and games are captured in pictures in this edition of In Touch, and there is further ‘incriminating evidence’ on the SEEE website. The grey clouds of recession failed to dampen our spirits on Social Enterprise Day and, if we hold our nerve and stay true to our mission, we should remain positive in 2009. At SEEE, we have already surveyed the membership about the impact of the recession on their work, and steps they’re taking to address it. We are also gathering feedback from our Business Advisers Group to identify what additional support is being requested by their clients.
meet the team Michele Rigby - CEO Michele works closely with the Board and the sub-regional Networks to ensure that the direction of SEEE is one that the members need and want. She also presents members’ needs to regional and national bodies.
Ilse Leenders - Operations Manager Joining the SEEE staff in September, Ilse brings with her 23 years experience in the private sector. She is fast learning about the different culture that pervades the Third Sector. She says “I now realise that there’s another way to do business – making a profit to make a difference.”
Chris Lee - Membership & Network Officer Chris, who became a permanent member of the SEEE staff in December, is a first point of contact for members. Chris has worked on not-for-profit marketing and fundraising for nearly 30 years, most recently supporting social enterprise development in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. He lives in North Herts where he can be found Freecycling, Time Banking and running.
Laurie Nichol - Communications Officer Laurie is a Politics Graduate from the University of Leeds, becoming a permanent member of the SEEE staff in December, following a temporary placement. She has lived in Bedfordshire her whole life and is fast discovering another world. “I have been pleasantly surprised by the array of social enterprises in the area” she says.
image
Linda Payne - Finance Office Ultimately, whether recession creates more opportunities than threats remains to be seen. The financial chaos is likely to increase the demand for the services that SEEE members provide and, while resources to meet that increased demand will be stretched, this is an opportunity for the sector to show that its reputation for innovation and partnership working is not just rhetoric.
Linda has been with SEEE since the beginning. She plays a key role in keeping the organisation in the black, while ensuring that staff and suppliers get paid promptly, and that members pay their dues.
L-R: Chris, Michele, Ilse, Laurie. Inset: Linda
Andy Brady with Vice Chancellor Mike Thorne
PG 1~ WINTER 2009
what I wanted to be
when I grew up...
by, Brendan Moore Iceni Brewery
making sure no one goes hungry
PG 2 ~ WINTER 2009
Building Communities Fund
maternity
matters Any employer knows that the regulations surrounding maternity leave can often leave the mind boggled, and failure to comply can lead to a whole host of complaints and in the worst cases, an employment tribunal. Keeping on top of maternity legislation ensures you know as an employer what your rights and obligations are, because whether you employ 6 or 60, you never know what might be around the corner. Maternity leave regulations are vast and these few key points should keep you up to speed on the main things you need to know and anything you may need to change. Women are entitled to a total of 52 weeks’ maternity leave, consisting 26 weeks’ Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks’ Additional Maternity Leave. If eligible, Statutory Maternity Pay can be paid for up to 39 weeks. This is paid at the higher rate for the first 6 weeks of leave, which is equivalent to 90% of average weekly earnings, with no upper limit. The remaining 33 weeks are paid at the standard rate, which is currently set by the Government at £117.18 per week, or 90% of average weekly earnings if this is below the Government rate.
Making more of your community assets Acquiring and developing land and buildings for community benefit is the focus for a series of road-shows touring the east of England. Following successful events in Norfolk and Hertfordshire in late 2008, the series continues with visits to the rest of the region in January and February 2009.
When and where? 19 January - Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk 28 January – Chelmsford, Essex 9 February – Flitwick, Bedfordshire 18 February – Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
What? Recent amendments to maternity legislation ruled that all rights and benefits of women with a baby due on or after the 5th October will be extended throughout maternity leave. So any non-salary benefit that is received by an employee, be it private medical insurance, gym membership, company car, mobile phone or laptop, will continue to be available to the employee whilst she is on maternity leave, and her full contractual holiday entitlement will also accrue as normal. This extension of benefits will be a headache to employers due to the additional financial burden of the changes. It may be tempting to try and get around the legislation, to reduce the cost of purchasing more phones or cars but in reality treading carefully and being compliant will cause less stress in the long run. The most important thing to remember is be prepared! Women have no legal obligation to inform their employer of their pregnancy until 15 weeks prior to the expected week of childbirth and any attempts to try and glean this information from them could result in a sex discrimination claim. It is advisable to have a clear maternity policy in your staff handbook that is easily accessible and gives guidance about the procedures employees need to follow regarding maternity leave. Lucy Brown Crispin Rhodes Ltd HR Consultancy www.crispinrhodes.co.uk 01908 230969
You are invited to learn from a panel of presenters with firsthand experience of acquiring and developing land and buildings for a morning session followed by a networking lunch: • Assess a wide range of enterprising ideas for developing land and buildings • Learn the secrets of writing successful grant and loan applications • Hear a ‘warts and all’ evaluation of asset ownership
Book your place Each road-show is free, but booking is essential. For further details, and to book your place, e-mail laurie.nichol@seee.co.uk or call 01234 834549. For further information about the Building Community Assets initiative, go to: www.buildingcommunitiesfund.org.uk
PG 3 ~ WINTER 2009
2008
David Lloyd Photo Competition
workaholics anonymous My grandparents worked 12-hour days six days a week in Lancashire's cotton mills. My 64-year-old father who is a company director flies out to Japan 8 times a year and runs around like a thirty-something, so it’s little wonder that I have a strong in-built value around hard work. For most of mankind's history my proclivity for slogging would have placed me in a highly esteemed position. I am the kind of person who would have dug moats or gathered crops until someone told me to stop.
Congratulations to Community Music East (CME) in Norwich for their winning entry in the 2008 David Lloyd Photographic Competition. The judges considered the picture to be an outstanding study in concentration and communication, illustrating the inter-generational involvement that features in much social enterprise activity. This is the second year of the SEEE photographic competition in the East of England and 30 photos were submitted from across the region. Such was our success in 2007, the competition went national for the first time this year, with each of the nine English regions choosing their winners and submitting them for a national award. Winners and runners-up were announced at the Gala Dinner on Social Enterprise Day and CME were there to receive an engraved plaque, a £500 design consultancy from SEEE member Squadra, and a fairtrade hamper. The runners up – Branching Out from Cambridgeshire, the Community Development Agency for Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire Community Meals, Norfolk Social Enterprise Network, and Produced in Norfolk – each received a fairtrade hamper. Congratulations to all those who submitted photos – the largest submission from any of the nine English regions. We hope the 2009 David Lloyd Photo Competition will be bigger and better than ever. Start clicking now! See the winning photos from the East of England at
www.seee.co.uk/winningentries08 The nine winners from each region are at
www.seee.co.uk/nationalcompetition08
PG 4 ~ WINTER 2009
However, these are not my times. Modern thinking about work and life renders me a saddo, a workaholic. As a result, I have kept my problem secret. I store my night-time emails so they go out in the day. I implore my colleagues to `look after themselves' and then secretly indulge in my private life of work. So why did I do this? Well, it’s partly because I believe that it is hard work more than anything else that makes things happen – especially with new ventures. Talent is fine, so too are great ideas, but only when mixed with frightening levels of graft do mountains move. Look at the evidence. Think of anyone who has made a big impact in social enterprise; they all work prodigiously hard. I have made a much smaller impact than most of the people I admire, yet when people ask me how I did it, my answer is that I work like a slave. The current obsession with work-life balance is a mark of a more civilised, gentler society. But I also think it is linked to the wanting-it-all culture: `I can have my big job, prime salary and also have this amazing life outside work.’ The truth is that it isn't really possible to deliver incredible results in your business and have this wonderful life outside work too. You can't have your cake and eat it. My life today is a case in point. A lot of what I said right at the beginning is now a little bit historic. Now that my two young kids are on the scene, I am about half as productive as I was. The time I had spare to slog is now gone. This means, for me, accepting that I can't move any mountains for now. The entrepreneurial stuff I would like to achieve just isn’t happening. In the meantime, I am doing what many people do all the time: not a lot really. It’s fine, it’s my choice, my kids need me but I don't pretend that I am being particularly entrepreneurial… It isn't what I would call a work-life balance, its putting life ahead of work. Craig Dearden-Phillips
how to beat the credit Malcolm Williamson, social enterprise adviser for Business Link, gives advice on how to beat the credit crunch and emerge even stronger. Over the coming months we’ll all be dealing with the effects of a general downturn in economic activity. While that may not be particularly good for some enterprises, it can be good for many others. Not every business is adversely affected in a recession, because change also creates opportunity. Some businesses naturally have an advantage because of the nature of their activity; debt collection agencies for example! But even if you're not in a sector that is perhaps expected to do well in a recession, it could still turn out to be a positive time for your enterprise…providing you’re prepared.
Fail to plan, plan to fail It may sound trite, but would you embark on an unfamiliar journey in your car without planning the route? It would be foolish and could be costly if you didn’t. Well, your enterprise journey is no different. During the last recession the companies that emerged the strongest were those able to swiftly adapt their business models, and as importantly their attitude to change, in light of new or difficult circumstances. The organisations with rigid, restricted business models (or with no form of business plan at all) were more likely to fail because, if their established market fell away, they had nowhere else to go. Recession also causes the intrinsic value of a business to fall, so the core business needs to be strong. Therefore to survive and thrive you have to turn the situation to your advantage by re-evaluating every aspect of your own enterprise. That means you must either plan, or revise your current plan, and in the process mobilise your entire organisation – and I mean everyone, be they full or part-time employees, volunteers or family: Focus on smarter business practices; look at ways to maximise the capability and experience of people (what else can your people do? are there ways of multi-tasking? what other ideas do they have?) Streamline processes (what can be done more effectively, cheaper, or faster – without compromising service, quality or ethos?)
runch ccrunch
by Sukaina Kapas
Assess new and alternative market opportunities (what else can your enterprise do to generate income within its current capability, or offer the market that it’s not currently doing?) Review revenue relationships (are you doing enough to meet the needs of, and exceed the expectations of your customers/users?; are you providing value that contributes to the success of your client businesses?; are there any you shouldn’t be dealing with?) Rigorously focus on prudent financial management (constantly review, revise and monitor cash flow; credit control practices and every business cost) Reduce costing and review pricing (how can you reduce expenditure, enabling you to be more competitive in a price sensitive market, yet retain margin?) Review purchases and supply contracts (are you getting the best value, a fair deal or the most appropriate product or service? could you and your customers/users or business clients benefit if you changed suppliers?) Develop a strategy to maintain market position and expand your customer/user, client base (consider low/no-cost marketing and PR tactics and opportunities for strategic alliances or partnerships) Look after your own people, they are your most valuable asset and are key to success (keep them motivated and positive; be open, honest and inclusive and above all, recognise their contribution)
Any facet of your enterprise that doesn’t add value, or is not capable of producing profit, shouldn’t exist and you should consider either scaling down or restructuring accordingly – and for profit don’t just read financial, but other key measurable outputs too, be they stakeholder and social objectives or productivity and service targets. Don’t be afraid to take decisions and then action them. And don’t be too proud to seek help: Business Link provides free, independent, impartial, highly experienced business support and we’re here to help just call us on 08457 17 16 15 or visit our website www.businesslink.gov.uk/east.
Increase the opportunity to enhance or derive measurable value (internally between peers or departments, and externally for customers/users, clients or with suppliers) PG 5 ~ WINTER 2009
Saundra Glenn (Facilitator)
SEEE Gala Dinner Menzies Hotel Cambridge. 20th November 2008
Photo competition awards, fancy dressers, fine food and lots of fun – a fitting celebration for Social Enterprise Day 2008. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make the event such a success, and to the following sponsors for their support:
• Anglia Ruskin University • Bedfordshire County Council • Business in the Community • East of England Development Agency • Hertfordshire County Council • NatWest Bank • The Royal Bank of Scotland • The Guild
PG 5 ~ WINTER 2009
Sara Burgess. Guest of Honour
Ben Higham SEEE Chairman Michele Rigby CEO SEEE
credit unions The alternative to main stream banks “I’m convinced of their huge potential to affect social change” ”I’ve seen the positive influence that successful co-operatives have on the social and economic well-being of their communities.” Phil Hope MP, former Minister for the Third Sector
The scale and diversity of this activity is confirmed in a new brochure - The Co-operative Economy in the East of England - from Co-operatives East. Agriculture, retailing and financial services are three sectors in which co-operatives have a particularly strong presence in the Eastern region’s economy, with a combined turnover of more than £1.5 billion. In Chelmsford, the Co-operative Society has posted record results for the 9th consecutive year from its food stores, funeral offices and travel centre. But it is not resting on its laurels. With an eye on the next generation of co-operatively minded consumers, the Society is working with schools and universities to set up fairtrade tuck shops, `farm to fork` programmes, and mentoring for young entrepreneurs. Back on the high street, while the banking system collapses, the co-operative sector continues to offer the region’s savers and borrowers a trustworthy source of finance – through the Co-operative Bank, Co-operative and Community Finance, and more than 30 credit unions. The credit union option – for safe savings, fair loans, budgeting accounts and community banking initiatives – is becoming increasingly attractive in these troubled times.
For a free copy of The Co-operative Economy in the East of England, call Austen Cordasco on: 07795 430599 or e-mail: austen@can.coop
The credit crunch is seeing mainstream banks raising the bar for would-be borrowers, so the number of people excluded from affordable financial services will rise considerably.
Credit unions are financial co-operatives which offer a range of financial services including loans, savings, and often current accounts and ISAs. Unlike mainstream banks, credit unions and owned and controlled by their members rather than shareholders who are there simply to make a profit. Each credit union has a "common bond" which determines who can join it. The common bond may be for people living or working in the same area, people working for the same employer, or people who belong to the same association, such as a church or perhaps a trade union. Gareth Evans, a consultant developing the new Hertsavers Credit Union in Hertfordshire said,
“Credit unions will come into their own as a safe haven for cautious cash. We don’t have a stock market price that people can bet on and speculate on in order to make money. Credit unions are available to everyone, no matter what their circumstances and provide a competitive and safe place to build up savings and to access low-cost and responsibly lent loans. The icing on the cake is that they are an ethical alternative that supports local people and keeps money within the community, rather than private share holders.”
To find credit unions in your area visit:
www.abcul.coop SEEE Member credit unions: • Harlow Save CU, • Ipswich and Suffolk CU, • Norwich Community Co-op CU, • Rainbow Saver Anglia CU.
PG 8 ~ WINTER 2009
what you told us Monthly surveys to SEEE members were started in January 2008. We know that your inboxes are already full, and others conduct online surveys, so we’re particularly grateful to all of you who take a couple of minutes to complete our short surveys each month. Business Support was the theme for our August survey with a then record response rate of 33% - all the more remarkable considering it was the holiday period. 62% of you favour advice face-to-face (as opposed to e-mail and phone) with a similar number of you preferring to meet with advisers at your own place of work.
62% of you favour advice face-to-face Perhaps not surprisingly, Third Sector/ social enterprise knowledge and cost were the most important considerations for choosing an adviser, but 70% of respondents said recommendations from other organisations were ‘quite important’ or ‘very important’. In a similar vein, when seeking business advice, like-minded organisations are a first port of call for 67% of respondents compared with 51% for websites and 44% for Business Link.
44% use Business Link for business advice In advance of a joint SEEE/Hertset workshop – Surviving the Dragon’s Den - at the Hertfordshire Funding Fair in October, we asked members about their funding and finance - income sources, access to loans, and routes to relevant advice. 72% of respondents are trading in the open market, while 45% have earned income from contracts, and 50% have grants. Two respondents had applied to Futurebuilders, one each to the Adventure Capital Fund and Charity Bank – none had been successful.
72% of respondents trading in open market 45% have earned income from contracts 50% have grants The top two routes to finance and financial advice (cited by over 60% of respondents) were the lenders themselves and online searchable directories. Business advisers came third at 36%. Imparting their own financial advice, most respondents suggested that a good business plan – with realistic targets and figures to match – was essential. But one respondent was somewhat more down to earth - “Be prepared to jump through a lot of pointless hoops!” In November, we set out to profile the SEEE membership – by size, status and income and we had another remarkable response rate of 33%. We learnt that 60% of respondents have 1-3 full-time paid staff, while the corresponding figures for part-time paid staff and unpaid staff were 65% and 52%. The largest member has 375 full-time and 50 part-time staff.
41% of organisations represented are 6 – 10 years old, the oldest is 50 years old. 53% are Companies Limited by Guarantee, 36% are registered charities, 23% are Community Interest Companies. The highest annual income of members was £120 million, with a further 22 having annual incomes over £100,000. One third of respondents are in the £30,000 £50,000 income range.
The highest annual income of members was £120 million As In Touch goes to press, the December survey has just been put online to find out how members are being affected by the recession. Watch this space for our findings!
welcome to new SEEE members August – November 2008 Bedfordshire
The Bromham Millers CIC
Norfolk
Graphic Design and Print CIC Enterprise Herts CIC
Hertfordshire
Herts Urgent Care
Hertfordshire Norfolk
Kings Lynn & W. Norfolk BC Novas Scarman Group
Cambridgeshire
Homeless Link
Cambridgeshire Norfolk
West Norfolk MIND
Cambridgeshire
CCORRN
Hertfordshire
Innov8 Me
Essex
thejuiceproject.com CIC
Essex
Co-operative Assistance Network Sunnyside Rural Trust
Hertfordshire
Preen CIC
Bedfordshire
Herts Community Meals
Hertfordshire
The Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living
Hertfordshire
ABMEC CIC ANLP International CIC
Cambridgeshire Hertfordshire
PG 9 ~ WINTER 2009
new SEEE member
wins
Norwich
innovation award 2008
It’s not often you find a native Australian running a company in rural Norfolk, but Stephen Mollison does just that. Together with his wife Lilian who is a learning disability specialist the couple run Graphic Design & Print, a Community Interest Company which they formed to benefit adults with learning disabilities. They had set up a similar social enterprise on Skye, which was part of a two and half year project on the West Coast of Scotland. They decamped to Norfolk so their young son could have a life on the mainland. They provide modern apprenticeships and offer training with 120 places a year for organisations such as Break and the Camphill Trust. Their customers include other social enterprises and private and public sector companies.
Graphic Design & Print, a Community Interest Company, formed to benefit adults with learning disabilities Recently, Buy Local, a social enterprise which supports locally owned businesses in Norwich, presented its ‘Innovation Award’ to the company for its remarkable commitment to the community. Stephen Mollison thanked several organisations for the support his company had received, including The Guild for business support, NatWest for encouraging social enterprise banking, and all the professional organisations that had helped the company succeed.
celebrate
good times!
In association with the Plunkett Foundation, rural social enterprises worked together in Norfolk to celebrate Social Enterprise Day 2008, with a brewers’ co-op making a special bottled beer, a graphic design CIC producing the labels and community shops providing samples of the ale across the county. The day’s activities, which were organised by the Norfolk Social Enterprise Network, attracted over 350 members of the public keen to learn more about social enterprise. The day culminated in the launch of postcards promoting social enterprise at the Network’s stand at The Forum in Norwich, where a huge locally made cake added to the celebrations. Jane Taylor, Coordinator of the Network said,
“Social Enterprise Day presented a great opportunity for organisations to collaborate and make a real impact in their communities.” The Network is a voluntary organisation run by social enterprises themselves. The promotional postcards were made possible through the generous sponsorship of The Social Enterprise People, NWES, Norfolk RCC, The Guild, UNltd and Go for it!
Produced in Norfolk Director Wins
Enterprising Women Award The Enterprising Women Award has been won by Produced in Norfolk Director Jane Miller. The award recognises enterprising women across the whole spectrum of their business development in the East of England. Jane said,
Sarah Wickham, Strephen Mollison Lilian Mollison Graphic Design and Print CIC with their buy local award
PG 10 ~ WINTER 2009
"I am delighted that the hard work undertaken by so many rural women in Norfolk, who joined together over five years ago to protect rural jobs has been recognised in this way and that rural Norfolk is being given the prominence it deserves. I hope we can encourage more people to work together to benefit not only their own development but to also benefit their communities. I thank all the women who have gone before me at PIN HQ, for their foresight in setting up such a brilliant organisation and for their continued support.” PIN was the first organisation to hold a Norfolk only trade fair and has had considerable success in opening up new markets for artisan producers, protecting rural skills and helping rural communities be economically sustainable.
by Iain Row, BSc Web Developer
www.prominentmedia.com When I was four years old, I watched an older friend fix his bike. He had it upside-down, the seat and handlebars forming a makeshift tripod. Having reattached the chain, he turned the pedals by hand, causing the back wheel to spin rapidly. It looked like fun, so I had a go, but somehow the middle finger of my right hand got caught in the chain, and the sprockets on the back wheel tore the end of the finger clean off. Some things you learn the hard way. As a web developer with nearly ten years experience – quite a lot in such an immature industry – I have made a number of mistakes, and learnt from other people’s. I’d like to share the most common of those mistakes with you now, because if your site still makes them, you are handicapping yourself unnecessarily.
Splash screens These are those screens, often animated, which you see before you get to the main website. Somewhere between 10 and 60 seconds of wiggly lines; words like ‘experience’, ‘confidence’ and ‘specialist’ (why not add ‘onanist’?) fading in and out; quite possibly a drum n’ bass soundtrack.
Internal scrolling Fortunately this is less common now, but in the past people often had the idea that they wanted their site to fit inside a single screen, with no scrolling. This meant that the pages couldn’t be too tall, which was a serious restriction on the amount that could be displayed. When the text was too big to fit on the page they added scrollbars to the block of text alone, not the page as a whole.
This is unpleasant for many reasons. First of all it is counterproductive; if people don’t like scrolling down the main page, they will really hate scrolling through individual page elements. Second, if you try to print a page with these internal scrollbars you will probably find that the text gets cut off. Third, the usual keyboard shortcuts, which are a godsend for people with less-than-perfect fine motor skills, don’t work properly, and finally: web pages are documents. They are designed to scroll. If your site still makes use of any of these techniques, it might be worth talking to your web developer to discuss alternative ways to achieve the same thing. It needn’t be expensive or time-consuming, but your visitors will love you for it.
SEEE success in bidding for social enterprise support In late summer 2008, SEEE ran consultations in six counties to identify weaknesses in support for social enterprises in the East of England.
If you are not a student nightclub promoter, you have no excuse for annoying your visitors with this unnecessary garbage. Tesco don’t force their customers to sit through a 20 second video about how they are ‘established market leaders’ when all they popped in for was a pint of milk and a flat screen telly, so neither should you. Plus, it plays havoc with your search engine ranking.
SEEE then invited expressions of interest in running projects, funded under the government’s Capacitybuilders programme, to address the identified support needs. An independent panel considered the 22 expressions of interest received and successful applicants worked with SEEE’s consultant to develop their proposals for submission to Capacitybuilders. At this stage there was no guarantee the projects would be approved for funding.
Drop-down navigation Sites which have many pages often resort to drop-down navigation, which is where you hover your pointer over the buttons, and more options appear below. If your fine motor control is not brilliant, you may find this sort of navigation frustrating or even impossible to use, even is if it is implemented perfectly. Most of the time the coding is far from perfect, so even users with perfect hand-eye coordination can struggle.
As In Touch went to press, we were delighted to learn that funding had been approved for CCORRN – the Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network - to continue the successful Microcoaches programme for small organisations across the region. Anglia Ruskin University will run a new Social Enterprise Executive Development Scheme programme to support mature enterprises. Capacitybuilders funding will also enable SEEE to recruit an Information Officer, commission independent research on the networking needs of social enterprises, and to translate that research into action on the ground. For further details visit www.seee.co.uk/capacitybuilders
Add in the fact that other page elements (like Flash or video) can cover the dropped-down navigation, making it impossible to click on, and you would need a very good reason indeed to insist on drop-down navigation.
PG 11 ~ WINTER 2009
re-defining profit in the 21st century? “Social Enterprise is a business model that every company should adopt” So said Tim Campbell at the East of England Development Agency’s Ideas Exchange gathering at Tattersalls in Newmarket back in November. SEEE were also there to show how social enterprise is changing lives across the region, with SEEE members Apsley Paper Trail from Hertfordshire, Workwise from Suffolk, and Produced in Norfolk. Campbell was joined by other high-profile entrepreneurs – Liam Black, Deidre Bounds, Karen Mattison, Tim Smit, and EEDA Chair Richard Ellis – to tell their personal stories and share their various philosophies for entrepreneurial success. Tim Campbell is founder of the Bright Ideas Trust, a charity helping young people set up and run successful businesses, but he is probably best known as the first winner of ‘The Apprentice’ TV series in 2005. While acknowledging the importance of his very public association with Alan Sugar – including a year with Amstrad’s health and beauty division – Campbell also credits his rise from cleaner of second-hand ovens to high-flying entrepreneur to the early influence of his mother – his mentor and ‘dream creator’. Deidre Bounds is founder of ethical travel/gap year company ito-i.com who, after she developed the enterprise from a bedsit in Leeds, 10 years later sold it to tour operator First Choice in February 2007 for a reported £20m. Deidre Bounds’ vision was to mainstream foreign travel for people wanting to get under the skin of other cultures – by teaching English as a foreign language (ESOL). i-to-i went on to place teachers abroad and offer online ESOL courses. There was much to encourage the budding entrepreneur from the i-to-i story. Deidre said;
“it proves that helping people can make money” And nor did she think the recession was all negative, she believes that, by deciding to do things differently, we can thrive. It also demonstrates that money can be made from unlikely sources – getting people to pay to work on their holidays in the case of i-to-i. Karen Mattison is founder of Women Like Us – an award-winning social enterprise recruitment agency that specialises in placing
PG 12 ~ WINTER 2009
women in work that suits their needs to work part-time or flexibly at all job levels. They also work with employers to help design jobs to be done on a part-time basis. This means that more women with young children return to work into jobs commensurate with the level they were working at previously, and ensure that their skill levels are not lost to business. Concluding the presentations, it was left to Tim Smit – the man with the palindromic name – better know for his involvement with the Eden Project in Cornwall and ‘The Lost Gardens of Heligan’ – to make the connection between ‘embracing and enjoying risk’ and his equine surroundings at Tattersalls in Newmarket. We are learning the hard way that confidence in the financial markets is essential but precarious. The influence of attitude over action was a central theme in Smit’s polished presentation.
“Success is about the attitude you go into something with and having the courage to do what you want to do” ”What comes from within us will make us happiest“ He identified three brakes on our personal and professional development – trying to be the person we think our parents wanted us to be, fear of the future, and negative people, whom Smit described as ‘evil’ – stifling creativity and dreaming – and whom he avoids at all costs. The presentations were both inspiring and rich in advice on what works in business. For Tim Campbell it was five p’s: passion, planning, partnerships, perseverance and ‘planetary assistance’ – a somewhat contrived fifth ‘p’ acknowledging the role that luck (or should that be potluck?) can play in successful enterprise. For Deidre Bounds, there are three ingredients in the recipe for success in business and in our personal lives: courage and integrity – not being afraid to be ourselves, and taking risks from our self-belief; think from the end – know what you want to achieve and you’ll get there; take responsibility – banish a blame culture - it will put you in control to fix things that are wrong. Smit had his own three philosophies in business: the ‘tinkerbell theory’ – that if you can get four other people to believe passionately about something, it will happen; last man standing – people will eventually pay you large sums of money to go away; and accept every third invitation – it will take you to new places and may bring unexpected benefits. An evening of inspiring stories told with great passion by top entrepreneurs, identified the ingredients for business success, but re-defining profit in the 21 century? That’s a debate still to be had.
dragon’s den The creativity and planning skills of young entrepreneurs of the near future were on show at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge on the final day of Global Entrepreneurship Week in late November. Six teams from sixth forms across the East of England pitched their business plans for new social enterprises in a dragon’s den style competition to win laptops and other high-tech prizes.
and services, but all had researched and identified clear needs to be met and showed a maturity beyond their years.
Competition winners Culture Chefs
The Clothes With Conscience team Chris Lee of SEEE joined fellow ‘dragons’ Jenny Gilbert, Deputy Dean at the Ashcroft International Business School, and Tom Taylor from online recruitment agency Cambridge Slivers to scrutinise initiatives to reduce the loneliness of older people in care homes, to tackle obesity and binge drinking in young people, and a co-operative to support people recovering from cancer.
The winning business idea was ‘Culture Chefs’ cooked up by the team from the Ken Stimpson Community School in Peterborough. Pitched as a blend of cooking, education and cultural understanding for young people, they combined a polished presentation with a potentially viable business idea. Runners-up were the ‘Cample Ltd’ team from Cambridge Regional College pitching a DVD to bridge the generation gap for both young and old, and ‘Clothes with a Conscience’ from Orton Longueville School in Peterborough planned to turn unwanted clothes from charity shops into high fashion items for sale on E-bay. “School was never like this in my day” lamented one of judges as the teams departed with the rich rewards for their enterprise and effort. Jamie Oliver look out – the Culture Chefs are turning up the heat!
Enterprising Essex
The Cample team There was some confusion about the concept of social enterprise. Two teams planned to issue dividend paying shares, and others separated the income generating part of the operation (in some cases traditional fundraising) from the delivery of goods
Gareth Gault, Social Enterprise Director at the St Lukes Healthy Living Centre CIC – a SEEE member in Southend – joined three other ‘dragons’ at nearby Cecil Evans College on Social Enterprise Day. With just 30 minutes to develop a plan for a social enterprise, three groups of students impressed the four judges with presentations of their enterprising ideas: Livit – to improve access to mainstream education for students with disabilities; Breakthrough Travel – a local travel agency run and managed by long-term unemployed people; and Groovie Smoothies – a fairtrade smoothie drinks service for the College.
next SPRING 2009 ISSUE 25
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review book
7 reasons to subscribe to In Touch*
7 reasons
1. It’s the only quarterly magazine on social to subscribe to In Touch enterprise across the eastern region 2. It shares ideas and practical information from and for frontline organisations 3. It signposts affordable sources of relevant advice and support 4. It celebrates the colour & creativity of the sector 5. You won’t have to borrow someone else’s copy 6. It costs £24.99 for a year 7. It’s easy to subscribe
Wake Up and Change Your Life Duncan Bannatyne, Orion Books, 2008, £18.99 hbk Sometimes you read a book to find out new information, and sometimes you read it just to remind yourself of what you already know you need to do. This book by Dragon, Duncan Bannatyne will do the latter for most people who are running a business, but at the same time, serves as a really inspiring guide for those about to take their first steps into enterprise. It is straightforward, with two basic strands, first that anyone can succeed in business. Bannatyne started with an initial stake of £450, and now is among the top 300 richest people in Britain if he can do it, anyone can.
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The other strand is the basic information about the key aspects of running a successful business partly imparted in the story of his business journey, partly in factual information, with useful signposting to websites to help comply with legislation or for further information. The rest is in case studies that punctuate the book. These underline Bannatyne’s conviction that anyone can succeed in business, with similar rags to riches stories. Each case study ends with the same three questions: What’s the best advice you’ve ever had? What do you wish you’d known from the start? What would you say to someone starting a business? The book is worth its price for these candid answers alone. Some information is not so relevant to a social enterprise, but 98% of the book is a valuable resource for any entrepreneur at any stage, if only as a reminder of the areas to focus on, and the steps to take when the chips are down. In these troubled times he has few words of comfort – in Bannatyne’s world, you can not blame recession, market forces or any other external circumstance for the poor performance of a business – it is always because the entrepreneur is not working hard enough or smart enough. Harsh words? Maybe, but then he is the guy who got a 40,000,000% return on his initial investment, so he may know a thing or two!
Reviewed by Michele Rigby
and request an invoice with your first copy (Spring 2009).
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in Issue 24 Winter 2009. In Touch is published by SEEE. SEEE is funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA). To communicate with SEEE contact: a: SEEE, Bedford i Lab, Stannard Way, Bedford, MK44 3RZ e: hello@seee.co.uk t: 0845 6066296 Editorial staff: Editor: David Jordan Assistant Editor: Steve Jordan Graphic design: Berri Art & Design Advertising sales: SEEE office 01234 834549 Please send PR and other information to: David Jordan e: intouch@seee.co.uk t: 01908 695500
PG 13 ~ WINTER 2009