Category Archives: Social Enterprise

The Life of an Intern

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Hey everybody, it’s Ryan the intern!  I just wanted to take a few minutes and write about my experience here at the SSE so far.

From day one, it has been fantastic working here.  I’ve never had an office job before, although I do have a bit of other work experience.  What I thought was going to be a month of being bored to death, cooped up in an office with a bunch of old people turned into being one of the most inspiring, exciting jobs with the greatest bunch of people I have ever worked with (and they aren’t even old, or at least you can’t tell)!!

Business, for me, has always been something I’ve studied only because it seemed like a practical way to get a job in one of the worst economies that the USA (yes, I’m American so excuse my different spelling of words) has ever seen.  I don’t know whether it’s the English charm in this office, the fact that I feel like my work has meaning, or just the overall vibe in the office that we are all helping other people. We have started using a forwarding service that just helps us get our mail to different replika klockor office locations. But whatever it is, coming to work is a great part of my day and I’m sad to say I will have to leave at the end of the month to go back to school for my final semester before heading out into the real world.  That said, I must repeat the first thing I learned in this office and that was where the tea is.  How English! 🙂

Specifically, I’m working under Nick doing things like contacting the press, working back and forth with fellows and current students to finish up certain jobs, and organizing/analyzing (not analysing haha) data from evaluations and such.  It’s been great fun as every day is a bit different, so it keeps me interested.

Finally, it’s just really interesting seeing how a non-for-profit works; it’s neat how we have to go about different strategies to keep things working like obtaining grants and the like because the SSE doesn’t rely on its program as its only source of income.

Well, that’s all from me for now.  I’ll be back next Monday with another update of sorts, I’m sure.

Cheers!

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Hopes and wishes for 2011 for civil society

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Social Investment Business have done an interesting powerpoint which shares the views of various sector leaders' wishes for 2011. Including (Sir) Stephen Bubb, Matthew Taylor from RSA, Rod Schwartz from ClearlySo, Julie McEver from Local Partnerships…and more. Including, first up, our own CEO Alastair Wilson….enjoy.

[You might also be interested in Third Sector's Austerity Panel's advice for the year ahead.]

Civil society wishes for 2011

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How social entrepreneurs learn from experience, 24-7

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Jackbauer In between celebrating Ashes victory (making having an Australian franchise even more enjoyable than normal) and watching Series 8 of 24 (Jack Bauer very much a leadership role model), I managed to write a quick article for the Guardian Social Enterprise Network on how social entrepreneurs learn, expanding on the old question of "are entrepreneurs born or made?". You can read the whole piece here: Look back after you've leapt: how social entrepreneurs learn from experience

The title refers to one section, where I was explaining how the old proverb "look before you leap" didn't quite apply to entrepreneurs….the process being more like:

"It's key that you leap….definitely leap….
….but why don't you hear from some other people who who have already leapt and see how they landed….
….and then you won't leap in that way that landed them in a puddle…
….then learn a bit more about where to choose to leap first…..
….then get inspired by (and encouragement from) people around you also leaping…
…then Leap – and then look back and see how that went…..
…and how you might leap differently next time….
…and then look for the next leap that's needed."

Not necessarily the snappiest bit of writing ever, but a fair approximation of what 'progress' looks like for a lot of those we support; and which underlies the way our programmes and our approach to learning is structured.

And also what we look for in applicants: is prone to action, takes risk + responsibility, demonstrates persistence and commitment, seizes opportunity, utilises resources, has a sense of vision / direction, clear about mission/objectives and so forth. Entrepreneurial characteristics and traits, indeed, many of which are embodied by Jack Bauer himself. Told you he was a role model… :0)

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2011: what does it hold for social entrepreneurs?

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Rulesexperience Happy New Year all readers, followers, subscribers, SSE Fellows. It feels here at SSE that we haven't so much hit the ground running as landed with a thump on a treadmill at full pelt. Our social franchising programme enters its second block, our new specialist programme for right-to-request leaders starts in January, there's a new evaluation report on the way, and our main core London programmes graduate….as well as recruiting for the next cohorts! And the story is similar across the network: delivery, delivery, delivery.

So, sadly, little time to write a comprehensive post of what to expect in 2011, which will also be my (*gasps*) 6th year at SSE (hence the graph about experience above….). So with little time and cheating slightly, I'm going to point you to the Guardian's round-up of "What's going to be big for social enterprise in 2011?" which features my own contribution, but delightfully also that of current SSE student David Floyd, and esteemed SSE Fellows Paul Hodgkin and Jobeda Ali. You simply couldn't wish for better advice and thoughts to prepare you for the year ahead….

My brief bit reads as follows:

"2011 is going to be a tough one for many because of the combination of spending cuts, unemployment, and lingering economic depression, and it will be no different for social enterprise. There will be opportunities that come from delivering the big society vision and making it tangible, and the challenge will be to remain resilient and to be, if not an optimist then at least a 'possibilist'.

For all social entrepreneurs, the recipe for the year is QED: Q for quality, as organisations must prove their impact and improve their performance; E for enterprise, as earning income and seizing opportunities becomes crucial (the phrase "get over it, you're in sales" could be useful here); and D for delivery, because rhetoric and hyperbole aren't the cornerstones of a sustainable business with a credible track record.

So keep the antennae up, the radar on and the networks live: there are opportunities out there, and your best bet for 2011 is among them"

As a couple of the contributors to the article pointed out, the key will be deciding what is a real opportunity and what is a 'poisoned chalice' being offloaded onto an unsuspecting, well-meaning individual or organisation….we'll see what the landscape looks like at the end of the year, and who's made the right decisions in the short-term in order to keep fulfilling their mission in the long-term.

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Secret Santa surprises social entrepreneur on TV

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OK, so it's completely freezing, travel is chaotic, and the economic picture is gloomy for many. But there are beacons of light amidst the gloom; some of our SSE students are just that, and that's why we're proud and delighted that Andre Hackett, who's on our London programme currently, and his co-founders have been surprised by a TV programme with free billboards to promote his business (London Mobile Studios)…and sustain his brilliant youth work. A well-deserved Christmas present, and a welcome bit of warmth and light. Enjoy:

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