Thinking about starting a social enterprise?

Introduction

Social enterprises are businesses with a social purpose. They have social aims, trade in competitive markets and use their profits for community benefits.

Social enterprises work across a wide range of industrial sectors, including growth sectors such as recycling, renewable energy and social care. The sector is diverse and includes some co-operatives, credit unions, housing associations, community development trusts, social firms and community businesses.

This guide will help you decide whether to start up a social enterprise and what the benefits will be for you.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• What is a social enterprise?
• Why set up a social enterprise?
• Benefits of a social enterprise
• Social enterprise skills
• Challenges facing social enterprises
• Business and marketing plans
• Financing your social enterprise
• Social enterprises and the public sector
• Checklist: starting up a social enterprise
• Here's how being a social enterprise works for our business
• Here's how I started a successful social enterprise

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