Highs and Lows of Social Enterprise Trevor Pickup Society of St James
Small housing association, Hampshire Provider of – housing related support, – substance misuse services – Care Home Social enterprise 230 staff
Social enterprise narrative Govt and LA keen to promote Create jobs and income Trade out of the dependency on grants Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit
In the beginning… 2002 Wednesday afternoon social club Jamie's Computer club
Early excitement Volume of donations Volunteer interest Grants support
Initial challenges Overwhelmed by volume Social or enterprise Our manager
Business model Staffing and other costs about £200,000 Sales needed £16.6k per month – Refurbished machines – Scrap metal – Ebay – Components
Regulatory requirements
The hard years Grant expired Customer experience Losing money Hoarding Management changes “Close it or fix it”
Climbing back up The man from the dark side – 2012 Culture and empathy Quality control Wholesale trade Boom in metal prices £50,000 surplus 5-10 tonnes per month
In conclusion Choose you name with care It’s tough and it takes time Focus on the sales and finances The commercial world is different But we are making a surplus!