What makes a social entrepreneur? The School for Social Entrepreneurs explain

by Startacus Admin
What makes a Social Entrepreneur? We chat to the School for Social Entrepreneurs
A little while ago, we were given a rather generous 20% discount to Startacus members to attend a School for Social Entrepreneurs workshop on Funding - a fab event by a pretty fab organisation.
In light of this, we thought it’d be worth having a chat with Leonie Jarrett, Communications Officer of the School for Social Entrepreneurs to find out some more about social enterprise, what makes someone a social entrepreneur and indeed more about the mission of the School for Social Entrepreneurs itself.
For those of you who are unaware, since 1997 the School for Social Entrepreneurs has been supporting all sorts of individuals who are starting & growing social enterprises. From their main base in East London, their network of franchise schools now supports hundreds of social entrepreneurs a year across the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia.
First off Leonie - what do you think makes someone a Social Entrepreneur?
Someone with a good idea to positively change the world and who has the determination to make it happen. Social entrepreneurs have all the characteristics of a regular entrepreneur, their motivation is what makes them different. A social entrepreneur’s business idea is driven by a desire to make social change, not a desire to make money.
And leading on from this, what do you think classifies a business as being a Social Enterprise?
This is a question that comes up a lot! A social enterprise is a business driven by a social or environmental purpose. As with all businesses, social enterprises compete to deliver goods and services. The difference is that social purpose is at the very heart of what they do, and the profits they make are reinvested towards achieving that purpose. But at SSE we purposely focus on social entrepreneurs not social enterprises as it is difficult for us to select who we support based on business models. Many of the startups we work with are yet to choose a legal structure and those we work with from the third and public sector (who we refer to as ‘intrapreneurs’) tend to be working on innovative projects within larger organisations.
Tell us more about SSE and a little bit more about the company’s history to date?
The School for Social Entrepreneurs was founded in 1997 by Michael Young. The SSE was the last in the line of organisations created by the Institute of Community Studies (now the Young Foundation), a pioneering urban think tank. In 2000, the SSE also helped lead the consortium which created UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, in order to provide startup grants across the UK. Over the past two decades the SSE has helped over 1,500 social entrepreneurs find success. We now have schools right across the UK and in Australia, Canada and Ireland and we have exciting plans to open in India later this year!
What type of ways do you help social entrepreneurs and social enterprises?
We provide needs-led training solutions for social entrepreneurs. We work with individuals looking to start their own social enterprise as well as individuals from the third and public sector who are keen to develop knowledge and understanding of the social enterprise space. From our 18 years’ experience of working with social entrepreneurs we have an in-depth understanding of what support social entrepreneurs need and have developed our offering to reflect this. Our courses cover everything from how and why you should measure your social impact, how to make social media work for your organisation and models for scaling and replication.
In terms of funding for social enterprises and not-for-profits, how tough has the last few years been?
Many of the social entrepreneurs we support are having to look at new funding models due to a reduction in available grant funding. In response to this we have developed a number of courses to help them through this process, for example our ‘Sources of Funding’ and ‘Unlocking Social Investment’ one-day workshops. Cuts to funding for the charity sector have also led to an increase in traditionally grant dependent organisations looking to become more enterprising, our‘Transition to Trading’course supports charity leaders on this journey and helps them to identify new income streams for their organisation.
Tell us about some of the key plans and projects you have running for the remainder of 2015 that might be of interest to our audience.
We have launched a new YouTube channel aimed at social entrepreneurs and we have lots of exciting new courses planned for 2015. Check out our website for the latest listings! www.the-sse.org
If Social Enterprise is your thing, you might want to also read our recent articles on:
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Got a business in the manufacturing sector? These tips on how you can reduce energy costs while being more sustainable are well worth a read...

Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.

Nassia Skoulikariti, Director of IoT Programmes, Mobile Ecosystem Forum shares some insights on how IoT is having a significant impact on all our lives.

Roger James Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Genius Group, a world-leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group, discusses how introducing a globalized curriculum will help better prepare students.

SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.

41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.

Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.

Thingtrax Secures £4.3M to Empower Manufacturers to Build the Factories of the Future

A measure of inflation relief for small firms sees transport costs fall but service price increases remain elevated

Bedfordshire-based HR tech startup HR DataHub has built a range of tools for HR departments
Published on: 22nd June 2015
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- SureIn Secures €4M to Close the SMB Insurance Gap 15th Aug 2023 Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.
- SuperFi raises $1M pre-seed funding round 28th Jul 2023 SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.
- Startups rely on AI & sustainability for new partnerships 27th Jul 2023 41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.
- Another Round closes £300k Seed round to revolutionise personal training 21st Jul 2023 Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.