The range of enterprises within the SES project show just how imaginative the people and communities of Australia are; recycling, maintenance, building, cafes, catering, wineries, fashion, multimedia, and so much more.
The 37 social enterprises we are working closely with across Australia -- in regional and urban areas -- has provided insight into the everyday-ness of people involved in social business experience; the barriers, the opportunities and the breadth of scope and learnings which are obtainable and extra-ordinary.
Mahesh -- our business development adviser -- spends much of her time working with individuals within the sector. She is teaching and coaching through the development process of useful financial management processes; identifying meaningful key figures, how to capture these figures and most important of all, how to interpret and use this information.
Providing this hands-on approach will train enterprise managers and increase their capabilities to effectively control and manage the business. And refining business concepts may open up sustainable funding options -- either through grants (many have already embraced these) and low interest/no interest loans.
Social Traders has been working closely with two Social Enterprise Development and Investment Funds (SEDIF). The two funds -- Social Enterprise Solutions and Social Enterprise Finance Australia (SEFA) -- deliver community finance to create sustainable pathways for the social enterprise sector. Both these funds open up opportunities for new and existing social enterprises, non profits and individuals to access finance in a fair and equitable manner. Take some time to examine these offerings and match business ideas with finance opportunities.
The depth of enterprise and the need to provide a vehicle for social procurement has led Social Traders to develop the Social Enterprise Finder (The Finder), Australia's first online social enterprise directory. Registration is free to all Australian social enterprises and will allow Government, the corporate sector and the general public the means to actively search for social enterprises to engage and procure.
Social Traders defines social enterprise as businesses that are led by an economic, social, cultural or environmental mission consistent with a public or community benefit; trade to fulfill its mission; derive a substantial proportion of income from trade; and reinvest the majority of its profit/surplus in the fulfillment of its social mission.
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