The development of supported self-employment with miEnterprise
miEnterprise is a social enterprise. It is a business but one where any profit we make goes back into our social aims.
Our social aims are to see more and more people start and run successful businesses.
To start with these will be small, or micro. But we would really like to see as many of those businesses as possible grow.
There are two important parts to this.
First off you have to get started !
Lots of people could have micro businesses but not many do. We know there are lots of reasons why this is so.
So our work to date has been a lot about understanding what’s stopping this and finding ways of getting those barriers out of the way.
There is a nice quote on the first page of this site “Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor”. We like this because we know that once you start, or get on that dance floor, you will see opportunities and you will be able to take them.
Work also creates an identity, purpose, builds self respect and confidence and is a route to financial inclusion. It also means people can be seen by others as able rather than disabled.
When most of us meet somebody new one of the first questions we ask, or are asked, is “what do you do?” Our aim is to give people the dignity of having a good answer to that question !
Then you look for ways of supporting businesses to grow.
You try to find a way of doing that that is accessible and doesn’t cost a lot!
We have done that with the first site in Herefordshire but we think the whole project will work best as we set up more miEnterprise sites that can work together.
So we have created a miEnterprise Development Programme.
This is a comprehensive package that will build a national network of miEnterprise's.
This will cover the nuts and bolts stuff that is essential but will also see us work with local sites to form a local partnership and set up a local miEnterprise Community Interest Company that will then join a national network.
This saves people from working through all the stuff that we have had to consider over the last couple of years and should be much more cost effective than reinventing the wheel.
The other big advantage is that new miEnterprise’s will join the rapidly growing network of sites all sharing knowledge and information. We will use the internet to enable members around the country to share information, business stories and ideas, solve problems, look for help and work together. This is stuff we couldn’t have done a few years ago but new internet technology now makes it possible. Again this should be very cost effective as you are able, as a miEnterprise individual or site member to tap into a lot of collective knowledge and inspiration.
We are funded by the government Dept for Business Innovation & Skills, (BIS), through Valuing Employment Now & Jobs First/Getting a Life to set up more miEnterprise sites around the UK. Our first new site is in North Tyneside and we are working with them now. See our blog for more details of how this develops.
After this site we will now be working with three further sites as part of the Jobs First programme and another seven more as well as thinking about how we can support small family led miEnterprises.
If you think you might be interested in this drop us an e.mail and we can keep you informed.