Anyone can become a social entrepreneur. Well, that's if they have the drive, the passion and a great idea for running a business with a social impact. But turning that passion into a successful and sustainable business can be challenging. Sharing business models is one way of making the journey easier. And for some aspiring social entrepreneurs this is already happening through Firstport's social replication programme Ditto.
Funded by Resilient Scotland, Ditto is a unique way of spreading good social enterprise ideas. It offers aspiring entrepreneurs a range of proven business models, from cafes to childcare and brings together a valuable package of practical guidelines, industry knowledge and financial advice as well as business advice and support.
The Ditto concept takes franchising principles from the private sector and applies a softer form of replication in a very localised way. This takes the best from both worlds – the private sector's ability to scale up and replicate business models that work and social enterprises ability to respond to the pressing social and economic needs of their local communities.
By finding people who have achieved success with their own business models and who are willing to share the secrets of their business success, we hope to make it easier for aspiring social entrepreneurs to start their own social enterprises in their local areas. So future entrepreneurs will know which questions to ask before starting out, have realistic expectations of what can be achieved and will understand the resources required to survive.
So far we have worked with ten successful social entrepreneurs - model contributors - and since January 2014 have helped nine social entrepreneurs set up new businesses in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife and Dundee. These social enterprises have created local jobs, volunteering places and encouraged people to use and develop local assets.
Investment from Resilient Scotland has allowed for the commitment of additional resources and advancements in product design and delivery. As a result the programme has been significantly enhanced and now covers 13 local authority areas in Scotland.
One of the many advantages of setting up a social enterprise is that people instinctively appreciate what the business stands for. And with consumers increasingly preferring to buy social, social entrepreneurship is on the rise. Through our Ditto programme we can help social enterprise play a bigger role in society, transforming lives, communities and the economy.
For more information on Ditto visit the website.
