Empowering Social Entrepreneurs

Wolverhampton for Everyone

Pete Twilley and Sam Axtell

Over the last year we have been running a programme for people who have an interest in developing a business, community project or an enterprise that to some extent or other has an entrepreneurial element to it. In this Blog we hope to share with you a little about this programme, what it is, how it is different and why we feel that it is a good thing to be part of.

The next programme begins on Wednesday 21 April. Places are free and you can apply for yours here.

So what is different about the programme that we run?

I guess that the biggest difference is that it isn’t a taught course. It isn’t a programme where those taking part in it come and sit in a classroom for 2 hours a week for six weeks and listen to a teacher telling them the ‘correct’ way to do things. It isn’t a programme where there are the right things to do and the wrong things to do, where there are skills that the teacher has but you don’t have.

Also, it isn’t a traditional business mentoring programme where a successful business man (yes, it is often men who do this) who sit down with you and share their vast range of experience and success and let you know what you need to do be as successful as them.

The other difference this year is that we are going to be running the programme on-line. This is something that was unthinkable to us a year ago but as we have learnt how to use new technology and platforms and have gained confidence and know now that we can run a good on-line programme.

However we run the programme it is one where:

· the skills, experience and knowledge of everyone who is part of it are valued and welcomed;

· those who are part of it support each other with information, contacts and fresh ideas;

· skills are taught through introducing models and thinking that can be applied directly to the business and entrepreneurial ideas that people come with;

· a can-do approach is taken, where boundaries of what is possible to achieve are extended and developed.

As this programme is run under the umbrella of Wolverhampton for Everyone it is important to us that we align our values to the values of Wolverhampton for Everyone. The following sets out some of the key ways in which we align our values:

Celebrate Gifts & Talents — We value everyone’s contribution and recognise that everyone has something important to offer to the group.

Foster Authentic Connections — During the programme we work hard to develop relationships between people and encourage collaboration and shared thinking.

Work & Share Openly — Everyone who in part of the programme is encouraged to work with us as the facilitators and with each other. We firmly believe that we all have things to learn from each other.

Nurture Learning & Doing We value creativity and cultivate fun and playful spaces together. We look after each other, and the people we work with.

Participants Stories

Following on from the first programme we have kept in touch with a number of people who were part of the first programme. One of them has agreed for us to share their experience of being part of the programme and the value it was to them.

Andrea Cantrill from Get In Touch with Yourself

“I found this course really good as it was all about drawing ideas out of you rather than being fed information. It was great to have a weekly or monthly check in to keep me on track and to know I have a group to bounce ideas off. It gave me the confidence to grow my idea and know it was worth pursuing. I think it also showed me that I don’t need a finished product, that a good idea will grow and find itself. Thank you team”

Get In Touch With Yourself Techniques for mind and body: breathing, positivity, gratitude and self-massage.

Helen Wood

‘The Empowering Social Entrepreneurs Programme was so useful for us as a fledgling social enterprise. The opportunity to build a network with other people going through the same things, sharing our experiences and expertise was an invaluable and integral part of the programme.

Rudge Wood Horticulture CIC is up and running now and putting into practice the knowledge and skills that Pete so patiently led us through. We are still building our web site, our facebook page is @rudgewoodhorticulture or @rudgewood on twitter’

Rudge Wood Horticulture

Additional Notes

Who we are

Sam has been working in the field of community and youth work for over 30 years. She has a particular interest in community development and participation. Throughout her career she supported the development of innovative youth forums such as Dayspace in Plymouth and the Youth Council in Wolverhampton. She has led on the citywide Local Area Forums, The Citywide Involvement Network and the Community Covenant (which she steered to a coveted Gold Employer Recognition Award in 2019). Sam is fascinated by asset based community development and the possibilities it gives for communities to transform their experience. She also loves learning new things, supporting people to grow and develop and, when she’s not working, enjoying outdoor life.

Pete joined Wolverhampton for Everyone in 2018 and has a background in youth work, community work, adult education, training and development and supporting the development of social enterprise. He has worked in the statutory and voluntary sectors and in higher education. He recently left his full-time role as a senior lecturer at Staffordshire University where he was a member of the Creative Communities Unit with particular responsibility for managing partnerships and supporting the development of a peer support network for social entrepreneurs. He also led the strategic group that was successful in getting Staffordshire recognised as a place of social enterprise as part of the Social Enterprise UK’s ‘Place’programme. Pete is passionate about supporting people to develop and in particular in helping them turn their passions and interests into sustainable projects or businesses that respond to particular needs or problems in society. His particular role in WFE is to lead on the Empowering Social Entrepreneurs programme.

More detail on the programme

The next programme will be online using Zoom. There will be input from the people leading the sessions, but our belief is that everyone who attends has something valuable to contribute.

This is a 6 week programme for aspiring entrepreneurs who also have a social mission. Whilst this is primarily for people in Wolverhampton there are limited places available for people further afield. We will cover a wide range of topics including how to communicate your vision, identify your unique selling point and discuss legal structures for your enterprise. We will identify key business planning tools and considerations to make your enterprise successful; all within a welcoming and relaxed group setting where we can share learning, ideas and resources. If you have an idea for a project or an enterprise but don’t know what to do next, then this programme could be for you.

Apply for your free place here.

The programme content will include:

• Your Vision, Mission, Values and Unique Selling Point
• Customers, Competition, Other Stakeholders and Market Research
• Sources of potential income and identifying what your costs will be
• The different legal structures for enterprises
• Business Planning — Tools that are useful for planning your enterprise
• Making your enterprise successful — including considering risks, monitoring and evaluation
• Networks, support, celebrations and next steps

The methods we will be using:

The 6 sessions will include discussions, activities, stories and the sharing of ideas, experience and networks. As it is an on-line programme we will be using break out rooms and jam boards so that we can share and learn together in a collaborative way.

This will be a safe and confidential environment. We hope that those attending will support each other with suggestions and ideas. There’s an opportunity to join an ongoing support network