Social enterprise can be described as business with a social purpose. It does not mean that it has to be non profit making. Such business can be very large indeed; examples are the Co-operative chain of shops and the John Lewis Partnerships. In organisations like John Lewis, its employees are partners and share in its profits. Examples of social enterprises include co-operatives, credit unions, local exchange trading schemes (LETS) and growing co-operatives. A number of care organisations are set up as social enterprises.
For more information about social enterprises and the help that is available to them locally, please see the following web sites; Social Enterprise East Midlands (SEEM) and CaSEDA (Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency for Leicester and Leicestershire).
Help for social enterprises is also available from Business Link. Grants are available to help social enterprise start ups. These will pay 100% of the costs of advice up to a maximum of £750 for pre-start social enterprises and £1000 for established social enterprises. To find out more about this grant, or to talk through your needs with a Business Link adviser call 0845 058 6644 or e-mail