...we all know there are not enough days in the week, hours in the day, minutes in an hour! Yet things continue to happen that need your attention.
I had my Afro-Caribbean woman's networking business advisor around today and the 2 and half hour session went really well, especially considering the fact that the lady came round to the house for the meeting and I had my 'just turned 2' year old with me. The lounge might still be in a bit of a mess right now, pens, crayons, colouring books, A4 papers, alphabet shapes, books, train sets, rice crisps...all scattered around, but hey, it kept him busy.
My dilemma before the lady came was to figure out if I wanted my company to remain a Ltd company or did I want to go down the 'Social Enterprise' route. What is a 'Social Enterprise', well it really is a 'Company with Interest in the Community' A proper Social Enterprise business is one with a social purpose that work with the aim of delivering social or environmental change rather than maximising profits for shareholders...(that was a mouthful!) or you could say, it is a business whose ethos is ...when profit isn't the bottom line.
Yes it is a nice heart warming thought - the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant called 'Fifteen' is a social enterprise, as he trains up disadvantaged youngsters to become chefs.
...so what's my beef? Well a dear friend of mine has fired me up to re-direct my marketing focus, and in doing so, I feel I can make some mean dosh! and already, I'm seeing leather designer bags, funky shoes, supermarket shopping without counting the pennies etc in the horizon and it feels good, now to suddenly throw that out of the window and become very socially conscious is uhmmmmm - not so appealing!
..but upon discussing with my lovely business advisor, that soft spot in me that I've always had for helping the disadvantaged overwhelmed me...darn! So I've decided to still have my Ltd company, but to also set up a 'Social Enterprise' company, which means MORE WORK FOR ME!
Double the paper work, double the marketing, double everything in short...... and as if that were not enough, today we found out that we didn't get the secondary school that we chose for our daughter. Which is quite a bummer in the sense that we had applied outside our borough as we are moving this summer and they blatantly ignored that and gave us a school here! So now we are going to have to (or should I say I am going to have to) APPEAL, and that my friends is a lot of work as well. Can't life just be simple for once!
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4 comments:
Appeal, Appeal, Appeal! A lot of work but it does work. I absolutely loved the cake and if you are in London, I will be placing some orders. Loved the originality of the shape and it looked lovely. Do you have a website? KK
ps, a simple life is sooo boring :)
Don't know what to say about the Social Enterprise angle, I love the idea of impacting the lives of those less priviledged, there is so much joy in that and some times the material things we want don't fulfil the soul. However, all the best intentions in the world don't help, take a cue from Oprah, work hard, make lots of money and then be in a better position to be a blessing to others. With that sort of 'big picture' as your goal, God can not but bless your efforts!
Omara,
Wise words, coming from Oprah..
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