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Chris tells us
what drives him and why he wants to get City types into social
enterprise
How did you develop a 'social' view
of society?
At uni, through friends and groups; I
was involved with environmental groups and ran the Jubilee 2000 as
well as various fair trade projects.
How did that lead into the
position you're in now?
I wanted to do something useful and
enjoyed the excitement of enterprise. I think it's a good way of
reducing dependency (individual and corporate).
“I want to build an East London social enterprise incubator”
How does your enterprise work?
Companies and charities give us stuff
to be sold, for free or on commission. Unemployed young people take
photos of the stuff, research it, write descriptions and list it on
eBay. They get the skills, experience and confidence for work and the
profit pays for coaching them to ensure they get as much as possible
out of the experience.
What are your ambitions for the
future?
I want to set up a big social
enterprise incubator in East London, where lots of social enterprises
start and grow. Then I want to work in it, sharing ideas, space and
stuff with people there.
What did you want to be when you
were growing up?
A grown-up, but I grew out of that!
What kind of person makes a good
social entrepreneur?
A benevolent opportunist who's
persistent.
What resources do you find
useful in your work?
People are crucial to my work. I can't
think of a single thing that someone I know can't do quicker and
better than I can. All I need to do is persuade them to do it for me.
If I'm doing something I believe in then that isn't often too hard.
What other social
entrepreneurs/businesses do you admire and why?
I love the branding skill of Innocent
and the management style of Happy Computers.
What advice would you give to
budding social entrepreneurs?
Find a way of testing your idea on the
market cheaply and do it.
What are the best and worst
parts of your job?
Working as part of a team of dedicated,
creative people is the best bit and the worst is trying to get
accounts to balance.
Why did you become an
ambassador?
I’m excited to be inspiring people to do something which has the
potential to make a huge difference to people’s lives. I want to
build the East London social enterprise incubator and encourage lots
of talented people from the City and Canary Wharf to come and get
involved with social enterprises.
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