Social Enterprise

Regenesis is a charity and a social enterprise. .

“What’s a social enterprise?” It is an entrepreneurial way of working that brings the best of two worlds together, the efficiency and effectiveness of private companies with the social consciousness and grass-roots community based organisation.

“That’s impossible!” You might say, “Nobody does anything for nothing!”

Actually, you’d be wrong on that score. Many people DO a lot for no financial reward, and there is a lot of satisfaction in working with the hardest-to-reach individuals and organisations.

“I’m confused; I don’t get it, what IS a social enterprise again?”

Ah! You’ve hit one of the major issues that people face when talking about social enterprises, that there isn’t one definition.

Freer Spreckley defined Social Enterprises as:

"An enterprise that is owned by those who work in it and/or reside in a given locality, is governed by registered social as well as commercial aims and objectives and run co-operatively may be termed a social enterprise. Traditionally, 'capital hires labour' with the overriding emphasis on making a 'profit' over and above any benefit either to the business itself or the workforce. Contrasted to this is the social enterprise where 'labour hires capital' with the emphasis on personal, environmental and social benefit."

We formed Regenesis to do more than help communities; it was designed to help communities help themselves.

There are very few examples in the UK of BME led social enterprises, let alone cooperatives. Virtually all the projects we undertake combine entrepreneurialism with real social need. You may not be surprised to learn that there is a lot of interest in doing the kinds of thing that we're doing e.g. the Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship in bringing pepole together from faith backgrounds with a background in the third sector, social enterprise and faith.

“But if it sounds so good, then why isn’t everyone setting up Social Enterprises?”

Now, that’s a brilliant question and the answer is quite simple. Just because a social enterprise could be a brilliant solution, it doesn’t mean that it is easy to do. The UK government has pumped in millions over the last few years into infrastructural support to help create and nurture new social enterprises and there has been little success so far.

We would say that partially the reason for that is most of the advisors come from the world of mainstream business and although there’s a lot of synergy between the two worlds of private business and social enterprise, it’s the difference that makes social enterprises, well, social enterprises.

We would say that the best people to therefore advise social entrepreneurs are social entrepreneurs. Who said it was rocket science? That's why we think most government and well-intentioned schemes usually fail.