ClearlySo Social Business Conference 2011

ClearlySo Social Business Conference 2011

We attended the ClearlySo Social Business Conference yesterday – a fascinating day, full of enthusiasm and excitement. Many of the highlights came from a range of 45 seconds pitches from organisations looking to secure a £2,000 prize in the Social Business of the Year Live Award. There were some amazing ideas in the mix – one of our personal favourites being Made By Young People, an initiative founded and run by 19 year old Jamie Dunn. His explanation of the project, which develops responsibility and entrepreneurial spirit in teenagers, was a truly inspirational vision of the power that lies within the social business sector.

Getting down to the practicalities, however, one of the strongest themes to come out of the day was the need for social enterprises of all forms to get better at communicating their purpose and their impact. This is a point close to our own hearts, and one of the biggest challenges we see in this space, which is still finding its feet and trying to decide how best to talk about itself. A lack of clarity can quickly undermine all the passion and purpose of even the best ideas. As Sinclair Beecham, co-founder of Pret a Manger said, you need to be a successful and sustainable business, in order to deliver a real social impact. Good communications is at the very heart of that – not something to try and bolt on at a later stage.

Find out more about the event on ClearlySo’s website