i recently attended a sweet notions party - sweet notions is a social enterprise recycling jewellery. they collect jewellery and accessories and resell. all profits go to support projects. if you fancy hosting a sweet notions party contact shannon... i took some photos for them at a recent party. it looked amazing. here's one and i have added another here. no doubt more will be used on their web site in the future...
i previously blogged about it here.
next up at NET on january 26 is chris allwood founder of auction my stuff and none other than my sister esther baker, founder and director of synergy theatre project. NET stands for the network of entrepreneurial talent and there is a monthly meeting on the last monday of the month on the hms president on the thames. the next few months speakers are listed on the site as well...
NET has a fantastic programme - tonight is no exception with tommy hutchinson of igenius, a world community of social entrepreneurs and alberto nardelli of unltdworld an online platform connecting entrepreneurs. details are on the NET homepage. (sorry for the short notice!)
the next evening of NET, the network of entrepreneurial talent is on monday oct 27th on the hms president on the thames as per usual with two guest speakers. here's the blurb
We have two speakers both of whom have extensive experience in financing transformational projects.
Daniel Brewer, Director of Resonance. Daniel is a social entrepreneur with a passion for people engaging their wealth with their values. Having spent several years in manufacturing he founded Resonance in 2002, a financial intermediary specialising in helping ‘social enterprises’ raise risk capital from values-led investors. He co-leads the joint venture Equity Plus which runs the Cabinet Office sponsored Social Enterprise Angel Network and has been a non-exec of a number of social enterprises involved in recycling, fair trade and tackling homelessness.
He admires people that take good risks, pursue their passions with conviction and still manage to hold it all lightly.
Rachel Millward, Development Director of Five Talents. Five Talents is a Christian microfinance charity, working to fight poverty and create jobs in Africa, Asia and Latin America by providing loans and business training to poor entrepreneurs. Five Talents was established in 1998 by the worldwide Anglican Church as a practical means of improving the lives of the ‘economically active’ poor. Five Talents establishes partnerships with community-based initiatives, providing business training, technical support and external funding. Their partners lend to clients regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs and 65% are women. The average Five Talents client has five dependents and lives on less than $2 a day.
Rachel Millward joined Five Talents in August 2007. She previously worked as a Credit Analyst in the Credit Risk Management and Advisory Department of Goldman Sachs in London for 11 years.
shannon hopkins is an amazing woman - a dynamo who is always making things happen. she helped us rethink how to relaunch proost last year and facilitates the NET. as well as catalysing other peoples ideas and new business she has launched one of her own and expect it to fly!
it's called sweet notions and here is what shannon says about it in an e-mail...
You might know that I have launched a new initiative with a friend whereby we collect accessories and resale them through boutique events around the world. We did a pilot in the spring in America and found we were onto something. So we are publicly launching in both the US and UK in the autumn. This initiative is considered a social enterprise because we are trying to create multiple kinds of capital: economic, environmental, social and spiritual. I am excited about this venture and would love for you to go check out the website.
We really do need help to make this a success... We are still looking for women who will partner with us by clearing out their closets and giving us their accessories they no longer wear, and asking their friends to do the same. If you are interested there is a flier you can download from the website. We are also looking to book more boutique events for the fall calendar. Why don't you think about hosting an event in your home, office or church?
so gather your unwanted accessories, get your friends to, and host an event. and all the profits go here
sorry short notice but there is a really good NET tonight on the HMS president on the thames. here's the blurb. (it's free and there is a bar)
We will be hearing from two social entrepreneurs, both of whom empower the groups they are seeking to support by employing them; both are working with the homeless. The first speaker leads a fresh and innovative social enterprise which is attracting much press coverage for their ability to engage big businesses. The second speaker is a household name and founder of one of the worlds best known social enterprises; he is internationally regarded as a pioneer and leading authority on social enterprise.
Simon Fenton-Jones, CEO of StreetShine. Following several years setting up a successful agricultural business in Vietnam, Simon returned to the UK and helped develop and raise funds for StreetLeague, a charity that inspires disadvantaged groups through sport. Hearing about the StreetShine concept, Simon joined in early 2004 and established all foundations for the organisation to help realise StreetShine as a social enterprise. StreetShine is a social business that gives vulnerable people the opportunity to earn a living and learn new skills through shoe shining. Simon brings genuine passion to his role and the organisation, believing that the social enterprise model of business combines perfectly with the focus of StreetShine - helping people realise their potential and improve their personal situations.
John Bird, Founder and Editor-In-Chief, The Big Issue. John Bird, was a poor boy, orphan, thief, inmate, artist and poet before going on to found the ground-breaking social initiative that is The Big Issue. He was born shortly after the Second World War to a London-Irish family into slum-ridden Notting Hill. Homelessness, orphanages, crime and prison characterised much of his early life until his metamorphosis into a successful small businessman occurred in the 1980s. Since setting up The Big Issue magazine and foundation to help the homeless help themselves some sixteen years ago, John has become an authority on motivation and the ascendancy to achievement. Amongst the places he has spoken are the UN in New York, Nairobi and Istanbul, Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. The UN Scroll of Honour, an MBE and the 2005/6 Beacon Prize for Creative Giving are just three of the many accolades and awards he has received. Since the inception of The Big Issue in 1991, John has overseen its development into the UK's most successful social enterprise, stretching from Tokyo to Totnes and helping thousands of homeless people worldwide. John's latest venture is called Wedge Card, a loyalty card aimed at revitalising the local high street. The card gives shoppers discounts at hundreds of independent businesses as well as raising money for local charities. His autobiography "Some Luck", is a fantastic explanation of much of John’s lack of fortune, misfortune and his ascendancy out of the vulgar life of crime to social engineering. In March 2007 he took part to the Quick Reads campaign and wrote the best selling book ‘How to change your life in 7 steps’.
the sorting room opens today. andrew and debbie have been working crazy hours in the last few weeks to be ready. it's a co-orerative of several businesses - comunity business initiative i think is the term. it's very exciting. it relates a bit to the sustainability post before - a very different approach. andrew has written a piece i have referenced before on mission and the fourth sector
sustainability is one of the challenges people face pioneering new things. this is as true of emerging churches as it is of business. a pattern that has occurred in a number of situations is that a group gets money for three years to start a church plant/project/emerging church. after three years it is going really well. a community has been born. but the funds that have gone on a full time salary for the person employed to kick start it run out after three years. the community might (and should) give to support that person but the community is often too small.
i do wonder if this need reflecting on - either make the kick start time longer (for example we have 7 years for the telford project with mark berry); funtion more as a supported mission leader so there is ongoing support; or start part time and expand as the community grows. one of the challenges of grace has been that we have never employed anyone, but actually it is also one of the things i have come to really like about it...
anyway some of the people who have been caught in this sustainability issue are getting creative and doing bi-vocational stuff...
matt rees is launching a small graphic design business - amplified design. sign him up to do design work.
ian adams is spinning a number of things - consulting, spiritual direction...
ian mobsby as part of his entrepreneurial stuff to sustain moot is off on another tour of the US and has published a new book on the trinity. the trinity is a hot area in theology - the dynamic particpation in the life of god. so i'm sure it is good though i haven't got hold of it yet. if you are in the US do visit ian on his tour.
the next NET evening on the HMS President is focusing on green issues with james swanston of golow transport and andrew dyckhoff of greenaction. these evenings are free and in a great location...
details are here on the network of entrepreneurial talent website
the network of entrepreneurs is still meeting monthly - this one looks really interesting...
Monday 28th January 6.30pm to 8.30pm on the HMS President.
Mark Riches of Synergy.TV - Mark is a director of Synergy.TV; a Digital Innovation Lab responsible for Radiowaves (A large network of school internet radio stations) and NUMU (a unique platform for young people to publish original music, collaborate and compete in music charts). Mark is a creative and innovative thinker that has brought a number of opportunities and relationships together to create a portfolio of projects under Synergy TV. He also has a sensitive approach to packaging products by making them engaging and accessible to user groups.
Alastair Wilson, CEO of School of Entrepreneurs – SSE now runs in five locations in the UK and one in Ireland and takes developing social entrepreneurs that are committed to affecting change in their situation. The school brings students through a nine month programme which equips the students and develops a support network to launch a sustainable enterprise. Alistair was a student of SSE in 1998 and went on to launch a successful Social Enterprise ‘Homeless Direct’. Alastair then returned and has been CEO of SSE for over three years.
HMS President
Blackfriars Pier
London EC4Y 0HJ
upcoming day organised by NET on shaping the values of business on the HMS president again. johnny and mike from groundworks are really good...
A NET event in association with the Blah... network
Mike Morris and Jonny Sertin from Groundworks facilitate a day on
The Values of Business
Who are you? What are you doing and why?
Saturday 9 February 10:30 - 4:30
A great event wherever you are in your process (an existing business, a startup, or even if you are just thinking about getting started)
The aim of Groundworks is to give a forum to encourage people in their journey, to inspire global collaboration, and connect them with something bigger than the stage that they are currently operating on, and to create space for friendship and mutual learning. This certainly fits with the aims of NET and we are ecxcited to host this day and have them with us.
£15 including lunch
For further info contact Shannon Hopkins or Sam Hardwick
NET is a network of entrepreneurs engaged in social enterprise. Using business as a platform for change.
NET meetings are now held on the fourth Monday of each month.
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