Ten years ago, I was rushing out the door to catch a train home to Liverpool after a speech in Nottingham about our social experiments on the banks of the Mersey.
Into my path stepped a scruffy young oik. “My name is Tim West. I’m going to start the first magazine about social enterprise in this country. And I want you write for it.” Says I: “Is it going to be high quality. And I bet you won't pay me.” Says he: ”Of course. On both counts”. And he was true to his word. He never paid me a bloody penny! And I missed my train to Lime Street.
Tim went on to set up
Matter&Co,
SocialEnterpriselive.com and much other good stuff. (BTW have you got your seat booked for
Good Deals yet)? I have nothing but respect for him and his business partner Henry. Genuine entrepreneurs who have put their own money and reputations on the line to create their businesses (which is more than can be said for much of the social entrepreneur commenteriat and policy makers).
There were many arguments about the editorial line and for me it felt sometimes too much like the in-house magazine for the
Social Enterprise Coalition. Not enough dissent or hard questions and too much group think and huggery.
It was tough line for Tim to tread and, to be fair to the guy, he never stopped me criticising and mocking the social enterprise glitterati’s paranoia and pomposity when I saw it and trying to give blunt voice to the realities and frustrations of genuine grassroots social entrepreneurs.
I tried too to inject irreverent humour into what could be and (let's be honest still can be) a sector that can take itself way too seriously. To put it mildly these columns didn’t endear me to everyone and my influence over policy and the direction of the Coalition (of which I was a founding member) has been nil. But I always wrote – and still do – for the poor grunts who are actually running social businesses and are so often let down by those well paid to provide them support.
Much has changed in the years since young West collared me. I’ve less hair (annoyingly Tim doesn’t); Twitter; Facebook; Skoll; bright shiny MBA’ers say they want more than lots of money; legions of Americans with great teeth talk about impact investing with all the certainty of the late adopter; and there are a bewildering array of awards. Surely it wont be long until there is an award for the social enterpreneur who’s won the most awards?
I love the global social enterprise eco-system which has been created. There is a lot of energy, activity, tweeting, conference going, blogging, consulting, talking, many new sources of investment. But I do wonder in my early dotage what it all amounts to.
A decade on, are there many more profitable, scaled, well known social enterprise brands willing and able to provide evidence that this alleged new business model is more than simply aspiration dependent one way or the other on taxpayers' or a rich Californian’s cash?
Tim’s next step is to open up the narrative about enterprise and social change through
Good Business Intelligence and the new website will be launched in the New Year. He has convinced me to continue writing for it.
For a huge fee this time, right Mr. West?
