We've only scratched the surface

I have spent nearly the whole of my working life (nearly 30 years!) working in or promoting social enterprises. As I step down as CEO of SEC and embark on a new phase of my life, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking about what has been achieved in the past few years and what still needs to be done.

This is a truly critical moment for social enterprise - we are working to raise awareness of the movement as the UK struggles to emerge from recession and readies itself for an election. The playing field is ripe with both challenges and opportunities.

For me, social enterprises are about empowerment. I see them as the best way of putting the power of the market in the hands of people and communities. They are also about transformation. They allow individuals to take more direct control over their lives, to innovate and to develop truly responsive solutions to a huge range of issues.

After a decade of championing social enterprise, I still think the potential is enormous and we have only scratched the surface. We have made very significant progress in getting political support for social enterprise. This is important as it is the government that sets the rules and creates an environment that either allows social entrepreneurs to succeed or that stifles them.

I am really proud of the cross party support that has been won for our movement. We are listened to now. Ten years ago we were not. There is a big opportunity here in the run up to next general election.

However, I think that looking ahead SEC will need to work with the movement to do more in other areas. I think we need much deeper knowledge, especially about different social enterprises business models and investment mechanisms and how they relate to different markets. We also need to develop skills and do more to encourage co-operation among different types of social enterprises and with private business. I know that SEC's new board, council and hard working staff team will provide a great basis for my successor to take things forward.

My social enterprise roots are in the co-operative movement, in this country and in Spain, but over the last decade I have had the privilege to work with and learn from a wide range of social entrepreneurs. I can't imagine another job that takes you from woodlands to warehouses to central London offices to meet people pioneering new ways of thinking about youth, health, employment, technology, waste and just anything else you can think of.

For my own part, I am setting up a new international consultancy called Social Business International. I will be based in London and Finland, working in the UK as well as the rest of Europe. The aim is to bring people together to share know-how about social enterprise and make new and exciting things happen.

I feel very lucky to have met and worked with so many exceptional people during my time as CEO of SEC. To be able to work in a field that makes a real difference, and is an inspiration not only to me, but to all that it reaches, is also a great privilege.

Keep in touch by emailing me at jonathan.bland@socialbusinessint.com