Greg currie Nj : busines guide s in the social economy

Program in Social Entrepreneurship * Avise, an enterprise of the ESS should be socially useful and / or environmental . Cooperative of organic products, fair trade shop, secured bank insertion restaurant ... Whatever your idea, ask yourself this question: my project meet a societal need ? If the answer is yes, welcome to the social economy

 In a company of the social economy, says Julien Bottriaux, public relations manager of L'Atelier, decisions are made with all the people involved in the project . The profit does not go to shareholders, but it is reinvested in the business or distributed to employees.
A company ESS can it make money ?

 In a company of ESS, large and good ideas are not enough! warns Julien Bottriaux . The company must be profitable, thus making money . Revenue sources are very diverse. You have to be clever to find money both through the sale of products or services, subsidies, or through private funds.

a social entrepreneur wants to make money, like any entrepreneur. But money is a means, not an end in itself . To have a solid project that interested funders, the idea must be economically viable and socially relevant .
How to maximize the chances of success?

Make your business more and build on the complementary skills !

Make sure that there is a real social or environmental need in the city or area where you want to locate .

Make sure your idea does not already exist . These companies are subsidized in part build on the complementary activity, not competition.

Get help . Many structures exist: incubators, incubators, regional chamber ESS incubators ... They know the area well and will help you turn to the right people to suit your project. They may also sometimes assist you in defining the business plan .

Meet the industry federations based on the theme of your project : organic agriculture, disability, housing, fair trade, early childhood ... The federations can be a rich source of information.

Enter a cooperative activity and employment . A PPA includes social entrepreneurs from different backgrounds . They are employees of the cooperative, which also supports the administrative aspect and offers them support . A good way to test the viability of the project with minimal risk !
And if you have cravings but no ideas ?

 The younger generation is looking for meaning, but the ideas do not always come all alone ! Elodie says Bensoussan, coordinator of the program Jeun'ESS Avise . Depending on the topic of interest ( fair trade, organic, poverty, disability, renewable energy, housing ... ), I would advise young people to build on existing initiatives, to meet social entrepreneurs to become volunteers to go to conferences, read newspapers and literature, to identify gaps and needs in their city or region. If the need is detected, then the idea will come gradually .

* The Avise, resource center and engineering for the social economy, provides tools to undertake other initiatives and values ??of the ESS carried by young people.