Lucy Findlay www.rise-sw.co.uk and www.socialenterprisemark.co.uk

"I like to see change happen, not just talk. It doesn’t have to be huge leaps (in fact it’s often not) but looking back I need to feel that I and my team have made a difference.
I’m always looking for practical pragmatic solutions to issues to big challenges and am not afraid try where others might avoid. You can always find reasons not to do things and there are always arguments against a certain route, but if you don’t try you will never know.

When someone asks me what I do at a party I would really like to be able to talk about social enterprises and not be faced by a blank stare – we feel that the Social Enterprise Mark should help."

The Social Enterprise Mark means that for the first time potential customers can know that they are buying from a business that uses its profits for the benefit of society and the planet.

For me networks operate at two levels firstly the very close - people I ring up when I have a problem/issue to get their views and help make an informed decision.  Secondly there is the more remote – people that I will contact occasionally when I know that they have a particular area of expertise that might and advise and help us.

About the Social Enterprise Mark

The Social Enterprise Mark is a label which tells customers that a product or service comes from a social enterprise and is creating a social or environmental benefit.

The Mark offers social enterprises a simple way to inform customers about the wider social or environmental impacts they offer and to take advantage of the business opportunities presented by an ever growing trend in ethical consumerism. The Mark enables social enterprises to differentiate themselves from private business and any corporate social responsibility schemes, or 'greenwash'!

For customers, it offers an instantly recognisable label to identify social enterprises; reminding them that by choosing a social enterprise they are helping to create benefits for people and the planet.

The Social Enterprise Mark is the only label of its kind that is open to all types of social enterprises that succesfully meet the qualification criteria. It means the growing number of social enterprises will gain widespread recognition amongst customers.