Alan pointed me to a great commentary by Tim Smit (Eden Project). The point: think bigger, better. Tim takes to task those who prescribe to social enterprise, but within boundaries. This includes nearly everybody I meet these days and I have to agree with Tim…it is frustrating. He also attacks the paradigm that charities (social enterprises) are mostly incompetent. I have talked about this nonsense before when reviewing the book by Jim Collins.
The next time you imagine changing the world and then begin to doubt it, think about Tim (Smit) pitching to investors for the Eden Project: “I have no experience relative to this dream, it will cost >£100M, and I want to do it in a dodgy area.” Makes me laugh and cry. Laugh because it is the perfect example of a BHAG. Cry because I wish we had more Tims to change the world, not through traditional means, but through social enterprise.
How did he did he do it? I don’t know exactly how he did it, but I can guess that his success was a combination of a clear unwavering vision, tenacity, and his ability to get a few people with money on board early on. The early money (even if it is small relative to the project) has the effect of attracting bigger money. You can sink your own money into the project until you go broke, but get someone else to give you £10 and you are off and running.
As you know, we are working on a big project in Harehills that is facing the usual issue of being too big and risky for people to believe in. Similar to Tim Smit, we are unwavering in our vision for this project. Yes, we are finding it challenging to raise the £4.5M in funding and finance to pull this project off. But, we are close to closing an investor for a portion of the capital and a funding source for a major part of the project. I chalk this up to tenacity and our willingness to put our money where our mouth is. That’s right, as social entrepreneurs we have put our own blood, sweat and tears (and money) into this project. As I just said–this is not enough to attract all the money. However, it can attract the initial money. We will not be reaping huge rewards from this venture-it will be a social enterprise. But, we will be doing our part to improve the world around us in a big way. That’s what gets me going. Tim Smit says this is just “hippie shit” when you wish it could happen, but it’s social enterprise when you imagine it can happen and convert that imagination to action.
Tim’s right. Stop talking about what you think should happen-how it should be defined – who should hand out what – what’s not fair – why you can’t do it – why others were lucky. Move out of your comfort zone and take action against the status quo.
Related posts:
Had missed Tim’s item.
Glad to find it now.
Thank you
REPLY TO COMMENT | Thanks for the heads up. Perhaps he is not a good catalyst for my point. In fact, I should elaborate that the impact I am encourage, while it should be big, it should displace one social ill with another. This is a constant battle in the regeneration sector where gentrification occurs or culture is victim or industrial/professional ghettos are formed. In fact, our own Harehills project was in such danger as it originated as a 100% incubation unit. We have now evolved into a space for many different activities, more closely reflecting the neighbourhood dynamics of edge areas of Leeds.
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Don’t be led up the garden path by bullsmit.
Cornwall has in recent years and is now reaping the environmental destruction that flows from overemphasis on tourism dependency.
See:
http://www.nowpublic.com/queen_opens_wrong_building_in_cornwall_june_1st_2006
http://www.nowpublic.com/concrete_cornwall_s_coast_ccc
http://www.nowpublic.com/eating_watergate_bay
http://www.eden-project-insight.tk
More on Tim discussing “hippy shit” here.
Here, even:
http://artsandecology.rsablogs.org.uk/2009/07/06/tim-smit-explains-that-this-hippy-shit-moment/