Having a great business idea to benefit to others is one thing; it takes courage, skills and a leap of faith to see it through. That's when MKCE can step in and help you access the right types of support that are available to 'social entrepreneurs'.

Whatever your background or circumstance – you don't even need a business background – you could be running your own social enterprise much sooner than you think. If you're returning to work, why not think about a new direction for your life, re-vitalising your skills for use in a community context.

Whether an owner-managed business idea or one that looks to employ others,  MKCE offers you access to business advice, training and funding.

Why a social enterprise?

You may wonder why your own idea for a community interest business needs to be defined as a social enterprise at all. Well, there are some key advantages.

First – MKCE can guide business owners or organisations who fulfil the social enterprise criteria to specific resources to get your idea of the ground (including seed and development funding).

Second – as the government strongly support the initiative, being characterised as a social enterprise increases the likelihood of having funding applications accepted by grant-giving organisations, equity investors or venture capital funders.

Third – using one of the legal structures to define your social enterprise helps protect an idealistic interest; you may start out with an altruistic vision for improving social, economic and environmental circumstances in your community – but its integrity is protected by a robust legal platform should anything go wrong.