Share Impact

Stella Airoldi is a social impact nomad, living a truly international life with her social enterprise, 22 Stars based in Uganda but her customers in Europe. In this weeks podcast I talk to Stella about how she runs her business in this way, what she's learnt and the incredible impact she's making in the lives of women and children in Uganda.

Bianca is the foudner of LOCWOM Australia, a social enterprise supporting women’s economic development in Nepal. She is  also an ethical blogger and podcaster at The Altruistic Traveller, sharing stories of responsible tourism, community development and inspirational change-makers from around the world.

Citizen Discourse is a social network connecting teenagers for more thoughtful and mindful conversation - an invitation to practice writing and civil discourse online and in real life. Karen says the in real life element of her organisation is important to build deeper connections by partnerships and collaborations with organisations in different locations. But the online space allows people to continue these conversations when they can’t be in the same space together.

The Social Enterprise Mark CIC is the social enterprise accreditation authority, which enables social enterprises through independent accreditation.Inspired by the Fairtrade Mark, Lucy Findlay set up the Social Enterprise Mark (SEM) to help social enterprise set themselves apart from other businesses and giving credibility so the public or other businesses buying from them know they are reputable and environmentally or socially conscious.

In this podcast we talk to Mandeep Kaur from Tribes for Good about:- The importance of supporting people to be employees in social enterprises and not just founders and CEO's- What creating a Tribe for Good involves- Details about the 3, 5 and 7 day programmes in India- How to use principles from the corporate sector to acquire new customers in your social enterprise- The importance of growing the right team - PR and partnerships for promoting your social enterprise- Key trends in India and the social enterprise sector

Inspired by nature, architecture and other cultures Sophie creates surface pattern designs with triangles - she's a little obsessed. She adds these designs to cards and on organic.

The Good Registry is an online giving platform, based in New Zealand, that gives people a way to be more generous by giving to good causes rather than giving gifts that aren't wanted or needed.Christine Langdon is the Founder and Chief of Good (which is one of the best titles I've come across so far for any founder / entrepreneur). In this week's podcast I talk to her about why she set up The Good Registry and her ambitious plans to generate $2 million dollars in her first year. Gift giving is big business and a staple part of our culture here in the UK and in New Zealand but we often receive gifts that we don't want or need and creates an unnecessary burden on the person buying the gift. Recognising this and aligning it to a desire to reduce waste and packaging Christine re-imagined the way we could give gifts. And as the starting statement above says, if every Kiwi just gave one $10 gift to a good cause or charity, instead of purchasing a physical gift, Kiwi's would generate an extra $47 million for charities in New Zealand. (That's based on an estimated population of 4.7 million people). Christine developed the idea after looking for a way to inspire people to be more generous, Knowing that people don't necessarily think about giving to charities but do want to be more creative about giving gifts she combined the two. The registry approach enables people to come together and give as a community. For example, if it's my birthday and I decide I'd rather you 'donate' your gift money to a charity of my choosing. I create a registry on The Good Registry Website and all my friends and family can gift their contribution. We all then get to see how much has been raised and donated. What we discussed on this week's podcast:- Why the Gift Registry model was the chosen approach - How you create your own Gift Registry for a birthday, celebration, wedding etc- How companies can use vouchers for the Gift Registry- Simplicity, Goodness & Celebration - the importance of setting the values of your organisation- The challenge of not knowing and learning quickly as an entrepreneur- Success as experienced by those who you use the Registry

For Fashion Revolution Week I'm pleased to share my interview with Charlie Ross Founder & Director at Offset Warehouse.

Tiffin is an Indian midday snack which refreshes and nourishes. Pragya was inspired by this idea as she created her cruelty free and vegan art subscription box, which helps people take some time out of their busy day to be creative and mindful. 

Crisis Classroom has a unique methodology for bringing people together, built on the premise that we all have something to share and learn from one another. Inspired by her time teaching with migrants in Calais Kate McAllister and her Co-Founder Darren, are applying their experience as a teacher and trauma therapist to help migrants rebuild their lives as they travel to their new home. However you an now also use their methodology in your own town or place of work. 

When I was first in contact with Madeline and Lenny just over 6 months ago I was so excited to see MAMOQ launch. I had been searching for years for somewhere to buy clothes that were ethical sourced and environmentally friendly. Yes I'd come across various brands through endless Google searches and recommendations from friends but I'd always forget who they were and struggle to find them again. What I loved about MAMOQ was that all these brands would be in one place - making it easier for the consumer to access variety and style. In this podcast we discuss:- The challenge with fast, throw-away fashion and the need for educating the consumer- Considering the entire life-cycle of fashion and circular economy models- How we can consider the conditions and ethics under which our clothes are made- How a road trip inspired the idea for MAMOQ- The values and ethos that underpin the MAMOQ brand- Learning patience as a key skill for being an entrepreneur- The importance of an external support network

How many festivals or events have you attended where you'd wish they'd provided recycling?What about when you go to a restaurant or fast-food takeaway and you're given your food in plastic containers, styro-foam (polystyrene) cups? Or maybe you get frustrated with plastic straws at your local bar? This is exactly why Tara Dodson, founder of Full Circle Resource Management set up her business out of frustration.

I first came across UnLtd four years ago when I was Co-Director of Solutions for the Planet looking for support and funding. At the time UnLtd were one of the few organisations who seemed to understand what we we're trying to achieve, by selling our programme to corporates with mutual (albeit different) benefits to them and the young people we worked with. We were successful with a Do It Award and then as part of their Fast Growth programme. Since then I've told every social entrepreneur I've met to check them out! It was therefore great to get the opportunity to talk to Jane Ryall, Wales Manager for UnLtd and ask her about the support they currently provide, as well as the unique opportunities available in Wales for new start-ups and social entrepreneurs looking to scale. UnLtd is UK-wide charity "helping to make the world a better place". Jane's role as Wales Manager is to help identify social enterprises need support and raise the profile of UnLtd's support & Awards for individuals in Wales, who are trying to improve lives and communities for other people. Importantly UnLtd funds individuals not organisations and focuses on supporting the Founder of social enterprises lead as a social entrepreneur. Jane shares her journey to UnLtd, including her experience of running her own freelance business for 7 years, UnLtd's Awards (funding) and the key trends shes observed about the social enterprise sector in the UK and Wales specifically. Jane also shares her insights of how individuals setting up their own enterprise or project should look after themselves as much as those their seeking to help through their business. (Further details of their awards are included below).

Ame Seji and her co-funder Timi are creating the first ethical, sustainable natural hair extension company: Niche Hair Lab. They take sourcing seriously and plan to 'give back' throuh a local foundation for the communities from hwich they source hair from. 

Claire Lyons started her business as a blog, about her 'family project' to consider how they were spending their money and reduce the amount of 'stuff' in their home. After baby number four Claire and her husband re-focused on what was important to them as a family, re-connected with their values and began thinking about how they could live more frugally and sustainably. 

The trend for home-stays, farm-work holidays and other 'live like a local' adventures is growing in the tourism industry....but how do we know we are experiencing something authentic or contributing positively to the people we stay with, or local economy? Sanne Mejiboom has answered this with her social business: I-Like Local. 

Joy Mackeith started Triangle Consulting with 2 other women, when they were freelancers and simply had a joint interest in working with mission driven organisations and charities. They now provide a suite of tools to help in one-to-one support situations, to enable the key-worker and service user to see the change or distance travelled for the service user, during the engagement. 

Tahni shares her story of setting up Kudu & Mimi, which provides beautiful bags and clothing which are ethically sourced and profits go to the charity CLAN.

Plaine Products provides a return and refill service for shampoo, conditioner and body wash, Lindsey tells more in this podcast.

Learn more about the amazing organisation where I first learnt about social entrepreneurship and it's ability to transform lives, the way we lead businesses and consume, with my best friend and colleague Jen Baughan, CEO of Solutions for the Planet. 

There are over 750,00 people of working age living with cancer in the UK. Many want to return to work but without the right support many struggle to do so. In this weeks podcast Barbara Wilson explains how her organisation, Working With Cancer supports people and their employers back in to work. 

Ruby Moon re-maufacture nylon fishing nets into gym and swimwear, as a great example of the circular economy in action

Learn all about Servant Leadership in this inspiring interview with Kari Enge

Solene talks about her online social enterprise supporting others who want to set up a social enterprise, whilst she lives her dream life.

Founder of Inclu-sight, Juliette shares her story of launching her business to make websites more accessible

How do we get people involved in imagining, designing and creating the built environment around them and within the communities in which they live? This is the question Joanne Harrop, Founder of PlacEd sought to answer when she set up her social enterprise. 

Ever heard about Co-production? No it's not to do with film making. In the first podcast with two co-Founders, speaking together, Pam & Fran provide one example of what co-production is and how it can work. Most importantly by recognising the value and assets every individual brings in a community. 

Listen to Stacey-Jade Mason's story of setting up Creative Optimistic Visions, which uses the protective behaviours process to young people at risk of victiminsation and abuse learn about feeling safe as well as being safe. 

Global Girl Project supports at-risk, socially minded young women aged 15 to 18 years from developing countries to gain educational and life experiences so that they can become leaders in their own community. Julia shares all, including the incredible stories of the young women on her programme. 

Listen to Baillie Aaron share her experience of setting up Spark Inside, a charity and social enterprise providing coaching in prisons and young offenders institutions, including top tips when recruiting or undertaking evaluation of your activities. 

Putting her years of experience and passion in to Autism and ADHD, Annie says is not like going to work just how she chooses to spend her time. Annie discusses the challenges her organisation seeks to ease for families and adults with Autism or ADHD, how a social enterprise model allowed flexibility and independence to do what needed to be done, and how a trading arm is enabling their financial sustainability.  

Corin shares her passion about changing our broken food system, and social justice through the Real Junk Food Project initiatives across Manchester.

CanSing exists to help build people's confidence to sign a variety of styles in different settings, whether that's at school at work or in public spaces, like a bus. 

More than 13 MILLION people in the UK are living below the poverty line and one million people are fed by food banks, yet we're the 7th richest country in the world. Listen to hear how Caroline tackles this through Foodinate. 

Aysha tells us of the importance of involving young people in the design of the services and projects they're participating in, as she explains how The Gifted has developed it's various programmes. 

What makes a community? And what makes a community and its residents successful? Alison Hill tells us the story of how the Caia Park Partnership was set up 20 years ago by local residents responding to disparaging conclusions from an academic. 

In this hour long podcast, Kate shares her extensive experience of setting up and running more than 14 social enterprises. As well the impact Social Enterprise Acumen has in the North East through supporting start-ups, scale-up and creating an eco-system of support. 

This week Jo Clay, Founder and Director or Empower joins us on the ShareImpact podcast to talk about the first 18 months of setting up her social enterprise. 

CEO & Founder of Aparito shares her journey to creating the wearable health technology company, tackling rare diseases amongst young people