Social Enterprises Step Up
Socially-conscious is moving from “trend” to the way business is done. As more operations integrate do-good missions into their business models that focus on more than just profit, more innovative companies come out of the woodworks to tackle some of society’s – and Columbus’ – biggest issues.
In September, The Metropreneur, in partnership with SocialVentures, honored three businesses for their impact on the community at the Social Enterprise of the Year Awards at Aspire. In its fifth year, the award categories were expanded in 2017 to better represent the different sizes and structures of social enterprises in Central Ohio.
Growlers Dog Bones took home the first-ever Emerging Social Enterprise of the Year Award. Growlers employs young adults with disabilities to make dog bones. Another new category, Equitas Health and its social enterprise pharmacy that has added millions of dollars of revenue that’s allowed the health care provider to also expands its services, was awarded the Non-Profit Sustainability Award. To cap off a year of growth that has included opening locations in Clintonville and at Easton, Hot Chicken Takeover was honored as the Social Enterprise of the Year.
Social enterprise resource provider The Center for Social Enterprise development rebranded in August, becoming SocialVentures. The organization expanded its offerings, announcing new programs, partnerships and services. SocialVentures also contributed a monthly article to The Metropreneur, highlighting the area’s social enterprises including: Fair Haven Lawn Care, WOSU, Alvis, Sunnapple Studio, Bottoms-Up Coffee Co-op, Global Gallery, Mid-Ohio Foodback’s Urban Farms, Furniture Bank’s Downsize With a Heart and Deaf Initiatives’ Keepsake Theme Quilts.
Two accelerator programs focused on social enterprise in 2017. Fourteen social enterprises completed the 14-Week SEA Change Accelerator, with five awarded a total of $100,000 in funding. SocialVentures led the charge for the SE Catalyst Program. The intensive eight-month immersion experience helped five local non-profits build social enterprises to further support their missions and provide a new revenue stream. Small business micro-lender and resource provider ECDI also highlighted its efforts to support Columbus’ social enterprises.
2017 saw new social enterprises emerge and existing businesses expand.
Commons Studio brought a social mission to photography with its paid apprenticeship program and Shot for Shot portraits. COhatch also entered the social enterprise realm. The coworking space launched The Madery at its second location, working with Eleventh Candle Co.’s Amber Runyon to incubate a trio of concepts.
Clean Turn launched a new brand this month with Third Way Cafe in Westgate. The unique community coffee shop is a part of an emerging hub of economic activity in the greater Hilltop area, forged by the Westgate BusinessWorks. Equitas Health also announced another social enterprise, LGBTQ-focused publication Prizm magazine, filling the gap left by Outlook’s closure.
The SEA Change accelerator proved fruitful for local enterprises. Too Good Eats expanded from ice pops to baby food, and refined its social agenda during the program. The food-maker donates 10 percent of its profits in the form of product to families in need.
MakeShark also better defined its social mission during the accelerator. The web design firm targets small businesses with no up front cost for development and a monthly fee for hosting and maintenance. Work is done with the help of interns learning technical to soft skills.
SEA Change participant EmpowerBus is piloting its transportation solution. EmpowerBus is providing workforce-ready citizens with reliable, on-time, dignified transportation to employment opportunities in the manufacturing and logistics industries.
Just two weeks after winning $40,000 as a part of the accelerator, DACA Time found the future of its entire operation in question. The original mission of the budding social enterprise was to build a software system to help DACA recipients fill out their tedious paperwork. Although DACA has been rescinded, the team is hopeful Congress will find a solution, maintaining a need for their software.
Keep reading on Page 3 for the trends we might see more of in 2018.
