Skip to content
EXCELLENCE
Excellence Business
EXCELLENCE BUSINESS

Start a Social Enterprise

0/15STARS
LEVEL 1 · 0/3LEVEL 2 · 0/3LEVEL 3 · 0/3LEVEL 4 · 0/3LEVEL 5 · 0/3START
0/15 stars lit

A business built around a mission: what makes a social enterprise, a theory of change, models where sales create impact, benefit corporations, nonprofit or company, an income mix that survives a grant ending, prices that cover the cost of doing good, honest impact measurement, your outcome data in public contracts, and growing without drifting.

2h 54m5 constellations
AT THE SUMMIT, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

01Design a mission and a model where sales create impact

02Choose between a CIC, a charity and a company

03Fund the mission with a balanced income mix and fair prices

04Measure outcomes honestly and grow without drifting

Every lesson of Start a Social Enterprise

15 lessons in 5 levels, about 3 hours. Level 1 is free.

Level 1Mission and ModelFree · 3 lessons
  1. A business with a missionKnow what makes a social enterprise, and the structures it can use.11 min
  2. Start with a theory of changeMap how your activities lead to the change you want.12 min
  3. Checkpoint: mission and modelCheck that your mission and your business model support each other.11 min
Level 2Choose a StructureMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Benefit corporationsKnow what a public benefit corporation commits you to.12 min
  2. Nonprofit, benefit corporation or company?Compare the main structures on funding, control and tax.12 min
  3. Checkpoint: the co-founder debateAgree a structure with a co-founder who sees it differently.12 min
Level 3Fund the MissionMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Trading, grants, donations and investmentBuild an income mix that doesn't hang on one funder.12 min
  2. Price for the missionSet prices that cover the extra cost of doing good.12 min
  3. Checkpoint: the grant that endsPlan for the day a major grant runs out.11 min
Level 4Show Your ImpactMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Measure what changesChoose a few honest measures of outputs and outcomes.12 min
  2. Tell the impact storyCombine one number and one person into an honest story.11 min
  3. Checkpoint: the funder's questionsAnswer a funder's tough questions with evidence, not adjectives.12 min
Level 5Grow Without DriftingMembership · 3 lessons
  1. Public contracts and social valueUse social value to compete for public services contracts.11 min
  2. Grow without driftingTake growth opportunities without losing the mission.11 min
  3. Capstone: your social enterprise planPut mission, structure, money, impact and growth on one page.12 min
FREE

Level 1 is open.

Membership opens every other level of this path.

See membership
AFTER THE CORE

Keep going where this path leads.

Win Public ContractsFederal contracts and set-asides · 3h 02m
Price It RightMargins that fund the mission · 2h 59m