4. Assemble a skilled management team:

Do you have all the necessary business skills to make your organisation a success? If not, ask a friend to join, hire someone or go on a course.

The humble social entrepreneur faces a much harder climb than their friends setting out in small business; not only do they need to turn a profit, but they need to achieve - often complex - social objectives. From start-up to successful social enterprise can be a harrowing experience, but not one that you need to forge on your own. At every stage of the process, there are options for gathering volunteers, employees or a support network to share the challenges and workload. Many people find it useful that the third sector tends to be more open and collaborative than the private sector.

Network, network and network some more to find other social entrepreneurs who are willing to share their experience, skills and time. More often than not, this receptive group will be great first customers too. Don’t hesitate to tell people about the skills that you have (and are willing to share) and mention the skills that you’re looking for. Good networkers should be able to point you in the right direction to meet new people, with useful skills. Consider a skills swap, if feasible.

If you need someone to bounce ideas off at an early stage – or for that matter throughout the life of your business – consider setting up a small advisory board. This could include people with accounting, marketing or human resources skills, for example, that you don’t have. Use your network of friends and friends of friends to find the right people and meet with them once every few months. In these sessions you can update them on the enterprise’s progress, ask questions that you are struggling with or test plans for growth. Having someone that knows your business well can also come in handy if you need to call to ask an urgent question.

Social enterprises can grow easily from an idea into a large operation, the size of which may become overwhelming for one or two people. When things start to get busy it’s essential to form a team with the necessary skills to do business efficiently and to maintain that system (don’t reinvent the wheel every few months). Such a system must have scope for enlargement. That is, don’t make the mistake of hiring a project manager when you don’t have projects to deliver. A business development manager will come in more useful at that stage.

As you continue to grow, make time to plan out the roles needed to help you achieve your mission. Under pressure, you need a team of people at the top who know exactly what they and all members of the organisation are doing. If you are struggling to pay the market rate for good staff, consider employing experienced people on a part-time basis or sending current staff on a course where they can learn about leadership, accountability and other skills essential to your operation.

If you’d like to know more about assembling a skilled management team, please email info@sparkchallenge.org.uk.

• Go back – 10 Steps to a successful social enterprise