About Us
Why Work With Us?
Business for Good, WY is a new partnership of 8 local and national specialist organisations – all Alternative Businesses themselves – that understand the needs, challenges and amazing opportunities for social enterprise, co-operatives and community business.
The project is led by TSL Kirklees – the voluntary, community and social enterprise support charity for Kirklees, and brings together other local VCSE support organisations with national organisations that specialise in support for co-operatives and social enterprises.
It is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Our programme aims to:
- Help existing alternative businesses to grow and become more resilient
- Support new start up alternative business
- Increase awareness of alternative businesses, their potential and the different ways of creating one within the wider business support network and the public in general
Who are the BfGWY partners?
TSL Kirklees
TSL Kirklees is the official voluntary, community and social enterprise support charity for Kirklees, and the accredited volunteer centre for Kirklees. They have been leading on project to increase awareness of and encourage more Social Enterprises in Kirklees for 2 years and host the Kirklees Social Enterprise Awards.
Participate
Participate is a charity that supports people and organisations to realise their potential. We do this by providing support that helps them develop and grow their ideas into sustainable projects and enterprises. They started in Bradford but now work regionally and nationally. They are employing and co-ordinating the business coaches for BfGWY.
Co-operatives UK
Co-operatives UK is the voice of the UK’s co-operative movement and empowers and supports co-operative enterprise with specialised knowledge and expertise, to grow the co-operative economy and create a fairer society. They are a co-operative themselves and have co-designed the Growth and Resilience Programme for BfGWY with the School for Social Entrepreneurs
SeeAhead
SEE Ahead is a social enterprise that uses its expert knowledge of the business support sector to help organisations, start-ups, and those for whom self-employment is a viable option. They are delivering the start-up workshops for BfGWY.
School for Social Entrepreneurs
School for Social Entrepreneurs is a charity that equips people to start, scale and strengthen organisations that make a positive difference. They offer learning, funding and mentoring. They have co-designed the Growth and Resilience programme for BfGWY with Co-operatives UK.
Stir to Action
Stir to Action is a worker co-operative and the national co-operative infrastructure body that focuses on strategic economic development projects, bridging the gap between policy and practice, and ensuring the future new economy is more diverse and representative. Along with Co-op Culture they have designed the Alternative Business Model training programme for BfGWY.
Co-op Culture
Co-op Culture is a worker co-operative based in West Yorkshire that delivers business support to new and existing co-operatives and community businesses. They have designed the Alternative Business Model training programme for BfGWY with Stir to Action.
Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL)
Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL) provides dedicated services for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in Leeds. They are hosting the Leeds-based Enterprise Coaches for BFGWY.
Why is this programme needed?
Traditionally, ‘alternative businesses’ have accessed support from a variety of sources, including local authority business and VCSE support teams, VCSE infrastructure support organisations, accountants, solicitors and business advisors and consultants. However, our research tell us that the information they’re given is not consistent and may even be conflicting or incorrect, and support is often aimed specifically at traditional businesses or charities.
We know from existing alternative businesses, that they face unique challenges and need specialist advice, particularly around choosing the right legal structure and implementing effective governance, which will affect how they can do business and the different finance options they can access.
Our programme aims to address these gaps in specialist knowledge and make sure that alternative businesses are properly supported and signposted to the right places. BfGWY compliments and works with other existing business support offers, particularly those that are funded and supported by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Growing evidence also shows that alternative businesses can make our communities better places to live and work, and we want to increase awareness of the of the social impact that ‘business for good’ can have in West Yorkshire.
Photo Team KickStart CIC