Who are you?
SEE Ahead is a social enterprise based in Calderdale that has been giving expert support to alternative businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber, since 2011. We have a core team of experienced and dedicated business advisors who know from our own experience how rewarding, and how difficult it can be to run a small social enterprise – we’ve been there and we’re still here! We also know how challenging it is in terms of its sustainability, but we can help you to SEE the way Ahead and plan for long-term health.
We are an approved provider for Lloyds Bank Foundation and Local Access Bradford District, amongst others.
We are experts in focusing on the Social, Economic and Environmental (SEE) objectives of your organisation and knowing what’s required. We want you to be carrying out your vital work in communities, helping people to better lives for years to come. We want to work with you so that, together, we can see a better future. Nothing is left to chance because we know that those organisations with a strategic plan are more likely to be successful.
The organisations we work with say they feel ‘empowered’. We use honest, practical, well-researched tools and advice to help you be sustainable and achieve your social purpose starting with your SEE healthcheck. We then provide you with the right tools to be able to plan and achieve the vital sustainability you need – strategic direction, governance reviews, knowledge of funding and finance, commercial skills; depending on what we, together, assess is needed.
Why do you like working in the alternative business sector?
We are passionate about social enterprise and the VCSE sector and know that you need specialist advice from people who understand that sector. We particularly like to see the real difference that our sector makes to people’s lives.
Like you, we’ve worked fulltime, part-time and taken other jobs as business and our personal lives have directed. We know what it’s like to plan your own diary, fit in the school run, or take the afternoon off when the sun is shining and cricket is being played. We know what it’s like to win a new contract and know that it’s all down to you and your reputation and, we also know what it’s like to say no if something doesn’t match your ethos or values.
And it’s great to get feedback like this:
‘I had been thinking about starting my own business but had no idea where to start. SEE Ahead came into my life at just the right time. SEE Ahead helped me to understand how to start a business, make a business plan, apply for a business loan, and find a property. Without the help of SEE Ahead’s workshops, peer mentoring, and one to one sessions, I don’t think I would have started my own business.’
Give us an example of a success you have had recently
Someone who came to one of our recent BfGWY workshops had been struggling to get her business idea off the ground because she didn’t understand how our sector worked and the sort of legal structures that you could use. By the end of the workshop, she could explain her social purpose and had chosen the right structure that would allow them to both apply for grants and loans and sell their goods and services.
Why did you want to be involved in BfGWY?
We strongly believe that our sector is best placed to tackle the social needs of the West Yorkshire community and so wanted to share our many years of experience and expertise to help develop that.
We also love the fact that we are working with so many other great partners to create strong and successful alternative businesses. Together, we can make a huge difference to the sector and therefore, to the lives of local people.