In the beginning …

Nov. 172015

In the beginning humankind dispersed from Africa. Nomadic groups of humans set off to search for better lands. This search is imprinted on our memory. Psychologists, with not much better to do, have found that when people from different countries and backgrounds rate pictures in order of their attractiveness, the winning picture is always an unpopulated landscape looking down into a fertile green valley. On the left is a tree with a branch low enough to climb up. This is our shared ancestry.

We all have a lot in common. We are all looking for a fertile valley for our tribe to settle down in. A valley with reliable sources of food where we can survive and thrive.

Right now there are lots of initiatives, tools and resources for communities to come together and plan their perfect neighbourhoods. The government is encouraging people to set up businesses to generate wealth so that we can all live in an economically fertile valley. It would be great if a lot of those new companies generated social impacts as well as financial returns. We have a lot of companies where people give up their time to volunteer in the community, and we can encourage more of it.

Community Enterprise Engine is a couple of well trainedcommunity workers, giving themselves the challenge of setting up new social enterprises. We want to do that with community venues that need a bit of extra support to start trading.

Starting trading is a big thing that requires a lot of guts. Most businesses fail. It can be very stressful. It is also very empowering. Most people that we have worked with enjoy business planning. It is a process that celebrates strengths and engages passions.

In this blog June, myself, and other members of the team as they emerge will share their stories, news, and gold standard tips to make community sector trading happen.

If you would like to work with us, give us a call. We are a start up organisation that can’t work with everyone, but we would like to help as many as we can.Let’s sit down, have a chat, and discuss first steps.