Social entrepreneurship is entrepreneurship with a social angle. That much is certain. But how an entrepreneur builds that social component into his company can differ greatly.

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PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIALECONOMY.BE

The emphasis on this website is strongly on social employment. We have built up a great deal of expertise in this area within the area of ​​competence of the social economy. We can advise and support you as an entrepreneur in this area. But in addition to employment, other aspects of social entrepreneurship are also discussed.

ASPECTS OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The social economy consists of companies and initiatives that:

1. Want to realize specific social added value.

• Creating employment and strengthening competencies with a view to sustainable careers. The focus is on emancipation, integration and the position of people from disadvantaged groups. Where possible  , achieve progression within the social economy and to the normal economic circuit.
• Sustainable development , environmentally friendly production processes and products and integral environmental care.
• Giving labor priority over capital in the distribution of returns. The revenues are not an end in themselves, but are a means to achieve social goals.
• Democratic decision-making  : stakeholders have a say in the company’s policy.
• Maximum transparency , including in the field of general policy, finances and internal and external relations.
• Quality Relationships . With external relations, the aim is a win-win partnership, in which costs and benefits are shared equally. In internal relations, attention is paid to opportunities for personal development, non-discrimination and the employment conditions of the staff. A positive embedding in society . This can be done by entering into dialogue with the local community and non-governmental organizations in the field. Partners work together and build networks.  

2. Provide goods and services for which customers and needs exist, both today and in the future. The focus is on continuity, profitability and efficient use of resources.

(based on the definition of the Support Decree)

SUSTAINABLE JOBS

The social economy in Flanders comprises a great diversity of companies. We know them as thrift shops, tailor-made companies or cooperatives, but also as newer initiatives such as senior care, energy pruners, green workers and bicycle points. The social economy provides work for more than 24,000 people from disadvantaged groups. Thanks to a sustainable job in which competence enhancement is central, they can play a full and meaningful role in our society.

DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

The social economy also wants to approach entrepreneurship itself differently. Sustainable entrepreneurship means that the return goes beyond just financial profit: the social profit also counts. Everyone has the right to a job, including people who fall through the net. The social economy can be a trampoline for them. She gives people a resilient job in which they can develop. 

Social entrepreneurship

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Definitions

We define social entrepreneurship as innovative, social value-creating activities that take place in different environments: both non-profit (non-profit) and profit-driven (profit) environments.  A social enterprise is a company that wants to work on a social challenge above all else. In other words: mainly wants to generate ‘social profit’. It does this by limiting a social problem or market failure, by meeting a social need or challenge in an enterprising, market-oriented manner. In other words: by generating your own income and thus being self-sufficient.  Many social entrepreneurs can be found in the ‘social economy’. This is a collective name for organisations, companies and initiatives that prioritize the realization of a number of social added values ​​and respect certain basic principles:

• priority of labor over capital;
• democratic decision making;
• social embedding;
• transparency;
• quality and durability. 

The finality of its activities, the democratic decision-making and the method of revenue distribution distinguish it from the private sector (also called “business” or “regular economy”). 

Good entrepreneurs

Social entrepreneurs have to be multifaceted. But they must first of all be good entrepreneurs. Social enterprises – like all enterprises – must find a competitive advantage and exploit it as sharply as possible. In other words: social enterprises must also function in a culture of customer focus, low costs, sharpness, quality, hard work, optimization, … But we also find social entrepreneurship in profit environments. Often in cooperatives, but also in other ‘classical’ forms of business. Some companies seem ‘classic’ – for example, because they sell products and make a profit from them – but are in fact social enterprises.