Bakery Hearts

Today i would like to post about my experience this semester in volunteering with Bakery Hearts.

So what is Bakery Hearts?

Bakery Hearts is the social enterprise that my group had chosen to volunteer with.

It is a social enterprise aimed at helping low-income mothers supplement their income through providing them with jobs and training.
At Bakery Hearts, the beneficiaries learn various soft skills, such as baking skills, communication skills, learning how to do sales and conflict resolution.
While it may seem like an easy job, I learnt a lot during my time volunteering there.

Firstly, I learn a lot through my interaction with the beneficiaries. Even though the social enterprise is a simple one, by providing them with jobs, I am able to experience and see just how much it impacted their lives. Some of them have been housewives for nearly a decade, so this helps them to gain the exposure and confidence to go back to work in the society.

Secondly, I also learnt the hardships of running and managing social enterprises like these. Through our volunteering experiences, we have to contact and manage the work schedule for the beneficiaries. One of the hardest part, was to communicate with the beneficiaries and ensure that they listen to us. Volunteering also gave me the experience to be at the booth, where I managed to learn a lot and interact with the beneficiaries.

Overall, I'm glad to be able to have the chance to volunteer at Bakery Hearts, I find the job that they do very interesting and meaningful, and im glad that I managed to learn from my experience.

Social enterprise: Soul Kitchen

Today i will sharing about a social enterprise called Jon Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen.

The model of the social enterprise made me feel that it is unsustainable, as a BZSE student, but at the same time, it also inspires me as an individual.

This social enterprise basically serves food, but it is not like the conventional soup kitchen or restaurant. In this community restaurant, there are no price or menus for the food served. customers are welcome to pay for their meals, while those who can't afford to do not. This bistro is mainly to help those low income families who are in needed by providing them with free meals while customers can pay whatever they can afford. The restaurant also allows customers to volunteer at the restaurant as payments for their meals. The operations are sustained by customers who are able to pay for their meals, while the restaurant also have it's own garden to grow their food supplies.



I feel that this social enterprise is an example of how we can give back or help the society. Even though it can be something as simple as free food for the needy, it can be very important to the needy. I think that the fact that social enterprise like this community kitchen is able to work, proves that people are willing to help out each other. Even though it is a "pay what you can" restaurant, some of the more well to do customers are still willing to pay extra, to provide for someone else's meal. I feel that another good point about the restaurant, is that it allows people to volunteer or work at the restaurant, in exchange for food. By providing job opportunities and meals, the restaurant is helping the poor to feed themselves, and giving them the opportunity to learn and find jobs. I feel that although such social enterprises might be hard to start up, it is definitely able to help others in the society.

References

Haindl, Sangeeta. (2011, October 24). Social Enterprise: Jon Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen. Retrieved 22 December 2012 from: http://www.justmeans.com/Social-Enterprise-Jon-Bon-Jovi-s-Soul-Kitchen/50334.html

seven deadly sins of social enterprise

Article

Today, i will be sharing about the seven deadly sins of social enterprise. This article tells us the 7 common things that social entrepreneurs make.


Deadly sin #1: the belief that speaking at conferences, blogging, and tweeting are entrepreneurial activities
Deadly sin #2: insufficient ruthlessness about purpose
Deadly sin #3: unwillingness or inability to prove impact
Deadly sin #4: not nailing the business basics
Deadly sin #5: Ego
Deadly sin #6: not enough time spent understanding the customer
Deadly sin #7: the sector mindset – social enterprise v private sector

I would like to highlight and talk about a few sins that I feel that are important or crucial to a social entrepreneurs. 

Firstly, I agree with sin #3, unwilling or unable to provide impact. As a social enterprise, i feel that this is the worse mistake that can be made. Although a social enterprise is essentially a business, what defines it as a social enterprise is the social impact that it provides. If a business is unable or unwilling to provide that impact, it might as well be just called a business. 

Next, I feel that it is also important to take note of sin#4, while social enterprises have the ability and advantage to help others, it is also important for social entrepreneurs to take note and be reminded that their social enterprise is a business. While helping the society out, it is important to ensure that their organizations remain fully functional as a business. 

Finally, i feel that the most important is sin #5. Although there are quite a few examples of good social enterprise and entrepreneurs, i feel that the most important thing is to them to remain grounded, and be reminded of the purpose of them starting the social enterprise. It is important for them to continue putting in efforts to help the cause, and not be more arrogant once their social enterprise starts to be successful.

References

Stephens, Simon. (2012, December 13). The seven deadly sins of social enterprise. Retrieved 14 December 2012 from: http://socialenterprise.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2012/dec/13/seven-deadly-sins-social-enterprise

More funding options available to social enterprise

Article

In today's article, i will be looking at the news that social enterprises in Singapore are able to get more access to funding. 

The article mentioned how social enterprises are now able to gain access to more funding, especially from banks such as DBS, where they offer loans at low interest rates. The article also mentioned that it is important for social enterprise to receive such help, especially after their start up, where they are entering the next period of growth.

In my opinion, i feel that such steps taken by banks are encouraging for the social enterprise sector in Singapore. It shows that investors and banks are having more confidence in social enterprises, by seeing them as a viable business. Even though there is no widespread social issues are poverty or hunger in Singapore, I do believe that there are still certain people that requires help. It is encouraging to see that banks are willing to make the extra effort and help companies such as Adrenalin, who hires youths at risks and people with disabilities. I hope that news like this will encourage the start up of more social enterprises, which is beneficial to Singapore.