Business Live: for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs Jamie Veitch

Lotus Collaborations is a Community Interest Company, set up to address the needs of autistic survivors of sexual violence and sexual abuse.

Its directors are Neurodivergent Survivors and allies with experience in accessing and providing specialist support and mentoring to victim-survivors of sexual violence.

"There's big gap in understanding among  service providers and the general public," says  director, Dr Susy Ridout, “and our needs very often don't get addressed. The autistic voice isn't heard at all, and our needs are very different to those of the predominant neurotype, the predominant public. We need to have services who do understand that."

Susy covers:

• The impacts on people if their communication preferences, sensory and other needs are not properly understood
• How Lotus' team and beneficiaries are developing its services and resources to meet the requirements of individuals and services
• How health practitioners are responding to or addressing survivors: poor and good practices
• Practices which make people feel validated
• The value of support from Sheffield Social Enterprise Network, Social Enterprise Exchange and the SEGA / SSEN peer mentoring and action learning programme
• Securing contracts or funding
• Engaging with your beneficiaries

Lotus Collaborations is currently recruiting volunteers:  https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/org/lotus-collaborations-uk-cic

Also on this episode: new funding opportunities: The PPL Momentum Music Fund (grants of £5 to £15,000); Feasibility studies for Artificial Intelligence solutions (grants  between £25,000 and £50,000).

This is episode 395 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio. Podcast image features: Lotus Collaborations' logo.

YWCA Yorkshire supports over 250 young women, children and families to build better futures. They may be homeless, escaping abuse, or in financial or other difficulties. It runs programmes to assist them in living happy, fulfilled and independent lives.

A charity, it has operated locally since the 1940s. This Valentine's Day it launched a campaign to "spread the love and word" about volunteering. So I invited Diane Offers, YWCA's HR Manager, on air.. She covers:
YWCA Yorkshire's range of accommodation, support, empowerment and advocacy servicesThe crucial and varied roles its diverse volunteers play and how the charity nurtures themHow businesses already work with YWCA Yorkshire, and what you can do to help create real long-lasting change the life of someone in financial or relationship difficulties and having no family or friends to fall back onYWCA Yorkshire earns some of its operating income by providing services which are commissioned by local authorities, so we discuss social value in procurement, public services and commissioningDiane's day-to-day work in HR, her own career history, and her advice for others developing HR careers in purpose-driven organisationsAlso in this episode after the interview with Diane: new funding opportunities of between £10,000 and £120,000 for businesses and social enterprises. Timings:
0:00 to 23:50 Interview with Diane Offers – get involved with YWCA Yorkshire as a volunteer via www.ywcayorkshire.org.uk/volunteer and/or learn more about becoming a corporate supporter at www.ywcayorkshire.org.uk/corporate-partnerships23:50 Forthcoming events from Business Sheffield: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/business-sheffield-1733801142325:01 Funding opportunities: 1) for UK industry via the Science and Technology Facilities Council / Innovate UK Industry Impact Fund (£10,000 - £100,000 to help companies overcome difficult product, manufacturing or process performance issues; focus includes health, net zero, energy, defence;  deadline 14 March 2024; details at https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/industry-impact-fund/ ) and for social enterprises / asset-locked organisations via the Esmée Fairbairn Youth-Led Creativity programme (up to £120,000 over 3 years; to support work led by and for young people who have less access to creative programmes or who are underrepresented in arts and culture; deadline 15 March 2024; details at https://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/latest-news/youth-led-creativity-funding )27:19 Ends. This is episode #394 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Welcome to episode 393 of Business Live, for purpose-driven entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. When Rotherham wanted to transform its adult social care offer for people with learning disabilities and autistic people and offer personalised services that people wanted, local social and micro-enterprises proved crucial. Helen Allen and Harry Clarkson tell me how.

Community Catalysts (www.communitycatalysts.co.uk) is a thriving community interest company, running since 2010 and operating across the UK. Speakup (www.speakup.org.uk) is a Self Advocacy Group run by and for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Employment is for Everyone ( (www.employmentisforeveryone.org.uk) is a social movement that aims to improve the employment rates for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

Also on today's show:

• New CAF Venturesome funding for charities and social enterprises operating across the UK, including those with international projects. https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/caf-venturesome
• Funding for starting up up to £8,000) and  scaling up (up to £18,000) social enterprises from UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs: https://www.unltd.org.uk/awards/
• Event: 19 January, Refugee Entrepreneurship Network and Centre for Entrepreneurs Corporate Roundtable: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/refugee-entrepreneurship-network-corporate-roundtable-tickets-759765548207
• Sheffield City Council has commissioned the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network to create the Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator (SEGA), providing specialist business support and advice for social enterprises in Sheffield. More details: www.ssen.org.uk/sega and www.scci.org.uk
• Book recommendation: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Social enterprises ploughed over a billion pounds into their social and environmental objectives last year. They make a vital contribution to the UK's economy, society and natural environment, as Dean Hochlaf describes today.

An estimated 131,000 social enterprises in the UK collectively turn over £78 billion, representing over 3% of GDP. Many operate in the most deprived areas of the UK. They employ around 2.3 million people and  made £1.2 billion in profit in the last financial year,  reinvesting over a billion pounds of that into their environmental and social missions.

The figures come from Social Enterprise UK's 'Mission Critical – State of Social Enterprise Survey 2023' and Dean also covers access to appropriate, patient, long-term funding; procurement and ensuring social enterprises' social value is well-recognised; and visibility among consumers and in private sector supply chains.

Also in this episode: new funding opportunities for businesses, social enterprises, charities, universities and arts organisations. Timings:
0-1:40 Introduction1:40 Interview with Dean Hochlaf, Social Enterprise UK. Read SEUK's full report here: https://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/seuk-report/mission-critical-state-of-social-enterprise-survey-2023/12:03 The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) are developing a joint VCSE action plan; they say it will identify and seek to address the barriers facing VCSE organisations in bidding and winning government contracts and grants. If you are from a voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisation and have comments on this please take part in their short survey.14:25 Events in Sheffield including Christmas makers' markets; the Millennium Gallery's Handmade for Christmas shop.15:33 The City of Rivers exhibition at Weston Park museum showcasing Sheffield's relationship with its rivers (there was a super article in the Sheffield Tribune this week too)16:38 Grants and funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises:For small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in South Yorkshire: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund Business Productivity and Digitisation Grant Scheme – Digital Innovation Grants of between between £2,500 and £5,000 and Productivity Grants of between £2,500 and £12,499 . Applications will be approved on a first come, first served basis until no more grants or support are available. Details: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/business/business-productivity-and-digitisation-grant-schemeThe Sheffield Creative Communities Fund is offering Sheffield-based arts, cultural and heritage organisations to deliver creative programmes of outreach, engagement and participation . Grants can be between a minimum of £10,000 and maximum £30,000. Deadline for applications Tuesday 9 January 2024, midday. Details: https://www.sitegallery.org/creativecommunitiesElectric vehicle infrastructure grant for staff and fleets. This one is for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and gives you money off the cost of wider building and installation work that’s needed to install multiple chargepoint sockets (eg wiring and posts). The grant covers 75% of the cost of the work, up to a maximum of £15,000. Open for applications now; details https://find-government-grants.service.gov.uk/grants/electric-vehicle-infrastructure-grant-for-staff-and-fleets-1#summaryThe Youth Music NextGen Fund, which offers grants of up to £2,500 for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives; aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals. It's

When I heard about the UK's first open-access factory, offering "pay-as-you go accessibility" so entrepreneurs and makers can access state-of-the-art light industrial equipment I was intrigued.

Originally established in 2012, its co-founders call it the "missing link for solopreneurs and SMEs seeking to bridge the gap between start-up and producing at scale."

And when I learned it was a social enterprise, with sustainability "designed in" – well, we had to get its co-founders in for a  radio interview. They've gone from strength to strength, moving to a brilliant, award-winning facility, the UK’s largest open-access factory which they say is "crafted by makers for makers."

In this episode, Arnaud Nichols and Al Parra, BLOQS co-founders, cover:

• What they mean by a pay-as-you-go, open access factory
• Who uses it (there are currently 700 active members and they're really diverse) and what people create
• How collaboration and access to shared facilities means makers and small businesses can use equipment at a much lower cost, and with a lower individual and collective environmental footprint
• How BLOQS has both contributed to regeneration n the London Borough of Enfield, and benefited from regeneration match funding investment
• Why being a social enterprise enables purpose and mission alignment, with everyone sharing common goals
• Their own backgrounds and transferable skills
• Plans for the future with big ambition to build more BLOQS

It was a pleasure hearing from Al and Arnaud and I hope you'll find the interview as fascinating as I did. Do check out the BLOQS website here: https://bloqslondon.com

This is episode #391 of the Business Live radio show, for curious entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.

Many businesses make the same basic mistake when they want to make video content, says today's guest Joseph Palmer of Open House Pictures.  His simple tip will help anyone wanting to use films to communicate, whether you want to work with a professional filmmaker, a local freelancer or even try to shoot them yourself.

It's been a few years since Joe was last on the programme and Open House has achieved significant growth since then, creating jobs and taking on multiple creative and commercial projects. Joe explains – and tells us about:
the value of finding mentorsa new networking event in Sheffield which supports LGBTQ+ businesses – Out2Meet: LGBTQIA+ Business Networking – on 29 November in the city centre ( https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/out2meet-lgbtqia-business-networking-sheffield-tickets-700504005337 )a couple of books which have made a lasting impact Joe's tips for anyone running a business, social enterprise or other organisation who wants to use video effectivelyFind Open House Pictures here https://www.openhousepictures.co.uk and Joe on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephdpalmer/Also in today's programme – a run through of several funding opportunities for businesses and social enterprises, including
Grants of up to £45,000 to businesses, universities and research organisations through the Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) competition – which covers decarbonisation, connectivity and other "challenge areas." Details of this Department for Transport and Connected Places Catapult programme: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/opportunity/transport-research-and-innovation-grants-2023/ Closing date: 27 November.The Youth Music NextGen Fund, which offers young creatives grants of up to £2,500 to make their ideas happen. It's for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives; and aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals.
It's open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf or Disabled). Details https://youthmusic.org.uk/nextgen/nextgen-fund Closing date: 19 January 2024.Community Interest Companies, charities and universities are invited to apply to the Armed Forces Families Fund: Supporting Partners programme to fund "projects that will improve support for Service partners and spouses regarding the skills and experiences they bring to the workplace." Grants of £30,000 to £80,000 available. Closing date: 25 January 2024.Grants of up to £2,000 are available to young people who need support with business start up costs that they would otherwise not be able to afford, through the SWEF Grants Programme. Applicants need to be between 18 - 30, living in South Yorkshire and from a low income household or facing other challenges that prevent developing the business. Details https://www.sycf.org.uk/apply/search-our-grants/swefThis is episode #390 of the show. Thanks for listening to the programme and to Sheffield Live! for broadcasting us on DAB and FM radio.