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Most organisations are tackling issues that are not unique to the community in which the organisation started. The entrepreneur may have a vision that involves making the organisation available to a much wider audience, or may be approached by others who are interested in learning more about the organisation, with a view to taking it into their own communities. However, growth like this - often termed replication - is not as widespread in the world of social entrepreneurship as it could be.
UnLtd Ventures, with the support of the Barings Foundation and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, is carrying out action-based research looking at all aspects of social enterprise replication. The primary focus of the study is to work with UnLtd Award Winners and to give them practical support during their replication / growth process. The knowledge developed through this will be used to develop practical tools and guides that can be used by other social entrepreneurs. The learnings coming out of this study will be published on this part of our website.
A number of final papers/guides have been developed to:
- Discuss a topic of significant interest and relevance to social entrepreneurs / social enterprises as well as to those organisations that support them
- Leverage insight gained from Ventures work with social entrepreneurs over the past 2+ years
Each paper refers to a number of social entrepreneurs we have worked with in this study.
Social Enterprise Strategies for Early Demand for Replication
When social entrepreneurs build successful models, the world beats a path to their door. A successful model will often breed interest in replication, even at the early stages of a social enterprise. This paper uses a series of short case studies to explore how different entrepreneurs have managed such interest: the approaches they have taken; implications on the social enterprise; what social entrepreneurs have learned; and what they might do differently if they could ‘do it all again’.
Choosing a Social Enterprise Replication Strategy
Within the replication context, Affiliation – which can take many forms, including franchising, licensing, joint ventures, and partnerships – is a common but challenging approach within the social enterprise sector. This paper looks at the common challenges of engaging in an affiliation model. It explore a range of issues from selecting potential partners, learning from partners as they develop replicated business models, balancing flexibility and control, and the challenges of maintaining an expanded network. These challenges will be seen through the eyes of a number of social entrepreneurs, some of whom have used multiple models of replication.
Replication Challenges and Tactical Responses
The paper uses a single case study to show the substantial replication challenges faced by one social enterprise, and the ways in which the social enterprise developed alternative routes to achieve the original aims and maintain momentum.
Social Enterprise ReplicationAlthough Social Enterprises have access to a wide range of business support and advice, those seeking to replicate have different and more demanding requirements. Not only are the standard business areas (finance, legal structure, business planning) significantly more complex, but replication itself poses unique challenges in replication strategy, market analysis, and logistics and management processes. This paper examines the range of needs identified by UnLtd Ventures and the social enterprises it worked with during the Replication Project. Through analysis of the specific challenges social entrepreneurs encountered in pursuing replication strategies, the paper identifies the dynamics in a number of key support areas (e.g. legal, HR, finance).
Funding for Replication Challenges and Opportunities for the Social Entrepreneur
The process of replication is a financially demanding one for a social enterprise. During this time the enterprise needs to direct resources towards planning for replication, building core infrastructure, capturing and transferring knowledge, identifying key partners, supporting replicated entities over time, and sometimes investing financially in replicated entities. However, social enterprise funders’ priorities may not always be aligned with these needs. Using two case studies as examples, this paper explores some of the financial challenges social entrepreneurs face.
UnLtd Ventures' Experiences in Social Enterprise Replication
This paper describes UnLtd Ventures’ experience as a consultancy and support organisation working with a range of exceptional social entrepreneurs and their replication strategies. After a brief description of what UnLtd Ventures does and of the 2007 – 2008 replication project, the paper presents case studies of four social enterprises and what UnLtd Ventures has learned from its engagements with them. The paper concludes with lessons for support organisations and social entrepreneurs on how to make the most of their work together.
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