Welcome to the heady world of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship. Whatever your starting point (recent graduate, unemployed, ex-public sector, etc), you’re about to embark on one helluva ride.
There will be lots of advice people offer you (good and bad – so weigh it carefully http://thirdsectorexpert.blogspot.com/2010/05/should-you-trust-your-business-advisor.html), and lots of conferences, networking events, and the like that you’ll be increasingly bombarded with invitations to attend – all of which are great, and you should use them to try and meet more ‘seasoned’ entrepreneurs: buy them a drink and get them to tell you their stories of all the things that you’ll never otherwise learn because its either too controversial, risqué or politically unfashionable…
But the main point I want to get across to you is this: make the most of now.
After being in this game for well over a decade now, I find myself still reminiscing about those first few months when everything was exciting due to its ‘newness’ and everyone I met openly and freely offered limitless support, guidance and encouragement.
It’s a bit like when you start school: in the first class, you can merrily enjoy playing games all day, but as you progress, people expect more and more from you and you start to find yourself as one of those people you relied upon so much when you were starting out.
We all have to grow up sometime, but it’s OK to miss the playtimes so make the most of them while they last…
By Adrian Ashton
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