I believe now is a great time to be at the helm of a social enterprise. The recent AXA 'Why Not? Britain' report found that people in the UK are increasingly standing up for what they believe in and that many are starting businesses and enterprises that aim to make society a better place.
My idea for GiveMeTap was born out of a simple problem and potential solution, as so many incredible social enterprises are. I was studying for my PhD at Manchester University and doing a lot of sport. I needed to drink litres of water a day to stay hydrated and yet all these cafés and restaurants only wanted to sell me expensive bottled water. We have the best tap water in the world and it costs about 0.03p per litre, but we buy 13bn plastic bottles of drink every year in the UK, only 20% of which gets recycled. I wanted to start a business that tackled this attitude towards water. And given my family comes from Ghana, I wanted to tackle the very real problem they have of unsanitary and unsafe water.
An accelerated period of growth is an exciting time for any business and as a social enterprise operating in these troubled economic times, it's particularly exhilarating. My business, GiveMeTap, has experienced a frenetic start to 2012 and as all eyes fall on the UK for the Olympics this year, and with the Big Society gathering pace, I'm sure I'm not the only social enterprise with high hopes for the coming months. In fact the AXA 'Why Not Britain' social trends report, in which I was featured, found that it is increasingly alternative business models like mine that are shaping today's society and encouraging people to challenge the status quo.
GiveMeTap creates a network of cafés and shops for people to use branded stainless steel bottles purchased from our website to get free tap water refills. We direct 70% of profits towards water projects in Africa. We have already completed a water project in Namibia which helped a community access clean water and grow vegetation. To date we have relied on the 'snowball effect' of word of mouth and networking to grow our base of 'tap locations' and bottle buyers. This winter it gathered significant pace; we more than doubled the number of tap locations from 60 to 140. London has seen the biggest growth by a sizeable 600% in the last 30 days.
One of the main reasons for the growth has been the creation of a team to support me. Two motivated and enthusiastic interns - Sheeza and Gabriel - plus strategic guidance from non-executive directors has helped propel GiveMeTap forward. Utilising technology has also been crucial and we have a 'Tap Finder' tool on the website and a smartphone app that locates the nearest free tap water point. By recruiting cafés and shops to our cause, by creating the right technology for our customers, we can lead the people to water … we can't make them drink it, but we have such engaged and passionate followers, that we have no doubt that they do!
As a small social enterprise currently, we see the value in forming relationships with big businesses through corporate partnerships. I consider this critical to our growth and success. An exciting recent development is our joining forces with a large national professional services firm to supply their offices with GiveMeTap reusable bottles. We are soon to announce an exciting partnership with a well-know restaurant chain that is opening their doors (and taps) for water refills. Proactivity is key; we can't sit back and wait for potential partners to make contact. By visiting Google,
Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, and other well-regarded corporates, as a speaker on social enterprise and water sanitation issues, I hope further business relationships will be formed in 2012.
We have already achieved a lot but now it is time to take the business to another level. We have our eyes on the prize: the Olympics. My goal is to see tap water being made available inside Olympic venues and for the London Olympic Games Organising Committee to allow reusable water bottles to be brought into and refilled at Olympic sites. We are talking to Boris Johnson, the Greater London Authority and other London bodies to make it happen. The London 2012 website says "'sustainability' is far more than being 'green'. It's ingrained into our thinking – ultimately everything that we do." What could be a more sustainable legacy than allowing Londoners and visitors to London access to free tap water, cutting down on the potential millions of plastic bottles littering the streets, and helping to change public perception to water and waste?
We want to have more than 1,000 London-based cafés and restaurants participating in the scheme by July this year. Ambitious but achievable if we can form relationships with café chains such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee etc. The aim is for people to be no further than four minutes from a water refill. But the biggest challenge to our growth is overcoming a simple but sizeable issue; making people aware of this new way of consuming water on the go. It is a tricky task as bottled water has been the standard choice for decades. In a way, we are re-introducing tap water to the UK, and then working in Africa to provide people with clean drinking water. Our challenge over the next year is to stay focused on the big picture, our movement and vision: to make water easily accessible to every human in the world.
There is never a dull moment running a social enterprise and I find it exciting to be part of a movement that is going to become increasingly important in the future. I agree with AXA's report, which says businesses that combine making profits with doing good for society will be the leading force in the post-recession economy. Among my peers there is a great belief that businesses must support communities, not impact our ecology, and be transparent about their operations. In addition to this, we live in an era where people want their lives and work to become more fulfilling and meaningful. So despite the tough climate, the immediate challenges my business and others face, I am optimistic that a more socially aware outlook can only mean good things for the future.
Edwin Broni-Mensah is the founder of water aid social enterprise GiveMeTap and was recently selected to join the 'World Economic Forum's Global Shapers' community in London. GiveMeTap's new customer-engagement video is on Youtube.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the social enterprise network, click here.
