As a business graduate, I've always been fascinated with using business models to alleviate social problems. And as a young Scot who immigrated to South Africa six years ago, this fascination became a passion when I witnessed the severe deprivation that shapes much of society here. I approached my friend, local Cape Town resident and marketing expert Nicola Probyn, to discuss creating a social enterprise that would bring together our experience and shared vision for improving society using our own skills base. In February 2012 we founded Firecracker, an events and marketing service provider for the third or "social" sector.
Our overriding aim is to be the communications solution to the social sector of South Africa. We found upon initial research that many of the frustrations of the South African social market evolve around marketing. Therefore, Firecracker aims to make it easier for organisations to hire experienced and qualified events and marketing staff, create strong brands and reduce the cost of events and marketing suppliers. As social entrepreneurs, we are motivated by social change rather than large profits and, combined with a strong understanding of the social sector, this means our social enterprise can provide a more viable option that others in the market.
We want to contribute to the social sector by helping organisations understand the importance of marketing. In South Africa, many social enterprises and NGOs view marketing as an expense rather than a necessity. This can prevent optimal communication with the public and donors. Firecracker aims to change this view by encouraging organisations to reflect on how they can communicate their good work. We also want to enable our charitable clients to be more aware of their potential to generate income instead of relying on corporate donors. A stronger emphasis should be placed on nurturing social entrepreneurs in South Africa because the charity model is proving to be no solution to the social devastation that still exists 17 years after the apartheid era.
Despite the social inequalities, it's easy to find inspiration for promoting social change through business here. You just have to start with the people. We take inspiration from the people who are helping themselves and others in Cape Town, its surrounding areas and townships. We also take inspiration from the growing social enterprise movement here and the more established industry in the UK. In 2011 the Social Enterprise World Forum was held in Johannesburg, which presented a perfect opportunity for me to contact experienced social entrepreneurs from the UK. After meeting with some delegates months later, I felt motivated and ready. I knew my future lay in social enterprise.
Nicola and I entered the start-up phase smoothly. We've been managing events and marketing for charities and corporations in South Africa, Australia and the UK for years. We had the know-how to build solid foundations for Firecracker. Our first exercise was to create an outstanding brand identity, as a good example to future clients. Luckily, we hit the ground running with two clients gained through word of mouth. Firecracker had clients before it had business cards. This has been our main success so far, but we know we have to maintain our hard work to attract new clients.
Our challenge now is to find time to plan ahead, even while we are immersed in completing work for clients. We would like to dedicate more time to researching the international social enterprise sector. This is because we want to act as a gateway between the UK and South Africa for social enterprises who want to form partnerships.
Balancing our present workload with future planning is undoubtedly a key challenge for any start-up. Doing this well is something we are learning on the job.
Our tips for starting up:
• Get creative with branding
Image isn't everything, but a strong brand is essential to establish presence in the social market. Be creative and think hard about how you will tell your story through images and narratives, on and offline. We are spending considerable time building our presence through our website and social media, as well as through more traditional avenues.
• Get creative with expenditure
Where possible, keep costs low and restrain yourself from spending unnecessarily. This might seem obvious, but, in our experience, resources can be wasted on inappropriate ventures so take time to consider your options.
• Ask questions and engage with like-minded people, even if their objectives diverge from your own
Learning is by nature a collaborative process and learning for business is no different. Don't be afraid to be curious or ask questions of your peers and those more established than yourself. Do bear in mind that it helps to be prepared before engaging with people who have limited time on their hands.
• Prepare for growth
Ensure you have the best structures and systems in place now whilst remaining flexible for the changes ahead. Administrative, financial, management and other systems need to be established from the onset but adapting these might be necessary as your organization grows. Think carefully about when it is necessary to adapt, and when it is, adapt with confidence.
Claire Alexander is events manager of Firecracker.
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