Changing the World Through Business
25th April 2022 by Jo Hastie
Patrick Nash has set up and led twelve successful social enterprises, charities and values-driven businesses since his early 20s and has just published his first book – Creating Social Enterprise. We interview Patrick about the book and his career in businesses that aim to have a positive impact on the lives of people and the environment. He lives in Wales and is a non-executive director of AAW.
What in essence is a social enterprise? What makes it different to other businesses?
The simplest explanation is businesses that are changing the world for the better. There are three main kinds of business that tend to make up social enterprises: co-operatives and employee owned businesses, community interest companies B Corp companies. For me, social enterprises are one of the best ways of tackling the problems we face around inequality and the environment.
How did you start out in this area and why?
After university I travelled around Africa and after discovering more about wholefood cooperatives I set up one in Bristol. Within two years this workers co-operative had an annual income of £3 million – it had been a baptism of fire, but I was hooked!
It wasn’t until my 30s that I came across the term social enterprise but by that point I had already made a career in it. For the first 18 years my work was focused on the environment and food, including building an eco-village in Scotland. I then moved into mental health.
Why did you write the book?
My kids loved the stories I told them about working in social enterprises. I am not interested in telling people what to do, but I wanted to share things that might be helpful for people who want to set up their own business, steps to success, mistakes and, most of all, how enterprises can change the world and the lives of others. I do occasional guest lecturing at the School for Social Enterprises and really enjoy talking to people about my experiences. The book is a longer version of that.
What is your proudest achievements since you started out?
I’m proud of all my businesses, but perhaps most particularly of Connect Assist in the South Wales Valleys, delivering helplines supporting people in challenging life circumstances. The company was established in an area of high unemployment and one of the poorest areas in the whole of Europe; in 2002, Save the Children reported that in Rhondda Cynon Taf, where we were located, 17% of children lived in extreme poverty. I knew if we were successful, we could create a lot of jobs and today 450 people work for the company – it’s probably the largest non-government employer in the county. People there do an incredible job answering the phone and talking to people facing challenges with mental health and poverty, debt and other problems. They also do a lot of work with asylum seekers. I feel like we did something really special there.
I am proud that all of these enterprises are still going – Essential Trading in Bristol remains one of the largest vegetarian food wholesale co-operatives in the UK.
What next?
No more start-ups! I am working with a number of local festivals and have managed to secure two full paid posts for these. I’m on the board of a couple of charities and, of course, AAW.
To order a copy of Creating Social Enterprise, visit www.amazon.co.uk.