Profile: “Kate Welch OBE is founder and Chief Executive of Acumen Development Trust which works to achieve social and economic regeneration through learning, employment and enterprise. Acumen works across the North East and Cumbria engaging people in disadvantaged communities and supporting them to achieve their potential. Kate founded Acumen in 2003 having previously worked for JobCentre Plus and County Durham Training & Enterprise Council.
Acumen won the Enterprising North East England title for their work in Easington in 2006. The following year, Kate was chosen as a BT Essence of the Entrepreneur winner and the North East Woman Social Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2008 she was awarded an OBE for services to Social Enterprise in the North East and was the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Social award winner for the North. She was chosen as one of the 100 most entrepreneurial women in the UK this year and is a finalist in the Women in Ethical Business Awards 2009.
Kate has an MA from the Department of Social Policy at the University of York. She sits on the Learning and Skills Council for the region and chairs the Mature and Working Lives Regional Advisory Group for the Public Health Board. She supports a number of small social enterprises and social entrepreneurs as a Director or mentor and is active in the Methodist Church and Girlguiding UK.”
From One North East
The Interview
Why did you choose to be a social entrepreneur?
I have been involved in voluntary work since I was very young. As a 7 year old Brownie Guide the “Lend a Hand” motto was something I really bought into. I am still a Guide Leader, Commissioner and Trainer 44 years later! I became a Christian when I was 15 and have wanted to do whatever I could help people, though in very conventional ways, visiting and voluntary work in hospitals, fundraising for charity and working with young people in youth clubs and other settings. The business bit came from my father who at the age of 50 started up a family business, Lambton Park Garden Centre. I ran it with him and the rest of the family for 15 years and became very involved in training and development. It helped me learn a lot about business but also about how to help people fulfil their potential. Although we were taken over in 1993 following a difficult time financially, some of the staff that worked for us are still involved in managing the Garden Centre for the new owners.
The actual social entrepreneur opportunity almost evolved rather than being a very definite choice. I had been working as Adult Training manager for County Durham Training and Enterprise Council when an opportunity came up to run an Action Team for Jobs. The first year had a £1 million budget and a challenge to be flexible, creative and innovative to help people find jobs. This was an enlightening experience. I hadn’t worked at a very local level in a community before and just hadn’t realised what everyday life was like for people living in the 4th most deprived place in the UK (Index of multiple deprivation 2000). I also ended up working for Jobcentre Plus and found the constraints of the public sector very difficult. I therefore started Acumen to enable things to happen that couldn’t be done by the public sector but that needed to be addressed to make life for people in our communities much better. We grew very quickly so although I was still doing the Jobcentre Plus job fulltime I was able to grow Acumen to a first year (13 months) turnover of over £400,000. It was clear that we needed some fulltime management so we applied to the Northern Rock Foundation for some core funding. In December 2004 they approved our application for £750,000 over three years. They also asked that I commit to leading the organisation for at least that period. I became Chief Executive in January 2005 and haven’t stopped since
When you look back at your life, what was the most significant thing that happened to you in shaping who you are today?
In the early 1980s we had two major events in the family when firstly my 18 year old sister died in a car crash and then less than 2 years later my father was diagnosed with a benign pituitary tumour which caused him to lose almost all his sight and require major surgery to remove the tumour. I was running the Garden Centre whilst also coping with all that goes with a major health issue in the family. I learnt a huge amount about being able to keep a business going whilst coping with adversity. It really builds resilience.
What three qualities do I need to be a successful WorldMaker like you?
Passion – never lose your enthusiasm for what you are trying to achieve. I find energy comes from those people who are “radiators” because of their passion and if you are a radiator yourself you will energise others as well as finding plenty for your own needs
Resilience – You need to be able to bounce back from whatever is thrown at you. Remember Weebles. The have a weighted bottom so although they wobble they don’t fall down. We all face times when the world seems to be against us and things happen. It’s OK to wobble but the quicker you can come back fighting again the more successful you will be.
Turning vision into action – Too many people talk a good talk but don’t make things happen. Being a social entrepreneur gives you the freedom to operate in this way
What advice would you give to your younger self or any young person who wants to become an entrepreneur?
Don’t close any doors. Sometimes the choices we make can stop us doing something later on in life. You will also be surprised at what comes around later on. We’ve just been given the opportunity to take on a ten acre plant nursery from the company that took over our family Garden Centre in late 1992.
What problem would you like to see solved before you die?
Inequality: Those societies where there is the biggest difference between rich and poor have worse outcomes for everyone. If we try and reduce poverty but allow the gap between rich and poor to widen we will not address the injustices in the world.
What is the best way other entrepreneurs can encourage entrepreneurship among young people (especially young women)?
The best way is giving young people the space and opportunity to try out their idea for a business while providing support and ongoing encouragement. Just helping people believe that they can do what they have dreamed about is the biggest boost to confidence. A listening ear to act as a test for ideas is also useful. I give about an hour a month to several different entrepreneurs to let them tell me what they are up to and I can then just ask the questions that test the model or idea for its potential. Most people are afraid of taking the step forward that will be the start of or grow the business. You have to take risks but manage them properly by thinking through the implications of your actions.
Many young people have started social enterprises but find it extremely difficult to make them grow. What should entrepreneurs in this position do to solve this problem? (e.g. how to make people/media know about their projects, how can they get more people practically involved, how to get financial support, or how to get influential people to champion their causes)?
I keep going back to the hedgehog model as described by Jim Collins in “From Good to Great”. His social sector version is as illustrated below:
You need to be able to demonstrate the passion and the ability to be the best, but the major problem with most social enterprise ideas is that they do not stack up as a commercial business would because the income generation hasn’t been thought through. Someone has to be prepared to pay for what you are offering them whether it is a public sector contractor, another business or an individual customer. If there isn’t a potential income stream you are probably a social activist and not an entrepreneur. Once the basic business model is right then growth can happen. Never compromise on quality of product and customer service and word will spread. Take every opportunity to tell people about what you do and then work out which ones will be useful and add value to your business. Work with them to find a win win for you and them and benefits will flow from the relationship. If you are delivering the quality then the growth will come from relationships with people who can bring you business.
What is the most inspirational thing somebody told you?
There is always a solution. If I feel as though there is something that is impossible to solve I try to step back from it so I am not overwhelmed and have space to think and then I use all kinds of creative thinking techniques from Edward de Bono to Roger von Oech to simply allowing my head space to look through to the other side of the problem and not just to focus on it. That way a solution will emerge.
