Existing social enterprises
what can be considered as a social enterprise?
Examples on businesses with a clear societal impact:
- Grameen bank - www.grameen.com - microloans for poor - the most famous example
- Remake EkoDesign - www.remake.fi - dressmaking workshop using only second hand material - consistent and entrepreneurial business practises and not making any loss
- Kuinoma - www.kuinoma.fi - website where people can rent stuff to each other - making all decisions based on expected environmental impact and doing business in an entrepreneurially organized way, but making loss as far as I understood
- Positiivarit - www.positiivarit.fi - impact is somewhat fluffy: more positivity and joy and success in people's lives, but there's no doubt it is meaningful and they are a business that is often mistaken as an NGO
- Manpower inclusive - www.manpower.fi - staffing service for people with disabilities, immigrants and others who have challenges in getting employed - Manpower project and not its own company
- SmartTravel - www.smart-travel.org - self-service car rental - they are primarilily aiming to maximize profits but working for sustainable development with a scalable concept. SmartTravel is currently looking for franchisers to copy the concept in new coutries.
- Ruohonjuuri - www.ruohonjuuri.fi - ecoshop
- Ekolo - www.ekolo.fi - ecoshop
Examples on entrepreneurial NGOs:
- Dodo - www.dodo.org - urban environmental organization - extremely visionary, innovative and productive
- Ashoka fellows - www.ashoka.org - most of them are ideal examples
