From necessity to transformational entrepreneurship

Necessity entrepreneurship is driven by the need to generate income to support basic subsistence. This form of entrepreneurship is often seen in low-income or disadvantaged communities where individuals struggle to find traditional forms of employment. It is motivated by survival, and necessity entrepreneurs often significant lack business acumen and resources. 

High levels of entrepreneurship alone are therefore not always an indicator of local economic success. Attendees will explore the conditions to encourage transformational entrepreneurial activity. Transformational enterprises are often characterised by innovation and a vision to scale and are typically driven by a desire to create significant change and positive impact. It is imperative that support organisations foster a transformational mindset and skillset.

Understanding/Analyzing Entrepreneurship Ecosystems- ecosystems mapping

Understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems provides an overview of the various elements that make up a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and small business owners. 

These are localised and mean that support efforts may be targeted in different areas for each regional and national context. Attendees will learn about the key players within the ecosystem including investors, policymakers, education providers and support organisations and how they combine to help entrepreneurs succeed. It is important to identify and map the local ecosystem to establish areas for particular emphasis and investment when developing entrepreneurial capacity.

Developing your theory of change – linked to the SDGs

A theory of change is a framework used by NGOs, charities and support organisation to describe the process by which they expect to achieve their goals and objectives. It is a logical sequence of events that describes how an organization’s activities will lead to desired outcomes, and ultimately, to the overall impact it hopes to achieve. A theory of change typically includes the following components: 

• Vision: A clear statement of the overall impact the organization hopes to achieve. 
• Goals: Specific, measurable, and time-bound objectives that the organization aims to achieve in order to realize its vision. 
• Activities: The specific actions and programs that the organization undertakes to achieve its goals. 
• Outputs: The immediate results or products of the organization’s activities, such as the number of people reached by a program or the number of services provided. 
• Outcomes: The intermediate changes or impacts resulting from the organization’s activities, such as improved health, increased knowledge, or increased income. 
• Impact: The long-term changes or benefits resulting from the organization’s activities. 

The theory of change is a powerful tool for NGOs and charities because it helps them to define their goals and objectives, measure progress, and make adjustments as needed to achieve their desired impact. It also helps the organization to communicate its work and objectives to stakeholders and funders.

Impact measurement

The evaluation of impact is an essential part of the demonstration of value resulting from a programme or initiative. It is the process of establishing the effectiveness of activities and in tracking the achievement of organisational goals. Impact measurement is essential means of illustrating the benefits of a programme to funders and in underpinning strategies for change and improvement. There are several key elements to successful impact measurement which operate in an ongoing and circular process: 

• Defining goals and objectives 
• Identifying indicators 
• Collecting data 
• Analysis and learning 
• Communicating results 
• Process improvement 

Program Design considerations – with case studies 

After mapping the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, developing a theory of change and exploring the process of impact measurement and evaluation the attendees will structure their programme of activities and support initiatives which are localised and specific to their own context. Case studies from around the world will also be introduced to support this design work.

Building Program Partnerships

As each organisation’s programmes are developed and refined it is important to establish what is currently on offer and to map any overlapping areas locally or gaps in provision. Partnership work is a valuable means to deliver a strong support package for entrepreneurs and small business owners, but this needs to be coordinated and responsive to the local ecosystem.

Localizing Support Programs

A strategy for local support will finalise the attendees’ plans resulting in a personalised set of goals and priority areas for your organisation achieved through a situational analysis of the organisation’s internal and external environment. This will take the form of: 

• External Analysis – including industry, market, competitors, economic, social and political factors 
• Internal Analysis – focus on organisational resources, capabilities, culture and structure 
• Issue identification – establishing what the key issued and barriers are that face the organisation 
• Gap analysis – comparison of the current and desired state of the organisation in relation to its Theory of Change and delivery expectations. 
• Stakeholder analysis – analysis of the organisation’s relationships with customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, beneficiaries and wider community

Funder perspectives

The final day will explore the identification of potential funders, developing effective grant proposals and partnerships and the challenges of aligning programmes and initiatives with funding and donor expectations. 

There will also be guided tours of incubation and business support facilities in Leeds on this final day.