Community Businesses

A Community Business is a locally based enterprise, led by local people to meet a local need. Its governing document does not allow it to be used for private profit so that surpluses are reinvested locally, even on dissolution. A bona fide Community Business also aims to be commercially viable without relying on grants and donations.

Community Businesses usually fall into one of 5 distinct types:

Business rescue, including community pubs or shops
Community start-ups – local small businesses with a clear social purpose
Cross-subsidisers, where profits from a commercial enterprise are used to support a project with a social mission
Local clubs and organisations with few assets that organise regular local activities
Public asset managers, such as community-run libraries or leisure centres.

CAN understands the support needs of Community Businesses at all stages of development, including pre-start, start-up, and growth.

Over the years, CAN has worked with a number of such Community Businesses, including:

Adur Brewery
Creative Coop
Driveaway School of Motoring
Local Food (& More!) Co-operative
MillRace Furniture Restoration Co-operative
October Books
Southampton: Co-operative City
Southend Taxi Co-operative (Triple 3 Triple 4)
Voluntary Action Harrow Co-op
Wealden Wholefoods
Who Made Your Pants

Services that we have delivered to Community Businesses include:

Business planning
Community shares
Development needs analysis
Employment Matters
Financial management workshop
Governance review
Identification of most appropriate legal form
Lease negotiations
Legal registration
Marketing advice
Soft Outcomes Monitoring System for a Social Enterprise
Tools and consultancy for the co-operative management of community assets
VAT advice

Our Community Businesses trade sector lead worker is TBA.

Our fully qualified Community Shares Practitioner is Hilary Sudbury. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.