Rooted: A Guide to Growing Your Own Social Venture

Rooted is a new practical guide to support social entrepreneurship in later life.

Download the guide here (PDF)

Created by Nesta in partnership with UnLtd, the Rooted guide provides clear, step-by-step practical advice and resources for people considering starting up their own social or community-run venture.

People retiring from the workplace often feel that their views are no longer heard, or that they have been placed on the scrap heap. However, we know that individuals want to continue to earn, learn and use their skills and expertise in new creative and enterprising ways.

That's why we have created this resource, to support people who have the passion and seed of a good idea, but are unsure where to start.

How can the Rooted guide help you?

This free guide will help you clarify your thinking and communicate your ideas effectively, through: assessing your personal skills, knowledge and values; exploring the viability of the idea by defining what it is you want to do and why; then finally investigating how to ensure your idea becomes a sustainable social venture, rooted in your community.

The guide is available online and covers the following sections and topics. If you would like a complimentary paperback copy/copies posted to you, please do get in touch with your postal address, by emailing rooted@nesta.org.uk or telephoning: 01382 229521.

Your Inspired Journey: Being an Agent of Change

Why a Social Venture?

Knowing Yourself: Skills, Likes and Concerns

Knowing Yourself: Values and Motivations

Defining Your Social Opportunity: What, Why, Who, How?

Exploring and Evaluating Your Ideas

Visioning and Testing Your Ideas

Embracing the Challenge: The Business of Social Business

Making It Happen

Marketing Basics

Basic Financial Planning

Maintaining Focus: Into the Future

How to Develop and Sustain Your Venture

Staying Motivated

What Type of Social Venture?

Over to You

Case Studies

Signposting Information

Once you have worked through the guide you can read a further 15 extra supplementary sections on UnLtd's website, giving you extra support on your journey.

Developed through experience

Rooted builds on the learning from two successful practical programmes in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Nesta's Age Unlimited Scotland programme in partnership with the Scottish Government, supported 27 novice older social entrepreneurs in their 50s and 60s to help turn their good ideas for improving their communities into a reality. Through group training, support, peer mentoring and micro finance, the programme reached and supported novice social innovators across Scotland to play a central role in the design, development and delivery of sustainable new community ventures.

UnLtd's Ignite programme has supported 120 people aged over 50 years, to start up and scale up social ventures in Northern Ireland. For more information on the support UnLtd provide, please visit: www.unltd.org.uk

If you have any questions, or would like extra copies of this resource, please contact: rooted@nesta.org.uk