Why it’s important to have a clear vision when building your social enterprise

This is a guest blog by SSE fellow Yaa Antwi-Nsiah who completed our Lloyds Social Entrepreneurs Start Up programme. Find out more about Yaa's mentoring and coaching work at the bottom of this article.

“Greatness starts with a clear vision of the future.” Simon Sinek

Vision is “the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom”. Having a vision is more than having a goal - it embodies your hopes and dreams for your social enterprise. Having a clear vision for your social enterprise is essential. The clearer your vision, the more successful your social enterprise will be. This is a powerful tool that helps you achieve the results you want. To have a clear vision, you need to ‘start with the end in mind’. This gives you the clarity you need to know where you want to go and why. When you do not have clarity, you get distracted and lose focus, which impacts the success of your social enterprise, as well as your confidence. Here are three simple steps to ensure you have a clear vision for your social enterprise:

Step 1: Be honest

Take a few minutes to write down why you want to start a social enterprise. It’s important that you tell the truth here. If it’s not true, don’t write it down. There are many reasons why you may want to run a successful social enterprise, including:

• making a lasting impact on a community/the world
• creating a thriving company
• having more time
• having more freedom

Step 2: A year from now

Imagine it’s one year from today and it’s been the best year ever for your social enterprise. What have you achieved? How did you achieve it? How have you grown? How much impact have you made? In as much detail as possible, write down all the amazing things you want to achieve. Don’t hold back – let your imagination run wild!

Step 3: Make your vision compelling

Ask yourself: why is it so important to you that your social enterprise is successful? What makes this compelling for you? Write down all the reasons why you feel compelled to run your own social enterprise. Go deep and really ask yourself why. For example, you may want to:

• make a big impact
• give back / pay it forward to others
• raise awareness and help give those less privileged
• feel significant
• have better home/life for your family

This is the real reason why you want/wanted to start your social enterprise. It feeds your vision and empowers you to create a successful social enterprise. You need to remember this every time your confidence gets knocked or you experience a setback. Having a clear vision means you know why you started your social enterprise, what you want to achieve, and why it’s so compelling for you. This makes you resilient, proactive and motivates you to succeed. Once you have a clear vision, the next step is:

Step 4: New skills & resources

To create a successful social enterprise, you need new skills and resources. Organisations like SSE provide a variety of resources including:

• programmes and courses to help you develop and grow your social enterprise
• a community of likeminded social entrepreneurs
• a Resource Centre full of content to help you drive your organisation forward
• coaching and mentoring to give you consistent reinforcement of your vision
• great cheerleaders, because the SSE staff want to see you win!

Having a clear vision is essential for you and your social enterprise to grow. It gives you the focus you need to reach the next level of your social enterprise, and reminds you of your mission. Written by Yaa Antwi-Nsiah, founder of Next Level Coaching. Yaa coaches and mentors women who are ready to level up and break through what’s holding them back, so they can live with clarity, confidence and prosperity. Check out her podcast, the ‘Meant for More’ Mindset,  and connect with her on Instagram and LinkedIn.