UK: Franchising for disabled entrepreneurs

Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs (i-SE) in Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK, has recently established three new social firms – social enterprises that have been specifically set up to create employment for disabled people. The enterprises are: Aquamacs Birmingham – an aquarium rental and maintenance business Wholefood Planet – an enterprise that enables both wholesale and retail customers to access quality wholefood products High Life – a social firm that provides a range of concierge style services to apartment dwellers in Birmingham city centre. The new enterprises are franchises of existing social firms and have been developed as part of the Flagship Firms project of Social Firms UK – an organisation that aims to develop social firms employing disabled people across the country. The project, which was launched in 2004, offers organisations and entrepreneurs the opportunity to replicate successful social firms and is widely regarded as one of the most innovative developments within the social enterprise sector in many years. www.socialfirms.co.uk