Logo

 

Banner Image:   National-News-banner-Purple
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

Clean Living wows the dragons

An ethical cleaning business that pays a living wage and re-invests profits in its employees' development has won a missional Dragons' Den-style competition at Greenbelt.


Dragons Den competitionMiriam Goodacre's (pictured right) social enterprise Clean Living sees cleaners in the City of London earn £8.80, the figure calculated as the Living Wage for the capital. Any profits secured by the business are ploughed into those employed, possibly in the form of English language classes and the teaching of basic literacy and numeracy skills.

It was an idea that wowed judges at the recent Greenbelt festival, where for the first time the Church Mission Society hosted a Missional Entrepreneurship competition.

Carried out in the style of the TV programme the Dragons' Den, a shortlist of entrants pitched an idea and were grilled by a panel of "dragons".

Other ideas included a 'hope bank' for council estates in the North of England, antenatal classes with a spiritual dimension, a design hub creating products for export providing recovering addicts with a positive working environment, and a reconditioned community centre for health and well-being.

'All of the finalists had fantastic ideas for positively transforming the lives of people in their communities and gave good, strong and engaging pitches,' said Dragon and co-leader of the Missional Entrepreneurship Week, Shannon Hopkins (pictured left).

'However, we thought Miriam made the clearest case for the potential of a financially viable business out of her idea. I hope we will be able to work with all of them though and see each of the innovative initiatives that were presented get up and running.'

Miriam's prize is a free place on the Missional Entrepreneurship Week at Pickwell Manor in Devon which takes place from 16-21 November 2014, to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week. Here participants learn how to write a business plan, communicate to different audiences and monitor and evaluate effectiveness with other budding missional entrepreneurs.

They also get the opportunity to hear the inspirational stories of those who have already started their own businesses and pitch to funders with the money available to invest in getting initiatives such as theirs off the ground.

Miriam said of her win, 'I’m delighted that the dragons liked my idea and I’m looking forward to learning some of the business skills that will be essential in seeing my vision become reality.'

Jonny Baker, Director of Mission Education for CMS, said there was in interesting historical angle to Miriam's victory. 'Our winner is actually employed in the church where the Church Mission Society appointed its first missionaries, St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe!

'It’s an exciting and unexpected reminder that even after over 200 years we are still enabling Christians, who’ve been inspired by the Holy Spirit, to develop creative solutions for challenging injustice and extending the Kingdom of God for the benefit of all.'




 
Baptist Times, 27/08/2014
    Post     Tweet
New hub to support 'those working tirelessly in estates and inner-city communities' 
Proximity, a brand-new, free resource hub for churches, leaders and anyone working in urban ministry and mission, has launched
Let's End Poverty messages shared by churches during election 
Banners with the message “Let’s End Poverty in the UK and globally” are being put up outside church buildings to invite prospective parliamentary candidates to set out clear action plans to tackle the issue
‘His desire was to use the media for the sake of bringing the message and comfort of God to all'
Tributes have been paid to Peter Kerridge, a Baptist minister and the CEO of the Christian media group Premier, who has died aged 63
Baptist Union Council: June 2024 
Baptist Union Council has agreed a series of proposals that seek to make Baptists Together financially sustainable in the future - for the benefit of local mission and ministry The specially convened Council focused on the Financial Model Review
New worship song at Baptist Assembly 
A new worship song which featured a silent section in British Sign Language was created collaboratively at the Baptist Assembly and then sung (and signed) twice on the Sunday morning
ba24report
'Stephen’s career has been devoted to making Christ known'
Spurgeon's College has honoured former Vice Principal, Academic Director Stephen Wright with a Festschrift - and the Archbishop of Canterbury played a role in the proceedings
     Latest News 
    Posted: 26/02/2024
    Posted: 08/12/2023