Surely the existence of a sequel normally signals at least the passable success of the first attempt? Strange then, you might think, that in the very week Big Society Tsar Lord Wei stepped down to spend more time earning a living, Mr Cameron should launch 'Big Society 4' in Milton Keynes. It is not immediately obvious just why the Prime Minister would choose such an immediately unpopulist theme for his so-called "mission in politics". But dig beneath the surface, and the fundamental difference between a mere idea and a golden opportunity is revealed.
I am penning this following a 60 mile walk on the Ridgeway as part of the heavy lifting to get me to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in September, to raise £50k for Marie Curie Cancer Care. My own pitiful attempt to get fit, live longer, and boost my self-esteem by doing something for others is by the by, but the process of going about it has offered a crisp reminder of just how big our society already is, and in particular how the business community is responsible for the deep foundations on which so much of what we value rests.
Take, for example, Forever Fuels (www.forever-fuels.com), a company that only came to my attention when, out of the blue, they very generously sponsored our Marie Curie Kilimanjaro Team. When I dug a little deeper I found out that they are an interesting but small (£7m) family business established in the 1930s in the sustainable energy field, recovering energy from household waste and most recently supplying wood pellets across the UK. More relevant is that when once asked to donate a pile of sand to help establish the Thames Valley Adventure Playground (www.tvap.co.uk) for children and adults with special needs, they made the effort to find the land, the sand, and the hands needed to get this truly inspiring facility off the ground in 1982. They could so easily have played the “charity budget all spent” card or got away with the pile of sand they were asked for, but instead they saw the opportunity in the idea and got stuck in to help make a massive difference. I’ve since discovered that, perhaps unsurprisingly and like many of us, they have also funded the local cricket club, built cycle-ways for the community, and encouraged sailing on the lakes on their land. All of this on top of generating their share of the taxes that pay for our public services and employing around 60 families. Who says businesses are all self-seeking? Who still thinks that profits are bad news?
My entirely serendipitous discovery of Forever Fuels goes to show the extent of the unsung business involvement with, and support for, the caring society we aspire to be.
Now, consider the full extent of the non-self-serving approach to so much of what we find around us – from the volunteers who keep the local cricket club alive, to the people rattling tins at Tesco’s, and you start to get a sense of just how big our society already is. It is huge, and something to be immensely proud of.
So why then might Mr Cameron want to focus on an even bigger society? Well, the word opportunity is derived from the Latin “ob portu”, which was the phrase used for boats waiting to ride the tide to unload their cargo in the days before we had docks: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune” (Shakespeare). So, an opportunity is an idea that coincides with an energy surge that can propel the idea forward. This means if you lower the constraining dam of state meddling, dissolve over-zealous health and safety, and eradicate taxpayer funded non job interventions, the huge body of Big Society water and pent up momentum will start to flow, and it is on such waves of energy that politicians get carried to election victories. Mr Cameron may be a softie at heart but he’s also an astute politician. You don’t become Prime Minister by mistake.
Oscar Schindler began WW2 by taking over a rundown factory that had belonged to a Jewish family and set out to make a fortune for himself from the misfortunes of subjugated Polish Jews. The journey on which he embarked led him a very different route and finally left him penniless. But, he lies buried under the inscription: “The unforgettable rescuer of 1200 persecuted Jews”. Schindler was an entrepreneur who came to recognise his talent for wheeling and dealing offered him the means to give more, when he had been so sure it was his ticket to get more. This is the full journey of the entrepreneur, but of course some never make it and stay locked in the false fulfilment that is accumulated personal fripperies.
As you read this, there will be entrepreneurs out there seizing the moment to supply the demand for Marmite in Denmark, while others will be supporting Young Enterprise, The Prince’s Trust, or Fredericks Foundation. These are all ideas whose time has come, i.e. they have become opportunities to make a difference. Which type of leader are you? In this Big Society of ours all business people are equal, but some are a hell of a lot more equal than others.