Make An Impact Podcast

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Paul Zelizer is a social entrepreneur coach and the co-host of the Awarepreneurs Podcast.

He spent 15 years working in community mental health and tells Heidi about his journey from "burned-out, broke social worker" through a reinvention 16 years ago. Now he offers consultancy and coaching for impact-focused leaders. In this episode he covers:

• Using large organisations to lever impact.
• Securing work-life balance for a holistic life.
• The four questions every social entrepreneur needs to know.
• Why Paul is "impact agnostic" – and loves social enterprise.
• The power of podcasting to catalyse collaboration and learning.
• How he measures his impact.
• Scaling high-impact teams and organisations.
• Balancing innovation, learning and collaboration.
• And much more.

Heidi reflects on her and Make an Impact's approach to measuring and managing impact, why people might be "surveyed out" and avoiding generic impact measurements.

What next?

• You can get Paul's free guide, 4 QUESTIONS TO GROW YOUR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR BUSINESS,  from his website https://www.paulzelizer.com/
• Find Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulzelizer
• Listen to the Awarepreneurs Podcast: https://www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast
• Need help with your Impact Measurement and Management? More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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Here's a rollicking, rip-roaring marketing 101 with Ayo Abbas.

Ayo specialises in B2B (business to business) marketing for the built environment.  And she believes marketing shouldn't be a weird, mystical art. We hear:

• why you should always remember you're marketing to people
• the problem with customer avatars – "I hate them" says Ayo, and confusing funnels
• why Ayo finds marketing architecture, engineering and other built environment services so much more interesting (and more of a mental challenge) than consumer marketing
• the biggest barrier to people marketing confidently and what you can do to address it
• how to beat the blank page of no inspiration
• the power of repurposing content
• creating relationships and networks
• trends: AI and Chat GPT and how they will impact on marketing

Heidi and Ayo also discuss diversity in the built environment industry: both progress to date and what's still needed, along with Ayo's career journey up to and including launching Abbas Marketing in 2020, just before the pandemic struck.

Ayo is a board member for Make an Impact CIC, Heidi's social enterprise. "It's such a delight to listen to your wisdom on marketing" says Heidi. 

What next?

• Visit Abbas Marketing, Ayo Abbas' built environment marketing consultancy for architects, engineers and contractors: https://www.abbasmarketing.com
• Find Ayo on LinkedIn where she posts powerful tips: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ayoabbas
• Do you need help with your Impact Measurement and Management? More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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Here's a horrifying statistic: 80% of toys are thrown away within two weeks, and they're packed with plastics and chemicals which damage the environment.

Handmade wooden toys, so loved by so many, had been disappearing because of rapid industrialisation and the spread of cheap plastics.

Arshad Khalid is the founder and director of Ethiqana, a social enterprise which works with toy producers – 'artisan heroes' – to create employment in India and around the world.

Ethiqana's mission is to preserve traditional and, often, near-extinct art and craft forms – which are also sustainable and earth-friendly.

Arshad started Ethiqana after 21 years in the IT industry. He explains why – and what it means for Ethiqana to be part of the Ebay for Change programme (it was selected for the first cohort).

We learn more about how this 'accidental social entrepreneur' supports artisans to create sustainable livelihoods, how Ethiqana is bringing art-forms back to life, how it measures its impact and why we must look for products made from natural materials.

What next?

• Visit the Ethiqana website https://ethiqana.com/  and find Ethiqana on Ebay for Change too https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/ethiqana
• Do you need help with your Impact Measurement and Management? More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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Alessandra Alonso is the founder and managing director of Women in Travel CIC, a social enterprise which focuses on the economic empowerment of women through employability and entrepreneurship in travel, tourism and hospitality.

It provides all women, but especially marginalised, vulnerable and under-represented women with visibility, confidence, access to training, mentoring and allyship programmes.

Alessandra covers Women in Travel's history, how it continued to support people through the pandemic, and an exciting partnership with Google.  And she describes how it has secured funding and revenue streams, her ambition to multiply its impact and how she will make this a reality.

Responding to the needs of the market but doing it in a way that is inclusive and enables the industry to embrace a more progressive way of operating is at the heart of Alessandra's work.

What next?

• Visit the Women in Travel CIC website www.womenintravelcic.com and find Alessandra on LinkedIn https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alessandraalonso
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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Remi Ray is a neurodivergent high-performance coach and the founder of The Diverse Creative CIC.

She describes how she came to launch her social enterprise, which supports disabled entrepreneurs, and the multi-faceted approach she takes to coaching.

After struggling through education because she had "shied away from discussing" her dyslexia until the age of 28, Remi realised she had not been honest about who she was (she received a diagnosis of dyslexia at the age of 19) – and felt a calling to help others.

That set her on a journey navigating the challenges of funding and funders, heavy and tough work, and what to do if an idea you dreamed of also makes you tired.

Remi tells us about The Diverse Creative's free programmes for disabled entrepreneurs, a forthcoming conference and why society still has much to do in EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) , especially when it comes to disability.

Data and information hasn't always been used effectively. To address the gap, The Diverse Creative conducted  research to examine the extent to which ‘race’ and disability might work together or separately to determine black, neurodivergent individuals' experience of employment. This was published in The Homecoming Project and has had a world-wide impact.

Also in this episode: tips on delegation, Remi's new mastermind community, The Shift, for women who run service-based businesses, and why funders need to be less rigid to cultivate organisations and innovation.

What next?

• More about Remi and The Diverse Creative at https://www.thediversecreative.org
• Remi is on LinkedIn at https://uk.linkedin.com/in/remiray and Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/iamremiray/
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

Doing good in the world? Then it is incumbent on you to build the foundations of a sustainable business, says Yinka Ewuola. Get those right and you can maximise your impact.

This episode is about those foundations: cashflow and mindset. Plus Heidi is honest and open about common pricing mistakes and Yinka has ideas and solutions. And:

• Why "knowing your worth" can be the most damaging advice for an entrepreneur.
• How to maximise individual superpowers and create a "houseful of love."
• Why do we either celebrate  or demonise wealth and the rich?
• A perfect description of legacy.
• Heidi's birthday revelation about learning which has already and aptly made an impact.

Business and social entrepreneurship is a beautiful opportunity to make a difference, says Yinka, and she describes how to lean in to the longevity of the impact you create. It's a must-listen.

What next?

• Yinka is on Linkedin,  Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram. 
• Get in touch at [email protected] or connect with Yinka and reach out in direct messages on LI, FB or IG to find out more about her upcoming Cashflow Fundamentals Course, or to join her Accelerator to help create consistent cashflow in your business.
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

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"Everyone has had a financial bump in the road at some point in their life, but I don't think they should be punished for that," say Tim Rooney, CEO of "Fintech for Good" Award-winner, Salad Money.

Salad is a social enterprise and community development finance institution (CDFI) which focuses on lending and tailored financial education, support and signposting for NHS and Public Sector workers.

Many people are punished by widespread use of credit scores to make decisions in the consumer credit market.  Tim, formerly of Big Issue Invest, has been with Salad since it launched and describes "empirical evidence that credit scores don't work for people in the sub and near prime sector as defined by the credit scoring industry. "

A much better way of assessing affordability and appropriateness is through Open Banking, he explains. So what is Open Banking? How does it lead to all sorts of positive outcomes for far more applicants than Salad's customers alone? Tim explains.

With at research showing millions of people in the UK “risk being excluded from accessing affordable financial services because of flaws in credit scoring,”  Salad Money is much needed. About 40% of its borrowers have a CCJ, but reliably repay their loans. Nearly half have children in their households. Many would automatically be turned down by lenders which use credit scores, leaving them with limited options when they need credit, which 9 out of 10 in the UK do from time to time. Tim goes through the why, who, how and even what next for Salad Money with Heidi. 

What next?

• Salad Money website: https://www.saladmoney.co.uk
• Salad Money impact report: https://www.saladmoney.co.uk/news/salad-money-2021-2022-impact-report
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

There are six million dads in the UK and when Dan Flanagan's  own father passed away he re-evaluated his own life. "It can be lonely to be a dad but men don't like to talk about that."

The consequences are profound and tragic. Isolation, loneliness, mental ill-health. For some men, suicide – horrifyingly, 96 men under 45 are lost to suicide each week in the UK. And the emotional availability of fathers has both an immediate and long-lasting impact on children.

A few years ago Dan started blogging about fathers and parenting and – to his great surprise – his posts became hugely popular. They resonated with many men who were frustrated they couldn't share their feelings with others, suffering in silence, or struggling with stereotyping.

He launched Dad La Soul, a "revolutionary grassroots movement that uses art, tech, music and play to battle social isolation and loneliness." The more we can do to get dads talking the better, he says.

Dad La Soul is a not-for-profit community interest company. It's now globally recognised, has been mentioned in the UK's parliament and featured in numerous media articles.

Its impact report has unlocked numerous opportunities for the social enterprise, and been recognised as an exemplary piece of storytelling and impact communication.

Dan tells Heidi how he came to launch and develop Dad La Soul and build communities where dads support each other.

He  describes how it has worked with many organisations, from football clubs to social housing providers to local authorities to big brands  – but it's also turned down numerous partnerships if they weren't right.

And he covers how he shook up impact reporting by necessity.

What next?

• Dad La Soul website: www.dadlasoul.com
• Dad La Soul impact report
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

Finance and credit play a big part in our lives. Removing or preventing access to them is hugely disruptive, as today's guest explains.

Without fit-for-purpose finance on fair terms, businesses and social enterprises can't grow, create jobs or deliver vital frontline services, and millions of households are prey for loan sharks.

Community development finance institutions (CDFIs) address the damaging lack of appropriate finance faced by many people, businesses and social enterprises. Responsible Finance represents CDFIs, and CEO Theodora Hadjimichael describes the uneven financial landscape in the UK, and:

• how her members work to get the right finance to under-served businesses and financially excluded people
• why Responsible Finance is like a 'coach' for its members
• mapping policy work to direct results, whether that's influencing Government, securing investment, working with partners and changing lives for 70,000 people every year
• how Responsible Finance measures its own and the sector's impact
• her own journey to becoming CEO of the organisation.

What next?

• Responsible Finance's website is www.responsiblefinance.org.uk  
• Its latest impact report is at https://responsiblefinance.org.uk/2022/05/changing-lives  
• Its members are listed in full and with geographical and sector-specific (eg social enterprise, business, personal) filters at www.findingfinance.org.uk
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.

Send us Fan Mail

We have never faced such scrutiny of our bodies, or been under as much pressure to conform to a narrow definition of 'beauty.'

Ldn Dares Drama Company supports people with low confidence, self-esteem and body image issues through performing arts.

The social enterprise works with commissioners in mental health. It helps people develop and understand their self worth, build confidence and more, and has been nominated for the Innovation in Healthcare Lammy Award.

Founder and CEO Ursula struggled herself for a period with her own mental health and talks us through what its 'dares' involve, how it measures and manages its impact, and how its varied progammes help people grow in confidence and self worth and create community value.

What's an immersive treasure hunt? How do challenges and performance build confidence, self acceptance and behaviour change? How is Ldn Dares led by participants in some of its sessions? What sort of changes does that lead to? And how does it translate its impact in terms in building participants' confidence in its programmes, workshops and sessions into their day-to-day lives? Listen to find out.

Links:

• Ldn Dares – https://www.ldndares.co.uk/ and its Impact report https://www.ldndares.co.uk/impact
• More about Heidi's work at  https://www.makeanimpactcic.co.uk

Support the show

Hi, I'm Heidi Fisher, the host of the Make an Impact Podcast.  I'm an impact measurement expert, passionate about helping you make a bigger impact in the world by maximising the impact your services have.

 I can help you to measure, manage and communicate the impact you have better to funders, investors, commissioners and other stakeholders, and to systemise your data collection and analysis so that it frees up time and doesn't become an additional burden.  

I love helping you to measure social and economic impacts, including Social Return on Investment or value for money assessments, as part of understanding the change you make to peoples' lives.

 You can get in touch via LinkedIn or the website makeanimpactcic.co.uk if you'd like to find out more about working with me.