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Draft aims & objectives

The aims of this group are to (1) foster and support transition-related commercial opportunities and businesses and (2) encourage resilient, sustainable business operations in line with the transition ethos.

Our scope is limited to Totnes and surrounding areas. Members of other local groups and transition movements with an economic interest are very welcome.

Our objectives include:

1. REVENUE FOR TTT: Help identify viable products and services that will generate revenue for TTT and make existing transition activities pay for themselves. This will be done jointly with the TTT Project Support role that is also looking at how to make our projects financially sustainable longer term. People will then be needed to turn the ideas into reality!

2. TRANSITION BEST PRACTICE: Define and promote best practice support, advice and training about how to set-up and run a new business that runs on the principles of a good transition business* including legal structures, business planning, marketing, developing new products etc. We will look to work with existing business support organisations such as Business Link and Enterprise South Devon, ideally to jointly develop materials that take into account transition-related issues.

* We will develop a set of guidelines/criteria that lays out what is meant by a good transition business (profitable, sustainable & resilient) which can be used as a model for new businesses, and for self-assessment and for driving change programmes within existing organisations.

3. INCUBATION HUB: Provide access to reasonably priced shared work facilities e.g. hot desks, broadband, phones, copiers etc.

4. NETWORKING: Provide local networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and existing businesses that have an interest in transition-related commerce and operations.

5. FINANCING IDEAS: Exploration of viable, innovative financing models e.g. interest free loans, a 'Transition Entrepreneurs Fund' bond issue, community owned companies with investment from members etc. Viable models may then be integrated into the best practice promoted in item 2 and/or set up as operations in their own right e.g. a TTT community financing company?

6. CONSULTING/TRAINING SERVICES: Provide consulting/training services for a fee for local organisations that will help raise their awareness about transition issues, and then support action as required. Note that this relates to work already being doing at the wider Transition Network level and it may be that these services are developed by the TN and then delivered locally by TTT.

7. KNOWLEDGE SHARING FOR FREE: Sharing of our accumulated knowledge, resources and learnings with the wider transition community.

Note that some will be shared for free (where it promotes the principles and ideas of transition in general e.g. innovative financing models that we come up with), and some will be available for a charge (e.g. when delivered to organisations for example an Oil Vulnerability Audit) which then falls under item 1 above. Where it is appropriate and reasonable to charge an acceptable fee, we will do so and this may depend on the delivery format - for example - most of the Transition Handbook is available for free online, but many choose to buy it as a book and are happy to pay the price.

8. NEW BUSINESS IDEAS: Maintain a central list of new business ideas that arise, and that anyone can use for inspiration.

9. PARTNERS: Work with relevant business partners such as the local Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, Enterprise South Devon, Envision, Envirowise, RE4D and so on to help promote their services and encourage their own alignment with transition principles. As stated above, it is not our intent to duplicate any existing business support organisation, but to partner with them as appropriate.

Current status

We have now refined and prioritised our objectives and are currently working on 1. Ideas for TTT revenue and 2. Networking. Please see meeting minutes below for more information.

Local transition-related businesses already in progress

ATMOS Sustainable business park (planning stage)
TRESOC Community owned renewable energy company (planning stage)
Totnes Rickshaw Company (nearly operational)
Sustainable Building Company (planning stage)

Contact

Please email us at economicsandlivelihoods.totnes@transitionnetwork.org.

Meetings & minutes

For details of next meeting click here. If you would like to come along you will be very welcome. Contact details are above.

Write-ups from previous meetings:

Background

This group has evolved out of a workshop held in July 2008 that looked at how we can identify and progress ideas for generating income for TTT projects and TTT participants. This recognises that TTT cannot reply on funding alone - that we need to generate revenue to ensure we are financially sustainable (move from asking to earning). It also recognises that there is a great potential for new products and services that will meet our needs as we go through this great transition.

After the workshop several people expressed an interest in meeting again to continue this work, and to widen the remit to include support not just for new business ideas for TTT projects but also for local entrepreneurs and existing businesses.This group have agreed to meet on an ongoing basis to progress our objectives.