Social Business Toolbox
We'll lend you our tools to aid your food based social business.
Our ever expanding toolbox has topical fact sheets, explanations of various social enterprise types; hints for doing better business, current trends in food buying and consuming, and signposts to useful organisations.
Please borrow our tools and those of our partners on Making Local Food Work for free, by using the links below. 
1. Social and Community Enterprise
An explanation of the terms and what distinguishes these businesses from the mainstream.
2. Business Planning Unwrapped.
Business planning de-mystified and revealed for the useful tool that it is.
Growth and trends in local food consumption. June 2009.
4. Challenges Facing Food Sector
Current analysis of challenges. June 2009.
6. Top Tips for Selling to the Public Sector
7. Balancing the books for food coops.
Budgeting, expenditure, gross profit and cashflow. Considering the opportunities for growth.
A link to our Food Co-ops and Buying groups' toolkit at Foodcoops.org - hosted by SUSTAIN. A great business planning resource with just what you need to know and no more!.
9. Financial management for community shops: training manual
An introduction for shop managers and staff whose first language is not accountancy!
10. Community Investment in CSA
Don't know your shares from your elbow? An interesting guide to community finance raising for Community Supported Agriculture by Jim Brown of Baker Brown Associates. Also includes a useful glossary of terms.
Produced by Co-operatives UK, including Simply Start Up, Simply Legal, Simply Finance and Simply Governance. Governance training and support is available at Making Local Food Work - Governance and Legal Structures
12. Six ways to engage with Journalists and MPs
Essential tips on how best to engage with politicians and journalists to raise the profile of your enterprise.
13. Marketing for community food enterprises
Essential reading for formulating a marketing plan. Power point presentation.
