“Who are you? How are you different from others? What is this social business? You are too commercial! If you are a business, then live by market conditions! What kind of business are you if you don't make any profit? Once again, you are reaching out with an extended hand for support!”, - such and similar remarks still accompany the social entrepreneurs in the country, although there is certainly an increasing amount of information about the benefits of social business for sustainable societal development, especially in recent years. There are indeed many positive examples in foreign countries because many nations have long recognised the beneficial nature of this business sector, not only in creating jobs but also in addressing a wide range of social gaps that various levels of government cannot fill.
„Recent global trends show that the social business model is becoming a key driver that could make this vision a reality. We are delighted to have been invited to join the global community of leaders in their efforts to create inclusive ecosystems that care about preserving all that is alive,“ said Viktorija Bražiūnaitė, CEO of the Lithuanian Social Business Association, who, on the first day of the Forum, served as a moderator in a session which covered the role of business incubators and accelerators for their role in manifesting changes in society.
Members of the Lithuanian Social Business Association (LiSBA) delegation had the opportunity to get acquainted with all of them when they spent several weeks visiting them and looking for new contacts.
The Lithuanian Social Business Association (LiSBA), together with its foreign partners BrainLog (Denmark), The Newdoor (Latvia) and SwIdeas (Sweden), have successfully completed the international project "Measured Green Impact" and are presenting the results to the public.
The speakers at the Forum covered a wide range of topics relevant to the social business ecosystem: the legal framework for this business model, the possible integration of the definition into our country's legislation, the criteria for social business and its uniqueness were discussed. The politicians present at the event shared their future plans and political steps that will guarantee the development of social business. Social entrepreneurs from Lithuania and abroad shared valuable experiences that can inspire others to take up this challenging but very important business model.