Alison Ball – FRC Group

Social entrepreneurs are just as passionate, committed and driven as any other kind of entrepreneur, if not more so – since they can’t profit personally from the enterprise but only take a salary (at best), the incentives and rewards must be other than money.
Alison Ball, one of the three directors of the FRC Group, could of course earn far more in the private sector, and at some later stage she wants to set up her own business. But not yet. There is much more to do, and she very obviously loves the challenge. ‘We’re making a difference, we’re building a phenomenal model and are looked to as leaders, which is very motivating. But it’s hard to stay in this position, and the challenge is to sustain and improve all the time.’
Ball is a perfect example of the entrepreneurial employee: fellow directors Shaun Doran and Phil Tottey make up the trinity of management, but they are not the owners, nor do they benefit from profit share, as all profits in a social enterprise stay in the business.
‘We have a triple bottom line to manage: financial, social and environmental,’ says Ball. ‘We show increasing proof of the economic value of the business. Our social return on investment, for instance: for every £1 invested, £2.20 goes back to the Exchequer.’ Added value, without doubt.