Social enterprise model unique at event
Natalie Hamilton

Fostering a deeper sense of inclusion and creating more partnerships are two objectives Paul Colvin has in mind for Don’t Sweat It, a social enterprise of posAbilities.

Paul, Don’t Sweat It’s business manager, has found himself thinking about those goals after attending a recent event called Embracing Ability: Redefining a Diverse Workforce. The event was the first conference of Abilities in Mind (AIM), a program created in consultation with employers to build workplaces inclusive of people who have a disability.  The focus is on creating capacity within organizations through education, resources and awareness events.

Paul says he learned about the need to penetrate the employment sector to engage more employers in the quest to find meaningful work for people who have a disability.

“The reach needs to go a bit further,” Paul says.

“How to reach out and make better connections” was a key take-away from the event for him.

Paul is also pondering additional partnerships he might be able to forge with companies that provide similar services to Don’t Sweat It. Don’t Sweat It provides socially-responsible gardening, yard maintenance and small business waste removal/recycling services.

Its team consists of three supervisors and 11 crew members and Paul is anticipating growth on the horizon. To that end, he made connections with a variety of employment and disability stakeholders at the event.

He’s hoping through new connections, Don’t Sweat It will be able to enrich its workplace culture with a stronger sense of inclusion.

He notes Don’t Sweat It, which had a booth at the event, was the only social enterprise participating in the conference. Paul had the chance to speak a little bit about the social enterprise business model.

Paul and AIM have entered initial discussions about exploring how social enterprise fits into the big picture as an alternative business model.

For more information about AIM, visit its website. 

Click here for more information about Don’t Sweat It.

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