Part 7
You are going to read an article about young businesspeople. For questions 43 – 52, choose from the sections (A – D). The people may be chosen more than once.
Which writer
43. made a decision about how to run their business while at college?
44. mentions an initial difficulty with funding?
45. experienced a health benefit from setting up the business?
46. was surprised at the speed of their success?
47. mentions experience with a similar business in the past?
48. feels grateful for help from a family member?
49. was concerned about a loss of financial security?
50. felt angry about a rule?
51. warns about the amount of work involved in starting a new business?
52. runs a business which helps with people’s education?
Social enterprise
Are businesses just about making money? It seems not, as more and more people are choosing to set up businesses that also bring social benefits. Four young businesspeople tell us about their work.
A Melissa Evans
I worked in a supermarket and I was horrified at the amount of food that was thrown away every day – literally dumped into rubbish bins! Then, one day, a guy asked if he could have some of the food. He was obviously poor. My colleague refused, saying we weren’t allowed to sell or give the food away. That really annoyed me – it was such a waste! I had some money saved up, so I set up the Social Food Store. I persuaded local supermarkets to give us food they were throwing away. This food goes into our store, then customers can come and shop for free. I couldn’t believe how quickly we built up our customer numbers. People like it because it feels like a normal shop, not a charity. All the staff are volunteers, and we get funding from the local government. It’s great to feel I’m helping people.
B Dan Rudofsky
I’d always wanted to set up my own company, but when I went to business school, I was alarmed that what we learnt was all about profit. It was as if nothing else mattered. That was when I made up my mind that I would do things differently. I did some research and came up with the idea of Light Up. It’s an online lighting store, selling lights and lamps. For every item we sell, we donate a solar-powered lamp to a charity, for children in developing countries with no electricity at home. Light is incredibly important because it allows kids to study and improve their lives. The business is doing well. I’ve worked incredibly hard, but I know it wouldn’t have been possible without the support and generous start-up loan my dad gave me. Hopefully, I’ll earn enough to pay him back one day!
C Helen Sousa
Homelessness is a huge problem in my city, and when I lost my job two years ago, I decided to do something about it. I had managed restaurants before, so I set up the Street Cafe. We’re a normal cafe during the day, and we use the profits from this to offer free meals to homeless people in the evenings. All our staff have been homeless themselves. They often have mental health problems or a low level of education, which make it difficult for them to find other work, but I think everyone deserves a chance. We struggled to get people to invest in the business at first, but it soon became clear that it was a sound business idea. I would encourage more people to set up companies like this, although they should be aware of the long hours they’ll need to put in at first!
D James Walker
I definitely believe in breaking the rules and doing something different. Three years ago, I had a high-paid job in banking. But I started suffering from anxiety because of the stress, so I quit my job and went back to college for a year. I then set up my own business, Planet Beauty, an online store selling cosmetics and beauty products. I must admit I was nervous about giving up a regular salary, and my experience wasn’t really relevant to the cosmetics industry, but I was determined to make a success of it and help the planet, too. Everything we sell is plastic free and safe for the environment, and we donate 40 percent of our profits to environmental charities. I enjoy much more job satisfaction now than I ever did in my old job, and I feel much better in myself, too!
For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary