Why am I Doing a PhD?

A question I have been asked quite a lot since September is, “Why are you doing a PhD?”

This is indeed a question I have asked myself many times since! When I stumbled on the world of social enterprise, it was like a lightbulb went on. I instantly knew this was the area I wanted to be in. I was (and still am) really excited by the potential of using business principles to solve social issues.

Running a social enterprise over the past three years, I learnt a huge amount, confirming that potential was there.

We were growing and striving to scale, but I found there was little support for social enterprises that are scaling.

There is no road map. Social enterprises that have scaled to any considerable size have largely done it organically and with great challenges. The thought that Ireland isn’t equipped to support social enterprises to scale in a meaningful way kept ruminating in my mind. I wasn’t even sure what that support should be. So, being someone who likes to get stuck into everything and having more than a healthy dose of curiosity, I jumped at the chance to learn more. I took a step back from being a social enterprise practitioner to get equipped with knowledge from the best-in-class around the world.

My goal is to learn how social enterprises scale successfully and why, sometimes, they don’t.

Starting a PhD in a pandemic hasn’t been ideal. I’ve gone from being surrounded by people to spending a lot of time wondering what am I doing as I drown in information at my dining room converted office! It feels like an immense privilege, almost indulgent at times. Already I have learnt so much. My thinking has been turned around several times – I have had so many interesting, confusing and inspiring conversations (many of them with myself). Perhaps I don’t know my long term ‘why’ yet, but today, my purpose is potential and opportunity.

I am wholeheartedly convinced social enterprise will play a vital role in Ireland’s future and I am very keen to play my part in making that happen.