Josiah Lockhart is excited by the excitement of new social entrepreneurs coming through the doors of Firstport
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Most mornings it’s my five-year-old complaining he is bored being awake by himself. Not hugely inspirational, but a great alarm clock.
Do you socialise with colleagues outside the Christmas party?
Being less than a month in the role, I’ve not had much opportunity, but it’s something I hope to continue to do here at Firstport.
What’s the best thing about working for Firstport?
What excited me about Firstport is its work with very early-stage social entrepreneurs. Those of us who have been around the sector for 10 or more years can be at risk of leaning towards pre-conceived notions of what works or doesn’t work. Listening to these excited people with new ideas provides a great way to cut trough that. Whenever someone comes in to pitch the idea I get excited by their excitement.
If you were your boss would you like you?
I’d hope so.
What was the last thing you did that scared you?
The last time I was properly scared was just after I had a very bad bicycle accident about 18 months ago. I smashed my face, shattered my arm, and hit my head very hard. Getting back on the bike was a huge milestone for me but just a week before I got back on I nearly sold my bike. Luckily I can’t remember the incident and now cycle down Princes St every morning without fear.
What’s your favourite social enterprise?
This is a dangerous question considering we work with an average of three social entrepreneurs every day. But, if I can be biased, I have to say that recently I’ve been very excited by the waves the Grassmarket Community Project is making having just won Scottish social enterprise of the year. It’s been years since I have been involved and they still inspire me today.
Is the third sector a calling or an accident?
For me it’s been an evolution, but by now I feel it’s a calling.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?
My very first job was working for a law firm where I sat in the patent office all day making photocopies of patents, not getting an hourly wage, but paid per page photocopied.
If you could give one piece of advice what would it be?
Don’t be scared to test your idea out. People often feel they need permission from someone to start something new. Here is your permission. Go and do it.
What does your perfect weekend look like?
Cold, sunny, and a dinner party with good friends sharing good food and wine around a table.
Will you have a real or fake Christmas tree this year?
Real
Should all enterprise be social?
I believe there is a place for most types of business whether it be social enterprise, mission driven businesses, or otherwise. But, I do believe that all businesses should be honest, and consider its impact on the communities it feeds into. How the enterprising community interacts with society has huge impacts on our health, jobs, economy, wellbeing, and social life, and we are missing something if we don’t recognise that.
Would your 16-year-old self be proud of where you are today?
Unlikely, my 16 year old self wanted to be working at the heart of the entertainment industry in LA. I tried that for 9 months, and quickly learned it wasn’t for me.
What’s your favourite film?
Hard to nail one down, but I will say that I’m a bit of a Star Wars geek and will be seeing the next one on opening day.
Which Brian Cox?
Brian Cox the actor, especially in subtly comedic roles.
