cooperatives - be the future

a row of coffee pots and cups line a wooden counter

start the future

let’s build a cooperative, step 6: create a business plan

if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready

the western flyer in the middle of rebuilding

start the future

let’s build a cooperative, step 5: conduct a feasibility study

how many meetings does it take to be an owner?

start the future

let’s build a cooperative, step 4: design your decision-making process

how to decide when you're deciding

close-up of an orange and red dahlia flower with a brown stone flooring and green leaves behind it

start the future

let’s build a cooperative, step 3: consolidate a clear vision

do you see what i see?

a chain link fence along the waterfront overlooking the puget sound. on a handrail someone has written "you're doing a good j

start the future

let’s build a cooperative, step 2: discuss needs and vision; coordinate organizing and business research

try before you buy in

the shiny and giant bean-shaped 'cloud gate'

start the future

let's build a cooperative, step 1: collect information, clarify needs, and assemble your founding members

starting the future, literally

a bush with dropped leaves and vivid purple berries

start the future

start the future: building a cooperative

No matter where you work, employers hold an incredible amount of power over the people who work there. It often goes without saying, even in our era of resignations, “quiet quitting” (not a thing!), and r/antiwork. It doesn’t have to be this way. Workers in a cooperative share

baby sea turtles swim in a tank of water

start the future

start the future: launching a cooperative

I wrote start the future to think about what it might be like to found an organization that serves a public good. I explored a few different structures that are common to organizations like these. The series made me realize a few critical points about starting my own organization. First,