My #1 Lesson After Eleven Months Of Building A Worker-Owned CO-OP

People And Systems Are Essential

When I began researching worker-owned co-ops I had never worked for one or seen one in action close up. So when I read the first principle of worker cooperatives is “voluntary and open membership,” I took to mean that I had let anyone join.

In addition, I read that when starting a co-op you should organize an informal meeting for those interested. The passage below even talks about having the group vote after this meeting on whether to proceed or not.

Steps to Starting a Worker Coop Manual

While it may sound naive or idealistic of me, these things made me think that I had to let anyone who was interested join our co-op! This misperception unfortunately caused various problems.

1. First, it likely caused some people not to join that may have been interested. Having some basic expectations in place would have helped potential members understand what kind of project and commitment they were getting involved in. Minimal details around operations, values, and other related info could have provided helpful clarity to those initially interested in our endeavor.