Click here to read the first post in the series, The Marriage of TechCo and Co-op. If traditional tech platforms are generally designed to maximize liquidity value, and cooperatives are generally designed to maximize use value, how can the #platformcoop movement successfully blend both models to meet the needs of all stakeholders involved? We think one …
Ownership
New Models for #platformcoop Design: The Marriage of TechCo and Co-op
Over the years, we have advised our clients on dozens of #platformcoop designs, formations, and fundraising campaigns. While the cooperative structure has been used for decades as a legal vessel for both collective asset ownership (e.g. affordable and market-rate housing, commercial real estate, electric generation and distribution, manufacturing, processing, etc.) and for collective distribution access …
Employee Ownership Models
8/10 baby-boomer owned businesses has no succession plan. Nationally, less than 25% of businesses valued at less than $1M can find a buyer. We are living through the largest wealth transfer in human history. In this presentation, Jason Wiener explores the structures and mechanics of converting a small business to employee ownership. The presentation focuses …
Business Plan Outline
Overview/Executive Summary: can be one paragraph or more extensive as needed. Description of the Business: purpose, goals, objectives. Products/Services: What will the business be providing to its members and/or to the public? Consider whether this is different in the short term versus the long term. The Market: Who are the potential customers, including, demographics (type …
Do I need a business plan?
Here at Jason Wiener PC, we get asked all the time about the process for starting a new business or converting to a different form of business. One of the first questions we ask any client is “Do you have a business plan?” I would estimate that six or seven times out of 10, the …
Tax Advantages of Selling to a Worker Cooperative
Why Try a Worker Co-op Business owners should think carefully and develop a strategic plan for exiting a business. You, the business owner looking to sell, can leave your business by selling it to family members or third parties, merging it into a larger organization, selling it to employees through an employee stock ownership plan …
Corporate governance for stakeholders
My journey to the practice of law has not been linear. My sensitivity to injustice and inequality, on the other hand, has been a constant driver. I’ve always been in search of a solution, which led me to seek a deeper understanding of the systematic ways inequality has been ingrained into the fabric of society, …
Limited Cooperative Associations and Early Stage Financing
Cooperatives are the original social enterprise business model and Colorado is emerging as the “Delaware of cooperative law,” thanks in no small part to limited cooperative associations (LCAs), authorized by C.R.S. Title 7, Article 58. The limited cooperative association is a relatively new entity type, adopted in Colorado in 2010. It offers a balance of …
V-Blog: Platform Cooperatives Series, Ep. 5: “Bright Spots & Challenges”
Creating the Workplace We Want
Management and operation of a law firm has taken many forms over the years and we are exploring new, innovative ways to run our firm. We are experimenting with the use of democratic principles, Teal, and self-management to develop a style that works for us and our clients. Earlier this week, Jason sent an article around …
