COLAB COOPERATIVE

Written by Laurence Sarno, Culture Circle Lead for CoLab Cooperative

Founders:  Ralph Cutler, Rylan Peery, Yaniv Cohen, and Maria Erlandson
Industry: IT Services, specifically building complex websites and custom applications
Website: https://colab.coop/

In one sentence, how would you describe your cooperative?
We provide services to purpose-driven, mission-led organizations who are providing net good to society and the environment.

What is the mission of your cooperative and what do you hope to achieve?
CoLab Cooperative’s mission is to support socially responsible organizations with excellently crafted, innovative technology.

What are the types of member classes in your cooperative?
We have only one class: member owners, each with equal ownership of the company. We also have contractors who are either working towards membership, or who have no interest in becoming member owners, but who love working with us.

What are the benefits for individuals/businesses who become members of your coop?
Most CoLabrs are here because we became disillusioned with working in a hierarchical corporate structure, having no say about what we worked on, often for companies with unethical practices, having no real voice in the company, and putting in long, stressful days so that owners and shareholders could profit from our work.

CoLab is non-hierarchical; we have no managers, only client teams we work in (and are responsible to) and Circles that are accountable for our operations and governance. Any CoLabr, for any reason, can choose not to work on a particular project. Every member owner has one voice in how we govern ourselves, and every voice gets equal time to be heard. Non-members’ voices are equally heard in decision making, although only members vote. Often, new hires can become members within one year. We make decisions by consensus; the majority doesn’t rule. All of us are better than any of us. The only people who profit from CoLab are our member owners. We decide annually whether to take an equal share in profits, invest the profits back into the company, or both.

At CoLab, you set your own schedule, you decide what technologies you want to specialize in, and which internal Circles you’d like to participate in.

When you’re working with other CoLabrs, you’re never the smartest person in the room. Your coworkers are generous, funny, imaginative and skilled.

We are 100% virtual and international; there are currently CoLabrs on five continents. It’s very cool to have that many perspectives in one small organization.

And best of all, our clients are inspiring. It isn’t just a phrase; fulfilling our clients’ missions is what gets us up in the morning.

How do you keep things fun and exciting for your members while still running a business?
To keep things exciting, everyone is welcome to present ideas about how to grow and change the business. To keep things fun, we have parties. A bit challenging when CoLabrs are spread across five continents, but we manage to gather on Zoom, put on our silly hats, and answer ridiculous quiz questions. (The quizzes are always designed to help us know each other better.)  We also send anonymous love bombs. Whenever it seems we need it, I ask people to send me their praise of other CoLabrs, and I send the bombs to the folks being praised.

What challenges have you faced in running your cooperative, and how have you addressed them?
Governing by consensus is time consuming, especially now we have 20 member owners and 10 non-members. It takes patience and love, and a mind and heart truly open to hearing what others have to say, even when we may not want to hear it. To always believe in each other’s best intentions, even when we strongly disagree.

What makes your cooperative stand out in terms of services/products?
First, according to our clients, we listen. The worst outcome of any project would be a product that doesn’t meet the client’s needs. Next, our people are all senior technologists who bring their passion to every project. Finally, the diversity of technologies we can bring to bear to solve a client’s problems. We’re platform agnostic, and develop what the client needs, and only what the client needs, using whatever technology best suits the project.

If your cooperative had a theme song, what would it be?
“You’ve Got the Love,” by Florence and the Machine. It’s a love song to our clients, who are doing the front line work for justice, who keep us inspired when the world seems dark. (The best video is the recording made at the BBC Proms!)

How is your coop helping to “Build a Better World?”
We enable our clients to do their vital work to improve society and the planet. We support the solidarity economy through our referral network, by collaborating with other cooperatives, contributing to events, and bringing together organizations who can benefit each other.

 

Each month in 2025 we will spotlight a different cooperative as part of our celebration and support for the UN’s International Year of Cooperatives.