The Common Share

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – AGM season! Co-operatives and credit unions will soon be issuing notices to shareholders and members of their annual general meeting (AGM). For those of us...

Set aside personal biases

As a director, all the decisions you make at the board table should be in the best interest of the organization. This may mean setting aside personal interests as a board...

Opportunity costs

Taking an opportunity from idea to reality requires time and resources. It also shuts the door on what might have been had you chosen a different idea or pathway. This door shutting...

Choosing the business model for a venture, even a non-profit one, should be based on practical reasons. But, spotting the difference between models is not always easy, and making the wrong choice...

Producer co-ops are a model we don’t hear discussed much anymore. Today, much of the awareness of co-operatives is fuelled (no pun intended) by consumer co-operatives with recognizable brands and...

One of the most important, and often overlooked, components of a business plan is what happens when you’re ready to retire: succession planning.

(And one important way they aren't.)

At Co-operatives First, we sometimes get asked: “what makes a co-op different from a corporation?”