RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE SBCOOP: Let’s start a cooperative

I don’t understand business and my recognition that this makes me an easy mark for predatory shark types is one of several big reasons I’ve been unable to get into the Real Big Boy Pants Working World

On Growing a Cooperative Like You’d Grow a Garden

With a shotgun?

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That was interesting.

I finally read through the Wikipedia article on cooperatives so I have more of a clue what we’re talking about here.

What kind of a cooperative would we (selectbutton.coop? :D) be? Workers co-op? Artists co-op? Something else?

How would we make money? I can only imagine myself to work as an artist of whatever kind. For example right now I’m making a videogame. So my contribution would be to sell that videogame and put some of the profits into the co-op, correct? My use for the co-op on the other hand would be that I could ask people to read through my game’s script or play test it or I could ask for help with marketing on social media or even a marketing budget, right?

I’m asking because I really like the idea of a co-op because it could mean that we support each other more, grow together more. And my ultimate fantasy has always been that I could do something so that none of us have to live below the poverty line anymore. That’s the cause I would like to contribute to, any way I can.

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I think we’d be a worker’s coop. We could develop and publish our own games but we could also function as a “mere” publisher for games members make. It really could be something we work out on a case by case basis.

My original idea was that the coop would provide an organized system for connecting our various skills (game design, making people uncomfortable at parties, crying into our pillows, programming, art, etc) to one another in a context where otherwise challenging issues like compensation and profits could be worked out amicably.

And to pool our resources so as to make things like hiring artists/developers or spending money on advertisement easier. If we all bought in at 20 bucks, or if we had an ongoing, small, membership fee (say 5 dollars a month) then we’d pretty quickly build up a nice war chest.

It would take trust and good will, but we could then democratically decide which projects to focus on and how to direct our funds towards them. Like any cooperative endeavor, this entails some sacrifice on the part of individuals for the greater goal. But it could work!

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I’m all for trying it! I trust in y’all. What’s stopping us from getting it started at this point? Paperwork?

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These business cards are gonna rock.

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lol yeah

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I think we’re going to found this thing in the US because that’s where everyone is but I just want to let everyone know that in Austria a co-op is called a Genossenschaft, which I can only translate as comradeship. In Austria we’d be called selectbutton e. Gen.

We’d also probably pay way more taxes than in the US because Europe

“Each event, struck lightly against its own significance, can be excited into throwing off a spark; it is this energetic mote which lies at the heart of metaphor—and of life; or: The lesson we learn too late is that we cannot have only by wanting. Then on another page, Nothing impedes us; we need only learn to act.

I’m kind of looking for someone else to take the lead, since this was my idea, but I want it to really be a community driven thing. Plus, too busy being a real dad to be all your dads.

I will do some research on what’s required to form a co-op in the US and compare. Because like I said In only familiar with the Austrian counterpart. I went to business school and we went over this, so I know a little bit. We just didn’t go that into detail because business school is about making real money, not hippie stuff

I really don’t want to be anybody’s boss either though. But I have a lot of time on my hands, so I should be able to do… stuff.

This is a lot more complicated in the US. And it’s different for every state, surprise surprise.

It’s become clear to me that before anyone does anything with legal ramifications we should have a proper discussion and know who the members are going to be. Who really wants to commit and be a part of this. If that’s no one then the whole thing is dead in the water anyway. I mean, we’re talking about creating a business here. That’s meetings and discussions and feasibility studies and business plan and by-laws and so on. If no one feels like doing that, then…

I’ve written a full business plan before in a group of five and that’s a couple weeks worth of work if you’re doing that in your free time while also working/studying.

I’ve also been part of a startup in the organization phase, before they/we legally created the company. I got out at some point because I didn’t feel okay with all the founders and because I couldn’t really take the work load. So I know how difficult this is.

I’m still totally up for it. We just need to know who else is and get down to work. This looks like a good guide to get started: http://cultivate.coop/wiki/Starting_a_cooperative

Anybody up for board meetings?

more like bored meeting hahahahahshshahaha

this is but a sample of the premium content I provide

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Maybe we need a separate message board somewhere, just so we can get a solid idea of who exactly is on board?

Well, we also have a discord server but I don’t know who owns it and if we’d be welcome? Maybe we could get a channel there. Maybe use the “General” voice chat channel if we really get a meeting together and wanna talk.

I will start a company soonish one way or another. I mean, if my game makes money. Maybe even if it doesn’t. Then I’ll either be a one-man business (current plan) or join the cooperative (if it works out). Or do one after the other depending on how long things take.

We really need a community that is harder to join than just jumping into a channel so we can more easily organize votes, understand when we have a quorum, etc. I actually want to write some cooperative organization software, but we have to form the coop first to do that.

oh, that’s what you mean. yeah, that’s a bit bigger in scope.

Ok, here is a thing.

If anyone here seriously wants to start this cooperative (that is, would be willing to buy in at some price to be determined) then send me an email here:

vincent dot toups at gmail dot com

I’ll post the list here. I have hosting, so I can set up a forum, but I would also be open to (and even encourage) another solution, at some point, perhaps properly owned by the cooperative.

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