Busines Co-operative

[jwood]

Has anyone had any experience with a pure profit-sharing partnership or co-operative? Is there any sort of "human element" problem that makes this a particularly bad idea?

[UKZJ007]

I think its a good idea.

[Jazzee]

Originally Posted by pc-clever

I think its a good idea.

Can you elaborate on that, please?

[edbarton]

Yeah try writing a bit more next time. It would make life a lot more interesting.

[hatchet]

Explain more of what you are trying to do? Do you mean starting a business? Like an LLC or S Corporation? Or do you mean a Joint Venture?
The Joint Venture has more problems than most because both individuals or companies are usually in the same line of work.. and therefore have their own ideas about how it should be run, who gets what percentage of profits..etc. The LLC or S Corp usually involves to people who have the same goal but without the conflicting ideas on how it should be run.. this is stated in your articles of incorporation.. also stated is who gets what as mutually agreed upon.
Most new start ups have 2 or more people involved, at first anyway. Typically one has the knowledge of the business and the other has the money.
Maybe I'm way off from answering your question. Give me a little more information if I am.

Originally Posted by jwood

Has anyone had any experience with a pure profit-sharing partnership or co-operative? Is there any sort of "human element" problem that makes this a particularly bad idea?

[Calisonder]

if i understand you right which i think i do, then yes those kind of partnerships do work, but yes, pick your partner wisley, and if theres anyway the company would ever get big, make sure you when you draw up the papers that one of you has 51% and the other person 49% control, it's never good to have equal power

[mediatech]

I couldn't resist the temptation to add to this old thread. I'm very focused creating fertile ground for several web development cooperatives and defining relationships between them in the form of several business plans.

The closest example of an organic cooprerative is the open source movement. Here we have many businesses and non businesses sharing resources towards various goals. You don't need to be incorporated to achieve a cooperative in spirit however a solid business plan and some degree of control is necessary to keep order in a corporate setting when you have clients and deadlines.

History and Theory of Cooperatives:
http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/info/i_pages/prin.html

Food for thought:
http://www.connect-utah.com/article....39&iid=4&sid=1
http://www.strategic-alliances.org/events/archive.htm
http://misrc.umn.edu/workshops/2003/...Dai_013103.pdf

[Therese]

Great Links Media Tech.

I am also interested in this subject. Unfortunately with human nature we do have to write out all the rules and regulations. Takes all kinds to make a world.

My last employer switched form stovepipe managers to self directed work teams. It worked well for a time. At some time a leader needs to emerge and step on some toes and some egos to get us somewhere.

I think that working cooperatively on a single project is a good starting point. You can write out what the roles and responsibilities are and then after the project is over decide whether you want to work together again.

It is important to seek out these relationships because a group of people can achieve much more together than individually.

TW

[maxim]

Cooperatives are something that interest me, but they rely on all those taking part having skills that are useful to the others in the 'coop' unless moneys involved instead of an exchnage of services.

In the UK something that is really cathing on is something called 'the Lets scheme' where for instance members of a community for example a village advertise their service available e.g A plumber or electrician. then maybe a carpenter who needs some electric or plumbing work done says 'hey ill do yours if you do mine' then bobs your uncle.

No money required just a valid skill or trade.

I am interested because I think more things like this could be acheived on the internet where webmaster exchange services like php prgrammer helps out graphic designer who has no php knowledge or vice versa. Infact it would be a great website if it has not already been done, somewhere that lets people list there skill...hmm interesting



max.

[lorandm]

I tried several cooperation options, and believe me, evertime there is more than 1 person involved, it's bound to go wrong somewhere in the near future. Of course, this isn't a regulation, but please keep in mind what I wrote, if it won't happen in 5 years, it will in 10 and so on, but eventually the cooperation will go wrong.
For several reasons, I guess you can name at least a few...

[maxim]

very sceptical, and I think completely unfair. Webmasters cooperate all the time, the most obvious but basic example is a link exchange between similar websites.

Anyway atleast now we know that we can count you out of any future co'ops we may arrange here.