We already have open source software, design, devices. Perhaps the time has come for open source social business? Collectively developed, publicly available and cooperatively implemented business models?
When the purpose of a business is to meet social needs, with care for the planet and fair wages for working people, there is no reason to compete.
So we can jointly develop business ideas and support each other in implementing them.
What do you think?
It would need to be a worker owned co-op.
This is the obvious way, yes. But it can be also a customer-owned one (housing co-op), or mixed / multistakeholder (patient/doctor-owned medical service co-op). We are not constrained by XIXth-Century imagination. :-)
Thanks for the names of other methods of owning businesses, we weren’t aware of their names!
Keep in mind that, depending on local legal system, a co-op may not need to be registered as such. In Poland, for example, social enterprises can assume various legal forms, my favourite beng a civic association.
I’m interested, where can you find out more?
As far as I know I am the only person trying to explore this topic as defined, at least in Polish context. So far I found two documents that are close to my idea, f lacking a live collective to keep them up to date and to support newcomers.
In terms of legal structures, look to see if your local jurisdiction has a social benefit or public benefit corporation that you can legally register as. They’re like an LLC, but place a social mandate of some kind above profit making. This is legally built into the charter of the business, meaning it can be enforced in the courts if later on the business attempts to violate that mission. It also allows such businesses to qualify for certain grants.
