Think Outside the Boss is a workshop and manual for worker cooperatives, co-created by the Sustainable Economies Law Center and the East Bay Community Law Center.
Overview of Manual and Workshop
Manual
“Think Outside Boss: How to Create a Worker-Owned Enterprise” is a comprehensive guide that offers a wealth of resources, including definitions, templates, example documents and key considerations, for individuals who are interested in establishing a worker-owned business.
Workshop
SELC hosts half day workshops based on this manual three times per year in the San Francisco Bay Area. These Think Outside the Boss workshops provide community members an introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business. They go over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment, and community wealth-building. Attorneys, law students, and experienced cooperative professionals give short presentations on legal issues, governance structures, financing, and more. They also typically host breakout sessions on specialized topics with attorneys, cooperative accountants, business planning specialists, and discussions led by cooperative worker-members. To find the next Think Outside the Boss workshop, please visit theselc.org/events.
Related Resources
Democracy at Work Institute – Choosing a Business Entity
This resource breaks down the different business entity options when starting a worker cooperative. It offers pros and cons to each option so that you can know what is best for your worker cooperative. Download by Democracy at Work Institute Related Resources
Making Governance Documents Approachable: Coopsicles’ Operating Agreement
Below is an Operating Agreement created by the Sustainable Economies Law Center for a worker‐owned cooperative popsicle company. It was written to conform with California law and with their particular preferences and needs. You can use this as an example for creating your own operating agreement! Related Resources
