We build co-ops.
Solid State Community Industries mainly builds worker co-operatives, but not exclusively. We are building a solidarity economy in Surrey, so our projects and enterprises take all kinds of shapes and forms – bound together by a commitment to cooperativism and working past extractivism and exploitation.
The ‘Industries’ in our name is critical. We are trying to build stuff together. We are not a charitable organization. Solid State is built by and for racialized communities who are creating new economic relationships together. Intercultural learning, solidarity and community is at the heart of the SSCI way of working, playing and being together in the world.
Solid State is a hub for new solidarity economy projects and enterprises: we offer training and mentorship, working space, co-op and business development support, skills-training, fundraising support, organizational and technical support, and anything else we can conjure to support our enterprises.
Most importantly, we offer friendship and solidarity. We have an awesome in-house cook, and all of our cohorts eat together every time they meet. Eating together is at the center of what we do, and all our best work happens around the table together.
How we work..
Once a cohort has joined Solid State we support them with mentors, advisors, community partners and resources, training and skills development, co-op and business development, working space, meals, technical support and much else.
We work very closely with all of our cohorts, learning together how to grow their enterprises, with the goal of long-term commitments to each other, and all of our personal, mental, and economic wellbeing. Building and nurturing long-term friendships and commitments is the core of our model and how we are learning to build new ways of being and working together.
Our model looks like this:
12 STEPS TO BUILDING A SOLID STATE CO-OP
Solid State supports any/all of these steps with staff, funding, office space, advice, food, supplies and/or technical support. Each co-op should also be building their own local ecosystem of mentors, advisors and supporters as they work towards independence.
1. Bring together a cohort. Ideally should be 4-8 people. This might well be an already existing group or group of friends– or might be pulled together specifically for this project.
2. Start to build group cohesion and vibe: hang out, go on field trips, learn to get along, eat together, play games. Work to build a culture of responsibility and expectation of one another, learn about each other’s goals, build community expectations.
3. Decide on an initial enterprise direction: it can be a non-profit, for-profit, or a combination. If requested, Solid State has a process for doing business and community research that can help settle on a viable enterprise.
4. Once the group’s enterprise and direction is clear, find a person who has experience and/or professional skills and/or real love for this area to mentor the group.
5. Start embedding cooperative values: learn how to make co-operative decisions effectively
6. Do ongoing market/community research, build individual and groups skills, divide up jobs – learn what all members are good at – learn to complement each other.
7. Create a business model: take some time and build it out so that everyone understands it.
8. Build your branding out: get a name, logo, website, merch.
9. Build more skills. Whatever your project is – whether it is a service and/or product, get really good at it. Get whatever certifications, training, skill-building necessary – but get excellent at your core offering.
10. Take a financial literacy workshop together: everyone in the co-op should have at least basic understanding of the books and business model.
11. Incorporate as a co-op, non-profit or other form, including formal agreements on how to work together. A worker cooperative can be a for-profit or non-profit, but all members need to understand the intent and process of cooperativism.
12. Launch your enterprise! Get after it. Be an active part of the Solid State network – come to events, collaborate with other co-ops, hang out at the space, meet folks.
This is not a linear process. Sometimes a group has to go back and redo a step or two, sometimes a group might enter in somewhere down the list already, maybe skip a step, maybe there are extra steps needed for certain groups, some members might come, others might be added – but this is essentially the process as we understand it right now.
Have an idea for a co-op or social enterprise? Get in touch with us here!