How cooperative businesses can answer tough business challenges: Julia Hutchins at TEDxMileHigh

How can cooperative ventures solve problems where competitive markets fail? In this eye-opening talk, Julia Hutchins shows how this model has been used to get electricity to rural houses in America, and how they may change entire sectors in the future.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@davidwoo2590]

This is about cooperative enterprise and not just a Co-op (lots o' baggage on that term depending upon your age cohort). Co-ops are businesses that are formed to meet the social, cultural and economic needs of its members.

[@theGrooveChampion]

7:21That word engage is up there twice for good reason. Active, informed and compassionate engagement is only one of the untouchable qualities that set the co-op apart. Engagement is what gives the #cooperative it's life, it's culture and it's continued success. The whole of human history is evidence that we work best (for better or for worse) when we work together. Cooperation is simply the quality within us that allows our species to survive and flourish. Cooperation is the tool that is held not with the hand but within the heart.

[@jrhoads4849]

Private property is not abolished but is redefined as to what "private" means. The criteria to do this is a "dependency test". If you own a private business that provides a product or service in a community where the community becomes dependent upon that product or service and without which would upset the balance of this community, the business would need to become a democratically operated public affair. Any time you sell something to someone that becomes dependent on you for that transaction, this is not a private affair but a public affair. Hence in this circumstance, your business becomes a cooperative thus ensuring that personal whim and fancy don't screw the people out of their required goods and services. Now, if you keep your business just under this radar, you can be as private as you please. The gist here is the smaller your foot print in the public, the more private you can be. Most all family owned and operated businesses are of this caliber (mom and pop) and is why they are small and operate privately. Capitalism works if it's "scale" is kept small. However, once it scales out and into public dependencies, it should be slated for conversion to a cooperative. Socialism and its foundation in democracy doesn't discount capitalism, it just makes sure it doesn't get too big for its britches. 🙂. The same dependency test can also be used successfully with "intellectual property" and patents.

[@f.r.4171]

Great vision

[@gouthamsagar3641]

Nice .. I like this effort .. 👏👏👏

[@k.ganesanganesan6825]

Nothing is hard If you do participate with known people... Thirukkural says.

[@MathiasVH]

Just an FYI it only lasted 3 years. You can read up on it (keywords: Colorado HealthOP).

[@minch333]

Yeah, just checked it out. Seems like the government reneged on a promise made in the ACA to reimburse all insurance companies as part of this risk corridor program thing I don't really understand. It seems like bigger insurers were able to survive this policy change, but smaller companies like Colorado HealthOP couldn't. Shame!

[@k.ganesanganesan6825]

It is a tasty philosophy like first love.

[@porteal8986]

Coops should be formed and owned my workers, not consumers

[@gvaron2391]

porteal depends on the need

[@lobosolo7675]

That's not necessarily how coops work when were talking about things like credit unions or housing those coops give power to the people who own the shares the "members" as its typically called. The money that they pay into it typically goes to the workers providing that service who are often own a share of the coop as well.

[@MrHarveyrex23]

Job automation and artificial intelligence will continue to put more people out of work on a global massive scale. And the capitalists and big business industrialists will use that to their own economic self serving advantage

[@jzk2020]

Aren't you just trying to rebrand a Mutual insurance company ?

[@Screech032]

This was posted in 2013... Has any progress been made based on this GREAT idea my fellow Americans? 🤔... (Rhetorical) 😑