Webinar: Coop Entity Formation for Entrepreneurs
Channel: SustainableEconomies LawCenter
Date: 2020-04-08

In this teach-in, our Director of Economic Democracy, Ricardo Nuñez, provided an introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business, including 
- an overview of what a cooperative is and how it is different from a conventional business, 12:38
- the hidden cooperative economy in the US and internationally, 21:46
- introduction to legal entities, 32:25
- overview of Limited Liability Companies (LLC) formed as cooperatives, 37:00
- overview of General Stock and Cooperative Corporations, 45:37 and
- factors to consider when choosing a for-profit or non-profit entity. 53:52

Resources mentioned in the presentation:
Presentation slides here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bpN2iGbKr2k212JAlMbggKsw8YTrRYY8K21LaOeANw0/edit?usp=sharing
- Co-opLaw.org - https://www.co-oplaw.org/
- Think Outside the Boss: How to Start and Operate a Worker Cooperative manual - https://www.theselc.org/legal-guides
- CA LLC Worker Coop Employee/Member Handbook - https://www.theselc.org/legal-guides
- CA Worker Coop Corporation Employee/Member Handbook - https://www.theselc.org/legal-guides
- US Federation of Worker Cooperatives - http://www.usworker.coop/home/

He (hopefully!) went over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment law, and community wealth-building.

If you are an entrepreneur, an existing business owner thinking about succession planning, or an existing worker coop with worker-members or candidates looking to skill up (Principle 5!), this training is for you!