Cooperation at Artisans

What is a cooperative?

Artisans is an online cooperative business, providing a better handmade marketplace for the community and the benefit of it’s members. Simply put, a cooperative (co-op) is a business that is owned and managed by its member-owners as a “one-member / one-vote” democracy. All co-ops are operated by a common set of values that put people over profits. In contrast to traditional companies, there can be no concentration of ownership among a few. All members equitably share the annual profits.

Historically, cooperative enterprises were common in traditional economic systems and cultural norms around the world beyond the confines of modern commercialism. Creative production was organized around community groups gathering to divide labor and increase output of everyday tools and products most households needed. Goods were sold in markets and along trade routes to other communities whose goods featured different skill sets, stylistics traditions and raw materials. Community members pooled commitments of time, materials, labor and funding to maintain a common baseline of livelihood. Tontines and esusu (African terms for rotating savings and credit associations) as well as burial societies and mutual working-sharing schemes for large, labour intensive ventures are among some of the examples of traditional voluntary and ethnic associations that provided services for the collective interests in pre-colonial Africa.

Many of these mutual assistance associations have persisted (particularly in rural areas) and evolved with time but still managed to retain their essential features and values. The combination of circular economies amongst households, shared production in communities and the trading of handmade goods lays the foundation for modern cooperatives.

The modern understanding of cooperative business model evolved during the Industrial Revolution. It’s happened over and over again throughout history, since at least the 18th century: the Industry starts squeezing and mistreating its workers. The workers protest to change their lot, and when their protests fall on deaf ears, they build their own businesses as an alternative to employment with the Industry. The earliest recorded cooperatives started in the late 1700’s, around the same time America was born. At first, the cooperative business model was experimental, and failures were more frequent. 

Then in 1844, a group of artisan weavers in England established the first modern cooperative business model. The “Rochedale Pioneers” created a cooperative store for its members who wanted to buy “honest food at honest prices.” All members shared the profits at the end of the year, receiving patronage refunds. 

Today there are at least 1.2 billion cooperative members of over 3 million active cooperatives on the planet. These numbers are tracked by the International Cooperative Alliance.

In America, cooperatives are ubiquitous but often go unrecognized. According to a study by the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Cooperatives, there are over 40,000 cooperatives in the US at more than 8,800 locations. 

Cooperatives in the US include thousands of small local businesses as well as successful household names you’ve heard of. Major retail cooperatives include ACE Hardware, Land O’Lakes, REI, King Arthur Baking, Bob’s Red Mill, and Tillamook Cheese. They also include rural Grange halls, urban natural foods stores started in the 1960’s and 1970’s, credit unions, and electric co-ops. Electric co-ops together power over 56% of the nation’s landmass in 92% of persistent poverty counties.

There is now a name to the rising interest in online cooperatives: platform cooperativism. Certainly existing cooperatives of all kinds have run websites and webstores for ages, such as REI.com, but platform cooperatives is the name used for intentional online-only co-ops.  The ideas behind platform cooperativism represent a return to the original promise of flexibility, autonomy, and independent livelihoods for online workers. 

What do cooperatives value?

Cooperatives are a proven business model run by equitable and inclusive values. In the words of John Curl, “Worker cooperatives offer a way for people to get out of the boss system entirely, and to reorganize their lives on a different basis. They proffer group self-employment to people without the resources to start a business alone.” 

The cooperative model is relatively simple. Yet if there were more cooperatives in the world, the impacts would be profound. The United Nations (UN) announced 2012 as the Year of the Co-op for an important reason: cooperatives are uniquely beneficial to individuals and society. 

Pioneers wrote the Seven Cooperative Principles that are still used as the blueprint for cooperatives today. These principles are internationally-recognized and standard at modern cooperatives. It is these principles that differentiate cooperatives from other kinds of businesses: 

1. Voluntary and Open Membership: Cooperatives are voluntary organizations open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership. 
2. Democratic Member Control: Members actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. 
3. Members’ Economic Participation: Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the finances of their cooperative. 
4. Autonomy and Independence: Cooperatives are self-directed, self-help organizations controlled by their members.
5. Education, Training, and Information: Cooperatives provide education and training internally and externally. Internal education is so all can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. Externally cooperatives educate the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives: Cooperatives strengthen the cooperative movement by working together.
7. Concern for Community: Cooperatives care about the local communities outside of the organization.

How does Cooperation work at Artisans?

Our Mission: Artisans Cooperative is crafting a co-operative online social marketplace for a diverse network of creatives. We promote creativity, support artist livelihoods, and connect people through an equitable artistic community.

Cooperation at Artisans focuses on supporting a diverse set of members in collaborating on effectively owning, governing and operating our shared business and marketplace.

There are currently no paid employees of the cooperative: member contributions of every size sustain our operations and are counted in a simple profit sharing model & accessible participation requirements. Our democratic operations ensures fair treatment for artisans: no more surprise price hikes that only benefit shareholders or cruel policies that impact artisan lives and livelihoods.