Cooperatives are a different way of doing business. Since their inception with the Fenwick Weavers’ Society in 1761 and their modernization in 1844 through the Rochdale Pioneers, cooperatives have been about sharing. In those distant years it was about pooling resources to access basic and better goods at a lower price for the struggling workers. Today, based on the same principles, it is still about helping the small businesses acquire materials at reduced prices, but it is also about distributing out the profits. What’s more a cooperative often takes this principal to the next level by sharing best business practices among its members.
Here’s a great video about what the world might be like if more businesses embraced the cooperative model.