In this episode of Punchcard, we speak with Ai Van Kok, formerly a financial analyst at Leeds Bread Co-op. She joined the co-op when the co-op’s cashflow was at a critical moment—it was just months away from being unable to pay its worker’s wages. Facing an urgent crisis, Ai Van turned to traditional business management literature for solutions, finding valuable insights in books like Profit First and The E-Myth Revisited.
One of the most impactful tools Ai Van discovered was the £1 model. Financial documents make most people’s eyes glaze over, but the £1 model strips away unnecessary details and highlights only the key information. For the first time, members of Leeds Bread Co-op felt they could truly understand the co-op’s finances and were able to cut costs that saved the business.
While Ai Van had to adapt these tools to fit a cooperative framework, her approach challenges resistance to learn from traditional business practices. By translating and repurposing these methods, she has not only helped Leeds Bread Co-op but also supported other small co-ops, including Loaf Bakery, The Bike Mill, and Footprint, in strengthening their financial understanding and management.
Watch in this supplementary video where Ai Van Kok breaks down the £1 model, explaining exactly how to use it and how to apply it to your cooperative.
In this episode of Punchcard, we speak to Rebecca Kemble, an experienced cooperator from the US, who is a member of Union Cabs Worker Coop in Madison and co-founder of the Solidarity Economy Principles Project.
From 2009-2016 Rebecca was a member of the board of the US Federation of Worker Coops, and in late 2024, Rebecca penned an article pointing a finger at the Federation for having drifted away from its grassroots cooperative movement origins, by centralising power and becoming unaccountable to the cooperatives that it claims to represent.
In response to the Federations shift Rebecca and others have developed the Solidarity Economy Principles Project. The project was founded to help guide and ground organisations in cooperative practices & principles to avoid them going the same way as the US Federation.
To hear the full story, listen to episode 5 of Punchcard – A Warning From The US Federation of Worker Coops w/ Rebecca Kemble.
In this episode of Punchcard, we speak to Beau Bulman, one of the People Development Coordinators at Suma Wholefoods Worker Cooperative, about the challenges and compromises required to practice direct democracy within a cooperative of 200 worker-members, as well as sharing insights into improving member recruitment, member induction, and sustaining a cooperative culture.
In addition to the conversation with Beau, Suma has shared their seven internal cooperative principles, that they use alongside the seven International Cooperative Principles:
Suma members multi-skill. They actively seek out training and development to enable them to take on roles in both office and non-office areas (where practical and reasonable).
Suma members see the bigger picture. They have a broad knowledge of Suma and have an understanding of the wider business environment.
Suma members put in more than they take out. They work for the collective good, actively promoting cooperative values.
Suma members communicate openly and honestly. They are professional and approachable, endeavouring to understand the viewpoint of others.
Suma members actively seek out responsibility. They self-manage and involve themselves in the management and development of their business.
Suma members are flexible. They are responsive to the changing needs of their business.
Suma members are hardworking and have a can-do attitude. They monitor both the quality of their work and their productivity to ensure they meet member standard.
Listen in as we explore Beau’s work and strategies for cultivating democracy & collective responsibility.
In this episode of Punchcard, we sit down with Owen Powell, a lecturer and researcher with a focus on cooperative democracy. Owen first cut his teeth in the Young Cooperators Network, a national initiative formed by young people seeking cooperative alternatives to traditional economic models following the 2008 financial crash. Since then, he has completed a PhD that examined how larger and more established worker cooperatives maintain collectivist democracy over time.
In his PhD research, Owen identified 3 critical factors for strengthening cooperative democracy:
Member Induction, Integration, and Involvement
A Culture of Reviewing and Refreshing Established Norms
Bringing in Learning and Expertise from Outside
Owen remains deeply committed to the cooperative movement, actively contributing to workers.coop as a member of their research working group. The group has already published two significant reports on the organisation’s collectivist health, offering valuable insights into the sustainability of cooperative principles.
Join us as we explore Owen’s work and discuss how research can support and empower cooperatives to survive the winds of change.
In this episode Nacho speaks candidly about the highs & the lows of his & Carla’s 10 year journey with Black Cat Cafe. Even though from the outside Black Cat Cafe seems to be extremely successful Nacho shares about the constant challenges they faced – the difficulties paying members & staff fairly, and the set backs when trying to attract & retain worker members.
Nacho & Caleb also reflect on the lessons learnt & we celebrate what Black Cat Cafe has achieved – having become a landmark in the vegan, activist & cooperative scenes for its pioneering vegan cuisine & dedication to supporting its community & activists.
Black Cat Cafe may stop being a workers cooperative, but as Sam Nordland said in Episode 1 painting co-op business closures as failures isn’t always useful, because “we provided jobs for ourselves for a number of years & we introduced a lot of young people to working in a cooperative setting”.
