I M Cooperative
Dear Friend,
Welcome to I M Cooperative (I M C). I M C serves to give entrepreneurs, small business owners, and
gig-workers a unified voice to protect and promote our interests.
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to provide a unified voice for the millions of entrepreneurs, small business owners, gig-workers
to protect and promote interests that are relevant to our personal and professional well-being.
What is a cooperative?
According to the International Cooperative Alliance, a cooperative is defined as "autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs, and
aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise."
Cooperatives (co-ops) are business enterprises that are owned and controlled by its member-owners. Unlike traditional businesses each member has a say in how the co-op is operated. The
services or goods provided by the co-op benefit and serve the member-owners. Contrary to a common belief, co-ops are profit-driven. Co-ops are NOT non-profit or for-charity entities.
Profits gennerated by the co-op benefit the member-owners. Co-ops exist for the purpose of servicing its members.
A co-op is formed by a group of people for the purpose of meeting their own self-defined goals and needs. Only individuals who have met all the membership requirements are allowed to be owners. All
cooperatives are governed by the principle of "one member, one vote" regardless of how much money a member has invested. The benefits of a co-op are distributed in proportion to each member’s
transactions within the cooperative.
There are many distinct types of cooperatives such as workers (work cooperatives); buyers of good and services (consumer cooperatives); people collaborating to process and market their products
(producer cooperatives); and many more. There are also hybrid cooperatives which combine more than one type of cooperative.
Typical benefits of a cooperative:
- They tend to be community focused entities often with the purpose of creating wealth, building business, enriching community-residents, etc.
- They typically invest in local communities by making grants to neighborhood nonprofits, sponsoring events and even make equity investments in community businesses.
- They typically build strong social networks.
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Thank you.