Building together through worker-ownership
Why a Worker-owned Cooperative?
In times like these, when so much feels uncertain, many of us are asking the same questions: How do we build stability for ourselves, our families, and our communities? Where do we find work that not only pays the bills but also values our skills, respects our expertise, and provides dignity and security? And how do we make sure the work we create reflects the values we hold close: reciprocity, democratic governance, and solidarity? For us, the answer has been found in the worker-owned cooperative model.
What is a worker-owned cooperative?
A worker-owned cooperative is a business where the workers are also the owners. For Trillium Cooperative, that means Davey, Cheyenne, and I share in leadership equally, we make decisions together, we share in the profits, and we carry responsibility side by side. Instead of being at the mercy of government funding, one owner or a distant corporation, or poor leadership. We take charge of our future, we create the work product that we want to see in our communities and in the world. We have a say in our own future.
The benefits are powerful:
Job security that we build ourselves.
Shared prosperity where success is measured in everyone’s wellbeing.
A voice in decision-making and leadership that respects each person’s perspective, skills, and experiences.
Community impact by respecting one another and valuing the work we each do, we have created a business that contributes to the communities we work with, rather than extract from them.
For the three of us, it’s not just about running a business, it's about creating a way of working that reflects our values. It is about doing work that is reflective of our shared values and desired outcomes.
Necessity is the Mother of dreams becoming reality
When Davey, Cheyenne, and I came together, it wasn’t just to start a business. It was to create something for ourselves and for each other, a place where we could rely on shared leadership, mutual support, and trust. We lead together, we support each other, and we grow together.
What makes the cooperative model so meaningful for us is how it aligns with our innate values and principles born from our individual and shared experiences. Work-owned cooperatives are built on self-help, solidarity, shared decision-making, collective responsibility, and equity, precisely what we want to practice and bring to our work.
Why this matters now
In an economy where jobs can disappear overnight, wages don’t always reflect hard work, and women often shoulder the most risk, work-owned cooperatives matter. It’s our way of saying:
We will not wait for stability to be handed to us.
We will create it together.
We believe in each other and in the power of cooperation.
A worker-owned cooperative is more than a business; it’s a commitment to one another, to our values, and to our community. In uncertain times, that commitment is the most secure foundation we can build on.