Our Clients

Free Advice & Training for co-operatives

CBC are a key delivery partner for the Advice & Training program (formerly C-Change) of The Co-operative Group. Advice & Training enables new and existing co-operatives to receive up to 28 hours free expert support to develop as successful co-operative businesses. We help co-operatives to access this funding for free. We are frequently asked to deliver consultancy to co-operatives through Advice & Training.

Advice & Training provides a range of expertise for new and existing co‑operatives. Support often includes business planning, marketing, income generation, human resources, legal and governance advice. It might be sector specific advice in fields such as community services, credit unions, housing, food or retail.

For more information or to apply, search for "co-operative enterprise hub advice and training" or click direct onto www.co-operative.coop/Enterprisehub/Advice-and-training/ .

Sailboat

Sailboat are an exciting new start cooperative in Brighton offering training focussed around sailing boats. Access to our nearest wilderness, the sea, for inner city inhabitants. Sailing skills at costs affordable to most people. And sail powered transport.

CBC helped Sailboat turn their ideas into reality with business planning, legal help, funding sourcing and people coordination support.

Lembas

Most people assumed Lembas were a cooperative. But in fact this 20 year old Sheffield wholefoods wholesaler has only recently transferred ownership to the full membership from the owners. CBC is helping Lembas members to take active collective control of the governance of their business.
We have assisted in drawing up member contracts, open book management methods, personnel management techniques and other cooperative management techniques.

Lakamka

Lakamka means delicious in Russian. Formed out of a group of refugees and Boltonians working on healthy food projects, Lakamka are becoming incorporated as a workers co-operative (IPS). CBC are working with the group to update their business plan, draw down start up funding, access training, recruit for time and skills gaps and more.

"Thanks for sending the business plan and working hard to help us! I have been inspired when you came to visit us and always did lots after your visits. It was helpful for our group as you kept us focused, and put things in perspective, I felt a bit lonely when you left! Now I feel positive because we have all got jobs to do and that is helping keep members focused and involved and help us learn together." Kath Baron, Lakamka Limited

Hungry Snail

With the assistance of CBC, Hungry Snail are becoming incorporated as a workers co-operative (IPS). CBC is providing invaluable practical support including writing their financial business plan, and providing information such as job descriptions for members and accurate referrals to other organisations."I was really impressed by the quality and speed of the work you did for us, and coming at this vital early stage in our business it feels like it will make a significant difference to the Hungry Snail Co-op's ability to do business sustainably over the coming months and years – more than I ever hoped for! Thank you." Henry Fisher, Hungry Snail Co-operative Limited

Together Works CIC

Together Works aims to be a co-operative of social enterprises in Greater Manchester. CBC assisted Together Works in delivering a quorate AGM and provided training, advice and best practice in co-operative values and principles, to Directors and staff.

Preston Green Centre

CBC worked with the Preston Green Centre to develop their business plan, income generation and a legal form to run a green centre as a combined employee/volunteer-managed co-operative.

“Jo came very quickly to a comprehensive and accurate understanding of our problems.” Brett Lund, Preston Green Centre

Ex-cell Designs

Excell Designs is a project emerging from the Ex-cell Project which is an ILM (Intermediate Labour Market) working with released prisoners in the Manchester area. CBC provided advice on sales and marketing strategy, business planning and financial projections and assisted the conversion of the company limited by guarantee into a co-operative consortium. During this process, participants decided to significantly change their initial plans. They recommended CBC to Recycle IT

Recycle IT

As grant funding dried up, the 3 workers of Recycle IT decided to form a workers co-operative to continue their employment and their established enterprise. CBC assisted with incorporation and start up funding, as well as leads into income generation.

“Excellent, Jo. As the co-op needs around £6-10k, then your fundraising work and advice gives them a range of options to pursue. If some are not successful this will not stop the show. Thanks.” Dave Hollings, Co-operative and Mutual Solutions

Wild Carrot

CBC's work involved the development of financial management and financial reporting systems to enable business management by the members; writing a business plan and developing co-operative governance capability.

Unicorn Co-operative Grocery, Manchester

Unicorn are one of CBC’s oldest clients. CBC facilitated Unicorn’s development from an informal collective to a cooperative team management structure. We identified financial support and used our Human Resources/People Management Audit tool to reassure Unicorn members and identify and deliver people skills training (communications, conflict resolution, negotiation techniques, running effective meetings). CBC subsequently provided support for Unicorn’s strategic planning process, and 'managing ourselves and each other', involving preparation of workshop sessions and liaison with key co-op members, facilitation of strategic planning sessions at Members’ Away Days, face to face support to the strategic planning team and mentoring by phone, e-mail and web-based support.

"Thank you very much for the time and effort you have put into our Away Day. I would also like to thank you for the observations you have made and wrote down. I will pass them on to everyone and hopefully from this and our notes and thoughts, we will be able to draw conclusions which will help the business." Britta Werner, Unicorn Grocery

On the 8th Day

Another worker co-operative client with which CBC has a long standing relationship. Recent work with this worker co-operative focused on co-operative working (democratic decision-making, assertive but non-confrontational criticism, peer appraisal, meetings skills, resolving workplace tension and team-building) as well as human resource management, peer appraisal and co-operative network governance.

Enterprise Solutions Northants (formerly Northants CDA)

Research and capacity building project exploring the potential for expansion of credit union services across Northamptonshire, working with five existing credit unions in Northampton, Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby.

Gloucestershire Credit Union Forum

Feasibility study into maximising Credit Union potential in Gloucestershire. Five existing credit unions in Gloucestershire wished to raise their profile and extend their services to cover the whole county. A CBC team researched the benefits and drawbacks of a range of potential approaches and facilitated the credit unions' development of people and systems to enable them to take maximum advantage of new business opportunities for expansion.

Melmerby and Fellside Village Shop Ltd.

A Rural Revival funded project enabled CBC to support and advise this community cooperative to successfully recruit key staff and commence business operations. CBC recommended effective methods of cooperative governance and business management and provided telephone mentoring for committee members pre and post start up. CBC were hired to provide further HRM advice 6 months afterwards as well.

Bassettlaw Share A Ride

A Market Research feasibility project to assist Retford Action Centre to identify income streams to replace grant funding for their innovative local RideShare scheme and to convert the scheme into a not for profit commercial enterprise using a mutual membership model. Funded by Enterprise for Inclusion

SLAM Willington, Co. Durham

Sports club members were converting their local authority sports centre into a community benefit trust. CBC provided corporate governance, project management, participative teamworking and business management advice as part of a support team funded by Enterprise for Inclusion.

Community Transport Calderdale

CBC were lead consultant researching the funding and marketing of CTC’s pioneering primary care patient transport service. The project required intensive research, identification of key decision makers in the local NHS and business modelling and planning. Funded by Enterprise for Inclusion

Solar Fires, Holywell

CBC provided a cooperative management audit for Solar Fires worker cooperative.

Business Link West Yorkshire

Training workshops for social enterprises: 'an introduction to sustainable management for social enterprise' or 'how to stop being a crisis manager and become a leader'. The workshops introduced social enterprise managers to the principles of participative people management and clarified the limits of managerial authority in social enterprise.

North Halifax Partnership

Initial labour and operations planning to start up operations of Yorkshire Chocolates (new start worker co-operative) on a commercial basis

Co-operative Business Consultants

Promoting participative and co-operative management