# A Collectively Owned Enterprise Network for Social Change

**URL:** <https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121>\
**Category:** O₃FFDEM\
**Created:** [23 January 2023 09:05 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121 "2023-01-23T09:05:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![misterfish](https://oxygen.offdem.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@misterfish](https://oxygen.offdem.net/u/misterfish)\
**Post date:** [23 January 2023 09:05 UTC](https://oxygen.offdem.net/t/a-collectively-owned-enterprise-network-for-social-change/121/1 "2023-01-23T09:05:36Z")

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Hello P.S. friends, we hope you are doing well. Here is a proposal for a  
discussion at OFFDEM, if there is interest. Do you think this could  
work? Grts Allen & Arie

* * *

Greetings! We would like to propose a discussion about building a  
network of collectively owned enterprises which share common values and  
goals.

We could first tell about how our own initiative (AlleyCat) works and  
what it took to set it up in the Netherlands, the tasks which are  
necessary to keep it running and the tools we use for collaboration and  
organisation.

If you are interested in setting up your own collectively owned and  
horizontally managed initiative, we can help you to the extent we can,  
particularly if you are based in the Netherlands. We can share our  
templates for GnuCash (for accounting), Scribus (for invoicing), and  
enough .rc files to make your head spin.

The next step is the more interesting part (\<-- we are here). We are  
interested in forming an association of many such initiatives based on a  
common cluster of values: opposition to surveillance and personal data  
gathering; embrace of free software & free culture; opposition to  
exploitative industries; embrace of the use of software to enhance  
education, culture, science, emancipatory social change, and maybe even  
to tackle the really big problems; an interest in research and in  
improving the existing software ecosystem.

The goal is to all help provide each other with meaningful and decent  
work and economic self-sufficiency without bosses, managers, or venture  
capital. And to provide an alternative for young people who are  
interested in these topics before they are slurped into the existing  
economy.

With a stronger network we can engage in skill-sharing, pooling of  
resources and office space, common administration and billing where it  
makes sense, and collaboration on research ideas, funding opportunities,  
client contracts, tools and side projects.

Predictably, this presents a number of a challenges. What are the steps  
for accepting new members? And more painfully, the steps for cutting off  
ties with a member initiative for whatever reason? What counts as  
collectively owned? What sort of conduct do we expect from each other  
and how explicitly do we position ourselves in the issues of racism,  
sexism, and other forms of oppression? What to do if a sister initiative  
is working for a client you think is exploitative? What level of quality  
do we expect from each other and how to gauge that?

What will we call ourselves and who will design the logo and tag-line  
that will take the world by storm?

It would be interesting to talk about the questions in the group, and  
share experiences.

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