The Common Share
Welcome to The Common Share, a podcast about the opportunities and challenges of developing co-operative businesses. The Common Share is produced by Co-operatives First, a business development organization that increases awareness and understanding of the co-op business model and supports co-operative business development in rural and Indigenous communities across western Canada.
The Common Share
Do co-ops have a harder time obtaining financing?
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Co-operatives First
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Season 3
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Episode 4
It's a challenge we hear about a lot: that co-operative businesses struggle to obtain the financing they need. However, recent Stats Canada data shows that, when it comes to debt financing in particular, existing co-ops are quite successful with getting funds they request.
In this episode we spoke to two co-op experts from the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives: Dr. Dionne Pohler, and Dr. Marc-André Pigeon. They give a lot of insight into these stats, the particular challenges and advantages co-ops might have in comparison to other types of business, and some areas where more research needs to be done.