Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit is a dedicated to educating small business owners about the possibilities, benefits, and challenges of transitioning to an employee ownership model.
There are over 200m SMEs with an owner who will be retiring in the next 10 years, many of which will never find a buyer for their business, forcing them to close their doors.
There is an alternative. This show will explore various the different forms of employee ownership and best practices for successful transitions.
Each episode features interviews with experts in employee ownership, business owners who have made the transition, and consultants who facilitate these changes.
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit #16 | The Culture Shift to Employee Ownership via Co-Operative
Episode Summary:
For today's episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, Andy Farquharson is joined by Beth Spong, CEO of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee. She had a career working in a non-profit and a respected leader in employee ownership.
In this episode, she shared her journey working with Dean's Beans Organic Coffee and how she helped the company on its transition from being a founder-led company to an employee-owned company via co-op. She also talked about the challenges of leading change in a company, and the response of employees with their transition to employee ownership. Listen and enjoy the show!
Key Takeaways:
- Helping Dean's Beans' transition from being founder-led to employee-owned via co-op
- Preserving the mission and looking after employees in the local community
- How to know if a company is ready for the ownership transition?
- What do bylaws mean in a co-op?
- Periodic opportunities for people to question decisions
- The biggest challenge as a leader in supporting and guiding change in a company
- Employees' response to their transition to being an owner
- Beth's favorite resource on employee ownership
About Beth Spong
Beth Spong is the CEO of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee. She has a career in non-profits and is a respected leader in employee ownership. Beth has overseen the transition of this business from founder-led to an employee-owned model and as a co-op. As a permanent voice in employee ownership, she contributed to reshaping the narrative of how worker empowerment and shared governance can transform the work environment for her people.
Connect with Beth Spong:
- Website: https://deansbeans.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeansBeansOrganicFairTradeCoffee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deansbeanscoffee
Connect with Andy Farquharson:
- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyfarquharson/
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/andyfarq
- Website - https://abettermonday.me/
- Email - andy@bettermonday.me