Small Business Archives - Page 2 of 2 - CLEO Skip to main content

Becoming Employee-Owned: A Small Business Toolkit for Transitioning to Employee Ownership

Democracy at Work Institute | April, 2018

Transitioning your small business to employee ownership can have positive impacts on employee engagement, productivity, and retention; anchor a lasting legacy for your efforts building the business; and offer a financially rewarding exit path that can be supported by experienced professional assistance. Small business owners throughout the United States are increasingly seeing employees as highly … Read More

Is an ESOP Right for Your Remodeling Business?

PowerTips Unscripted | March, 2018

In this podcast Anthony Mathews discusses succession planning, exploring questions including: What type of company sets up an ESOP? What is the process of establishing an ESOP? What are some of the challenges companies face? What makes an ESOP different than a 401k or other plan? What are the tax advantages? How does having many … Read More

Case Studies: Business Conversions to Worker Cooperatives: Insights and Readiness Factors for Owners and Employees

Alison Lingane, Shannon Rieger | April, 2015

How does a business go about transitioning —“converting”— to a worker-owned cooperative? This report provides illustrations with case studies of businesses that have converted and highlights key lessons from those companies’ experiences. The report categorizes conversions into four types: Type I: Owner sells to existing employees with the intention of remaining with the company; Type … Read More

Shift Change: Putting Democracy to Work

Mark Dworkin, Melissa Young | January, 2013

This film tells the little known stories of employee-owned businesses that compete successfully in today’s economy while providing secure, dignified jobs in democratic workplaces. The film highlights examples including Mondragon in the Basque Country in Spain and the Evergreen Cooperatives in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as smaller businesses including coffee shops and bakeries.

Employee Share Ownership in Unlisted Entities: Objectives, Current Practices and Regulatory Reform 

Ann O'Connell | December, 2008

The project subjects the existing regulatory regime for employee share ownership plans in Australia – in tax, corporate and labour law – to technical and empirical scrutiny. This report considers the objectives and current practice in this area and notes that employee ownership levels tend to be lower for unlisted entities than for listed entities. It also examines the regulatory obstacles to such ownership and makes recommendations for reform to facilitate employee ownership in this area. 

An Owner’s Guide to Business Succession Planning, 2nd Edition

Kent State University, Ohio Employee Ownership Center, Stephen Clifford | January, 2008

An Owner’s Guide to Business Succession Planning is a basic roadmap to assist owners of small and medium-sized business as they begin to plan for ownership and management succession. Inside you will find: A simple six-step process that will help business owners plan for succession. An overview of the more common strategies and tools from … Read More

Sportasia LTD.: A Community Company

Alan Coad | January, 2002

Evident in the case are important themes such as the transformational leadership of its senior management, the effective use of human resource strategies to control organisational growth, and the adoption of values similar to Charles Handy’s ‘Citizen Corporation’. 

Corbin Motors 

John A. Davis | July, 1999

Explores the raising of capital to finance the growth of a spinoff business from Corbin-Pacific, a leader in motorcycle accessories. 

My Struggle with Wall Street 

Patrick C. Kelly | December, 1996

Many of the most important practices at this company exist in large part because Wall Street and the banks have applied so much pressure. If the financial community had gone easier on us, we might not be where we are today. 

McKay Nursery Company (A, B) 

Kathleen A. Meyer, Laura Pochop, Stephanie Weiss | December, 1996

McKay Nursery Co., founded in 1897 in Waterloo, WI, had a longstanding history of commitment to employees. The close-knit organization was a pioneer in the agricultural industry of several employee-friendly policies. But in the early 1980s, as McKay’s owners grew older and senior management neared retirement, the next generation of managers feared for the future of the profitable, debt-free company… 

1 2