Simply Start Up

A guide for anyone involved in the creation of an enterprise that will be owned by, run by, and supported by the community in which it operates.

The guide uses community food enterprises as examples of what is possible, but the processes and issues can apply to a wide range of community enterprises: from taking over your local shop, starting a community-owned and run newspaper or cinema, to building a community-owned windfarm.

The Simply Start Up guide:

• Provides an easy-to-read overview of the start-up process for co-operative or community enterprises.
• Gives details of useful resources such as guides and websites, along with case studies.
• Signposts to people and organisations who can help.
• Inspires the creation of new community enterprises by showing what is possible.

Sister publications

This guide has been created as part of a "Simply" series of publications to support the set-up and governance of co-operative and community enterprises.  The series will include:

• Simply Legal - a comprehensive guide to the legal forms and organisational types for community enterprises.
  www.uk.coop/simplylegal

• Simply Governance - A comprehensive guide to understanding the systems and processes concerned with the running of a sustainable community enterprise.
  www.uk.coop/simplygovernance

• Simply Finance - a comprehensive guide to the different options for financing a community enterprise.
  www.uk.coop/simplyfinance

This Simply Governance guide is also supported by the From Conflict to Co-operation series of booklets, also produced by Co-operatives UK.  This series shows how to deal with conflict by:

• improving communication;
• improving meetings and decision-making;
• managing the change caused by organisational growth and development; and
• clarifying the role of the governing body.

www.fromconflict2co-operation.uk.coop