Reimagine your work, food, housing, school, health, energy, community
Join the new wave of people across the UK setting up co-ops – or get support to make yours stronger.
- Apply to The Hive
Apply to The Hive
If you are looking to set-up a co‑operative, or you're from an existing co‑operative with ambitions to grow, you could benefit from up to 12 days bespoke support, training and mentoring.
- Apply to The Hive
If you are looking to set-up a co‑operative you could benefit from up to 12 days bespoke support, training and mentoring.
- FREE sessions: Is a co-op right for you?
FREE half day workshops for people wanting to learn more about co‑ops, what's needed to start one and the support available.
- About The Hive
The Hive is a support programme for co-operativess delivered by Co‑operatives UK in partnership with The Co‑operative Bank.
- Apply to The Hive
- Business planning
Business planning
This section is packed with step-by-step guides and resources to work through the process of testing your business idea to writing a business plan, as well as sign-posting the business support on offer for groups in the very early stages of starting a co‑op.
- Web resources: Get started
From testing your business idea to writing a business plan, this section takes you through the process – step-by-step – with information and downloads to help you kick off.
- Apply to The Hive
If you are looking to set-up a co‑operative you could benefit from up to 10 days bespoke support, training and mentoring.
- FREE sessions: Is a co-op right for you?
FREE half day workshops for people wanting to learn more about co‑ops, what's needed to start one and the support available.
- About The Hive
Find out more about The Hive, a business support programme for co‑ops, run by Co-operatives UK in partnership with The Co-operative Bank.
- Web resources: Get started
- Setting up a co-operative
Setting up a co-operative
Everything you need to know and do to get your co-operative business registered as a legal entity.
- Web resources: Get started
A step-by-step guide with additional resources to help get your co-operative business registered as a legal entity.
- Apply to The Hive
If you are in the process of setting-up a co‑operative you could benefit from up to 10 days bespoke support, training and mentoring.
- FREE sessions: Is a co-op right for you?
FREE half day workshops for people wanting to learn more about co‑ops, what's needed to start one and the support available.
- About The Hive
Find out more about The Hive, a business support programme for co‑ops, run by Co-operatives UK in partnership with The Co-operative Bank.
- Web resources: Get started
- Grow your co-operative
Growing your business
Some key areas of focus when you are looking to grow your business, firm-up some of your weaknesses, or improve your sustainability.
- Web resources: Get started
Guidance and downloads to help your co-op work through some key areas including governance, HR & people, membership, marketing your co-op and managing environmental impact.
- Apply to The Hive
If you are from an existing co‑operative with ambitions to grow you could benefit from up to 12 days bespoke support, training and mentoring.
- About The Hive
Find out more about The Hive, a business support programme for co‑ops, run by Co-operatives UK in partnership with The Co-operative Bank.
- Web resources: Get started
- Buyouts and conversions
Co-operative buyouts and conversions
The different ways in which a non-co-operative business could become co-operative.- Apply to The Hive
If you are a business looking to convert to co‑operative or community ownership you could benefit from up to 12 days bespoke support, training and mentoring.
- Web resources: Employee buyouts
Employee ownership is a viable succession option for business owners, who can get a fair price for the business by selling it to those who know it best – the employees.
- Web resources: Community buyout
Advice and guidance for groups considering community buyouts and community shares, where key amenities, assets and services are taken into the ownership of the community.
- FREE sessions: Is a co-op right for you?
FREE half day workshops for people wanting to learn more about co‑ops, what's needed to start one and the support available.
- About The Hive
Find out more about The Hive, a business support programme for co‑ops, run by Co-operatives UK in partnership with The Co-operative Bank.
- Apply to The Hive
- Online community
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