Together with my co-founder, Merald Holloway, I have been gradually building the basis for a buying co-op here in Durham & beyond. On Thursday at 6pm, Merald and I will join some really remarkable entrepreneurs: Geraud Staton (Helius Foundation) – watch the first 2 minutes of this video and you’ll be blown away by the inequity in black business […]
When I think about what’s happening in our world, I see wealth consolidation, growing inequality, I see more homeless folks. Do my investments in corporate America and all the publicly traded companies that are part of the S&P 500 have anything to do with that? 1. I feel trapped. I’m stuck in the mainstream retirement […]
Five years ago, I started the Community Purchasing Alliance Cooperative with a Steering Team of church leaders, a community organizer, and a few generous lawyers. Today, we are 75 member-owner community institutions. We collaborate on $15,000,000+ in contracts each year. Yet the most important thing we’ve created doesn’t show up in the numbers. It’s trust. […]
Michael Schrage’s insight about how innovative companies change their customers has stuck with me. And it’s changed the way I understand the work my organization does. Successful innovations go beyond the quid pro quo; they’re targeted investments in the customer’s future value. Most customers believe that “the market” sets the terms of engagement for service […]
Micaela inspires me to make art. Dance with fear. and ask Why?