Steering with the times, staying true to principles
Carolina Common Enterprise will always seek opportunities for systemic change and economic justice in the Carolinas. We continue to develop concepts for cooperative solutions to: housing affordability, community health, farming and access to land, food systems, and more. And, in light of the federal cuts to USDA programs that formerly provided our primary source of funding, Carolina Common Enterprise is taking its own advice to build a more resilient, self-sufficient organization. As CCE seeks alternative funding streams to resume reduced-cost consulting and technical assistance to community-owned enterprises across the Carolinas, we are now offering the following suite of services at competitive professional rates.
Our services
Employee ownership conversions
Planning and organizational support, counseling, and training for small firms selling to their workforce as worker co-ops throughout the entire process. Consulting begins with the selling owner and ends with the new employee owners.
Co-op start-up support
A cooperative is a unique business structure for community benefit. CCE has the knowledge and experience needed to guide new and growing community cooperatives. Our approach provides new cooperators with what they need to start and sustain their cooperative long-term.
Training and education for co-op members and their Boards of Directors
Ongoing coaching and guidance for boards of medium‑ to large‑sized cooperative organizations, ensuring strategic oversight and sustainable development. CCE also offers training in governance, collaboration, and decision-making, and provides general co-op education to new co-operators.
Legal services
CCE’s staff include a cooperative attorney prepared to provide legal advice and services, including the development of incorporation documents such as By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation.
Business consulting for existing cooperatives
Expert business consulting services for co-ops across all industries. Project‑focused engagements with cooperatives to identify and present solutions, define and plan goals and strategy, co‑manage growth initiatives, and co‑manage financing.
Small Town Main Street Cooperation
CCE works with rural towns and communities to identify opportunities for and assess the feasibility of community ownership, cooperative businesses, and inter-cooperation for local economic vitality and self-reliance.
Pricing ethos
CCE is committed to offering pricing that is as accessible as possible. At this time, CCE’s services are priced between $200 and $450 depending on the service offered. Legal services occupy the higher range of the pricing scale.
We recognize that new businesses may still be in the process of developing capital, and believe it is our duty to increase the availability of cooperative development as best as we can. To this end, CCE will offer a 30-minute free consultation to interested groups, and is committed to developing scopes of work with options to be as advantageous as possible for the client. We continue to seek grant funding to support low-to-no cost services and are willing to partner on grants with clients. Lastly, we continuously develop a library of free resources and network referrals for free or lower-cost services when available through partner organizations.
Process to get started
- If you are interested in working with us, please fill out this digital inquiry form to tell us a little bit about your project.
- One of our experts will be in touch to schedule a free 30-minute consultation. At the very least, these consultations typically end with the sharing of free resources and referrals to people or organizations doing aligned and relevant work. Even if you don’t work with us, we want you to get connected to the support that’s right for you.
- If it is decided to move forward with a proposal, CCE will provide a Scope of Work to the client with options of directions that the relationship can take.
- We welcome feedback about the Scope of Work provided to ensure that it meets the client’s budget needs.
- It is generally requested that a portion of the total cost of services is paid up front, with an option to pay the remainder in regular installments over the course of the project.