Bicycle For The EO Mind

Meet Nathan Schneider (Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder; Board Member, Start.coop). In this episode, we dig into how small business owners can make employee ownership (EO) a realistic exit path—and why Zolidar is designing a Wikipedia-inspired EO community to keep fragmented information fresh, accurate, and community-owned . We talk frankly about the hard parts of building parti...

Meet David Vernier , founder of Vernier Science Education , a 43-year-old education technology company serving science teachers that transitioned to a Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT) in January 2024. With over 100 employees and $50M in annual revenue, Vernier's transition offers valuable insights for business owners considering employee ownership alternatives. Some takeaways: How a CEO's retirement...

Meet Michael Kramer from Natural Investments , a financial advisory firm specializing in socially responsible investing that transitioned to a Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT) in 2023. After joining as the firm's third financial advisor in 2000, Michael served as managing partner from 2007 to 2023 before becoming a trust steward and manager during their innovative ownership transition. Some takeaways...

Meet Ted Hall , founder and board chair of ShopBot Tools , and Anne-Claire Broughton , founder of Broughton Consulting and former executive director of the North Carolina Employee Ownership Center. Founded in 1996 in Durham, North Carolina, ShopBot designs, manufactures, and distributes computer numerically controlled (CNC) routers with about 35 employees. Some takeaways: How being an open-book ma...

In this episode of Bicycle for the EO Mind, we speak with Keith Bowers , founder of Biohabitats , an ecological restoration firm that transitioned to a Perpetual Purpose Trust in 2023. Founded in 1982, Biohabitats has spent over 40 years restoring the earth and inspiring ecological stewardship. Their unique transition preserves the company's values and mission for generations to come. Key Takeaway...

Meet Gina Schaefer , founder and former CEO of A Few Cool Hardware Stores , and current CEO Craig Smith . Based in the Washington-Baltimore region, they are an ESOP of 13 brick and mortar hardware stores, generating roughly $50M in annual sales, which transitioned in 2021, creating over a hundred employee owners. Some takeaways: How an excited employee owner at New Belgium Brewery, and realizing e...

Meet Jerry Skomer , founder of Alternative Technologies , an IT and telecom services company that supports Bay Area nonprofits and progressive businesses. Jerry faced a crucial challenge: how to preserve the company’s values, protect employees’ jobs, and ensure continued community service. His solution? Transforming Alternative Technologies into a worker-owned cooperative . The transition wasn’t e...

Meet Linda Wurzbach , who recently retired from a successful 12-person education consultancy using an employee ownership model. Resources for Learning’s path to a worker co-op showcases a successful transition and the win-win for Linda and her employees. In this episode you’ll hear about: Using revenue-based financing to make employee ownership work for their professional services business Landing...

John Newland from JOMA Construction needed an exit that would prevent culture disruption, offered financing, and guaranteed his team would be taken care of. Plus, they wanted to keep building eudaimonia. In our conversation, John and Mackenzie share: The journey from flipping houses to a 30-owner ESOP success story. Why transparent communication from day one created trust throughout the transition...

Why do we believe in EO's growth potential? Facts and Trends - our favorite friends. FACTS 3 million retiring small and medium business owners $8 trillion in illiquid wealth at stake. 4 out 5 SMBs don't find traditional buyers. TRENDS The Succession Crisis is here: Millions of small business lack a succession plan and EO is a proven solution. Bipartisan Policy Support is Growing: Federal & sta...