Building Democratic Businesses

  • What we do

    Principle Six provides specialist development support to cooperatives and democratic worker-led or community-led businesses and social enterprises.

    If you’re starting from an idea, looking to take over or convert an existing business, wanting to improve you democratic structures and processes, or just want to know more about cooperative and democratic enterprise – Principle Six can help you move forward

    Contact us today for a free, no-obligation conversation

    Support we offer

    What are cooperatives and democratic businesses?

    Tired of businesses that put profit ahead of workers, customers, communities, and the environment? A cooperative structure gives members real control over decisions, a fair share of profits, and long-term accountability to the people it actually serves — not distant shareholders.

    Fundraising and Community Shares

    Need to raise money to launch or grow your cooperative, but don’t know where to start? We help you explore the full range of options — from grants and loans to running a Community Share offer, where your own members and supporters become investors in the business they believe in.

    We’ll help you work out which routes fit your organisation, build the numbers to back up your pitch, and put together the offer document or application itself.

    Choosing a legal structure and incorporation

    Overwhelmed by the number of legal and organisational structures on offer? We’ll guide you through the options — demystifying the jargon, comparing structures side by side, and giving you what you need to make an informed decision with confidence.

    Converting a business to democratic ownership

    Is your employer or a local business up for sale? If you and your co-workers or community think you could run it just as well — or better — we can help you through every step: organising your group, negotiating with the current owner, raising the money to buy it, and setting up how you’ll run it together.

    Working together effectively (governance)

    Trying to work more collectively and democratically, but running into the same problems — the loudest voices dominating, long discussions that don’t lead to action, decisions that take forever? We help you put practical governance tools in place that fix this.

    Writing a business plan or pitch deck

    Have a strong business idea but no numbers to back it up yet? We’ll walk you through it step by step — from market research, to a full financial plan, to approaching investors or running a Community Share offer.

    Strategic reviews and planning

    Struggling to attract customers, make sales, or hit the goals you set? We’ll help you step back, honestly assess what’s working and what isn’t, and build a realistic plan to make the most of what you’ve already got.

    Growing membership and engagement

    Membership too small, or members not engaging with your democratic processes? We help you build a membership offer that’s genuinely attractive, and connect you with other membership organisations in your sector to benchmark against.

    Networking and opportunities

    Looking for connections and new business opportunities in the cooperative sector? We run a monthly Giver’s Gain networking event at SPACE4 in Islington.

    Get three days support for free through Co-ops UK Business Support for Co-ops

    Start a co-op
    Convert to a co-op
    Support for established co-ops

    Meet our Advisors

    Caleb Elliott

    Worker & housing co-op specialist

    Caleb co-founded Green Wood Housing Cooperative in 2018 and trained through the Barefoot Co-op Development programme before joining Principle Six. He specialises in worker and housing cooperatives, and organises nationally with workers.coop — the UK’s worker cooperative federation — where he hosts their podcast, Punchcard.

    Sion Whellens

    15+ years as a worker co-op specialist

    Sion has been part of Calverts, a worker cooperative, since the 1970s, and has been a pivotal figure in the UK worker co-op movement ever since. He served on the Worker Co-operative Council and represented the UK on the international stage at CICOPA and CECOP, before being instrumental in founding workers.coop. A founder of Principle Six he’s supported countless cooperatives — his impact on the sector is hard to overstate.

    Lenny Watson

    Raising money with community shares specialist

    Lenny made her name in the cooperative scene through Sister Midnight, raising £300k in community shares to launch a cooperative venue in Catford. She’s since drawn on that experience to support other groups running their own community share offers — helping them raise hundreds of thousands of pounds between them.