The Learning Curve from Cut Off the Spigot

[PREVIEW] The Learning Curve EP1: Shared Ownership Models (Audio)

Listen to THE FIRST EPISODE of The Learning Curve! I spoke with Matthew Epperson, a solidarity economy practitioner, educator, and community organizer by passion and by training, on shared ownership structures. We discuss shared-ownership models like Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), worker and consumer co-ops, different company examples, how employee ownership works with unions, and what is giving us hope in the shared ownership space. Join Matthew on Zoom April 29th at 2 pm EST [https://luma.com/1b9t985g?tk=85kLQm] https://luma.com/1b9t985g?tk=85kLQmfor the Boston Impact Initiative's Advancing Regenerative Capital (ARC) fellowship showcase! He'll be presenting for the Hive Mind Community Investment Cooperative, a multistakeholder cooperative permanently affordable housing fund focused on housing historically marginalized folks in the Deep South. Resources & Ways to Connect * Matthew Epperson’s https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewepperson/LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewepperson/] * Employee Ownership Centers [https://www.eoxnetwork.org/statecenters] by state * Local Co-Op Development Centers [https://cooperationworks.coop/member-locator/] affiliated with CooperationWorks! * I also recommend searching for “co-op development center [your city/town]” to find those unaffiliated with CooperationWorks! * US Federation of Worker Cooperatives [https://www.usworker.coop/directory/]: Co-op directory to find ones near you * Co-Op Development & Work Resources [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xwc7LoG14h2MLzPHEKlfRj4QyIMvTwg_lKpUjwuMSVc/edit?usp=sharing]: job-finding, professional development, training and education, and connection among the co-op and solidarity economy sector. * Union Toolkit for Cooperative Solutions [https://slu.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/28283961_Union_Toolkit_final_11-2021.pdf]: report from CUNY (City University of NY) School of Labor & Urban Studies on strategies used by labor unions to support shared ownership like co-ops and employee-owned businesses.   Links to Items Discussed: Companies:  * Mondragon [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation] * Resonate [https://cutoffthespigot.com/articles/?e-filter-565cd8f-category=spotify]: Note, Resonate seems to be defunct/not accepting new members, but https://cutoffthespigot.substack.com/p/co-op-non-profit-and-other-alternativeSubvert [https://cutoffthespigot.substack.com/p/co-op-non-profit-and-other-alternative] is a similar music streaming co-op.  * FairBnB [https://www.instagram.com/fairbnb.coop/] (Website seems to be down temporarily) * Driver’s Cooperative [https://drivers.coop/] (NYC)  * New Era Windows Cooperative [https://newerawindows.com/Content/newerawindows.com.html] * South Mountain Company [https://southmountain.com/] * Apis & Heritage Capital Partners [https://www.apisheritage.com/]  * EB PREC [https://ebprec.org/] (East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative) * Walmart & other major national chains [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/04/workers-medicaid-snap-low-pay]’ employees requiring government assistance.  * More info on https://cutoffthespigot.substack.com/p/winter-is-here-and-so-are-shoppingREI, Patagonia [https://cutoffthespigot.substack.com/p/winter-is-here-and-so-are-shopping].  * Room & Board [https://cutoffthespigot.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-4th-of-july-sales] * Bob’s Red Mill [https://cutoffthespigot.substack.com/p/alternatives-for-everything-you-need]  * Correction: Joann’s Fabrics https://finance.yahoo.com/news/joann-fabrics-went-cult-favorite-080000161.html?guccounter=1article [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/joann-fabrics-went-cult-favorite-080000161.html?guccounter=1] Media: * The Take [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Take_%282004_film%29] documentary * “From Founder to Future [https://abramsangell.com/founder-to-future]” by John Abrams  * Margaret Mead Quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Notes on Production This is my first time making a podcast, let alone a video version! I produced and edited it myself, so if there are some minor audio issues I apologize. I am learning, and while there are always ways to improve I'm really excited with how this first episode turned out. I also made the theme song myself! I hope you like it, it's the first piece of music I've published and I'm quite proud of it too :) Feedback: I'd love to hear from you on the episode content - was it helpful, clear, or felt like something was missing? (Please be nice - I'm aware that I say "um" too often, I'm working on it for the next one!)