Incorporating your co-op is a big (and exciting) step in its start-up journey. It involves drafting corporate documents, complying with government regulations, and filing an application with the corporate registry to make your co-op a real, existing business.   

If you’re unfamiliar with how this process works, it may feel like a steep hill to climb.  But it can be easier than you think. 

Once it’s incorporated, a co-op can do so many things to move forward: apply for grants, take on debt, enter into agreements, and more. That’s why, at Co-operatives First, we always recommend incorporating sooner rather than later. But a lot of groups tend to overthink the incorporation process, which can delay their progress.   

Here are three reasons you don’t need to overthink (or stress about) your co-op’s incorporation.  

  1. There are lots of templates available

Just because you’re creating a new business doesn’t mean you need to reinvent the wheel. It’s perfectly fine and even encouraged to use a template as a starting point for your incorporating documents. Our site, the Co-op Creator, has all the templates you’ll need to start a co-op in western Canada. So don’t worry about starting with a blank page – you can use documents that have been created by others and adapt them to reflect what you want for your co-operative.  

Most of the provisions in your incorporating documents will be the same as every other co-op. There are only so many ways to regulate things like your fiscal year, the quorum at AGMs, or executing instruments — so much so the governments of British Columbia and Manitoba offer their own templates for co-op bylaws. So don’t worry about submitting an overly customized set of bylaws. Tweak things here and there to reflect your most important processes and move on.   

  1. You can always change things later

    Writing your co-op’s bylaws shouldn’t be a ‘one and done’ exercise. As your business grows, you’ll need to amend your articles or bylaws to update your governance and help the co-op grow. That means you don’t need to create the perfect incorporating documents upfront.   

Once you start operating, you might realize you should have issued a second class of investment shares. Or maybe you’ve set your quorum too high and can’t get enough people together for a special meeting. Fortunately, when you realize these things, you can amend your bylaws at an AGM or by calling a special members’ meeting. Usually, the board will identify the issue in the bylaws and prepare a resolution with the suggested wording that members will vote on. It’s as simple as that.  

  1. You can get free expert advice

    Starting a co-op requires a good understanding of how co-ops work. And that’s what our team of experts at Co-operatives First can bring to the table: we’ve helped create over 100 co-operatives.  There’s no need to pay a lawyer to learn about co-ops before they can help you. And you don’t need to work with a consultant who bills by the hour. Our team is fully funded to support entrepreneurs who are starting a co-op. And, if you want us to handle your co-op’s submission to the government, we can do that too!  

    So, what are you waiting for? Contact Co-operatives First to get started on your co-op’s incorporation.