...cooperative support services...

You just spent an afternoon ordering the latest edition of Moby Dick only to find out your co-worker placed the order yesterday.

Duplication of effort and responsibility got you down?

You dream of ways to hold your co-workers responsible for the things they‘ve said they were going to do.

Got some accountability issues?

You spend hours in meetings discussing tedious details like what font to use on your next letterhead or why the trash never gets taken out.

Spending excessive amounts of time making decisions?

You sometimes feel like being a part of a progressive business is synonymous with low wages and no benefits.

Losing good people because they’re tired of barely making it?

Many co-ops and small businesses are great at what they do, whether it be selling books, building bikes or baking bread. We’re not always as great at establishing things like accountability, job roles, and growth strategies. And we may be even worse at prioritizing worker satisfaction, improving benefits, and paying ourselves enough.

Brass Tacks is here to help. Through our Co-op Support Services we can set up systems and processes that make your business more functional. We’ll increase efficiency, accountability, clarity, and fulfillment. From one-time consultations to long-term coaching, we give people practical tools to make their businesses work.

We can:

• Set up non-hierarchical structures and accountability
• Create fixes for the things that don’t work
• Define roles and responsibilities, streamlining how things get done and
decreasing duplication of effort.
• Get everyone on the same page by agreeing on policy, standards, and
procedure.
• Address workers’ well being and empowerment
• Introduce systems for clear communication
• Use your businesses core values to create strategy and a long-term vision

We offer a complimentary 1 hour consultation to understand your needs and set a plan of action.


Options include:

• The Quick Fix
• Getting Down to Business
• Hourly Consultation
• Individualized packages tailored to your budget and needs.

The Quick Fix

In every area of your businesses there are ways to improve the organization and flow of how things get done. You probably have a sense of what would improve things, but rarely have the time to make those changes. In a “Quick Fix” we identify and inventory the parts of your business that could be more efficient. In completing this exercise, you will free up time, relieve doubling-up on tasks, and feel less frustrated in your day-to-day operations.

This package will help you:

• Identify areas of dysfunction
• Create an inventory of inefficiencies
• Develop time sensitive fixes for each area
• Establish systems that work

Offered as:

1 full-day or 2 consecutive half-day sessions.

Quote provided upon consultation.

Getting Down to Business

“Functionality” is a method to guide you in building systems that make your business run smoothly. It’s a non-hierarchical way to establish what needs to get done in your business and how.

Using Functionality will help you:

• Empower people to make appropriate decisions
• Get the right people doing the right tasks and in turn make people happier
and make your business more efficient
• Eliminate duplication of effort and responsibilities
• Avoid unnecessary reliance on others
• Generate outcomes of profit and work/life balance
• Make sure that the business isn’t dependent on any one person, in any area

Offered as:

Once a month for at least six months for full or half-day sessions.

Quote provided upon consultation

Hourly Consultations & Individually Designed Programs

Maybe The Quick Fix isn’t quite enough and there’s no way you can commit to six months of Functionality. We understand.

Give us a call and we can discuss the many ways we might be able to work together to get you where you need to go with your business.