Ownership model

The Agility Colletve is a limited libility company. This means there are shares, and someone has to own them.

So who owns us? How are new owners brought in? What does ownership mean?

Our model is simple: anyone who has been at the Agility Collective for 2+ years can become an owner.

Why 2 years? Although we are picky on who becomes members, we might make a mistake and bring in a person who is really …not a good fit. The 2 year rule reduces the risk that the people who don’t fit the model, don’t also become shareholders, which would complicate life tremondously.

You might be thinking “Huh, so anyone is allowed to become an owner? …Really?”.

Exactly! The idea is …if we wouldn’t trust someone to co-own the company, why would we trust them to represent the Collective at all? So if, after two years, we don’t trust a member enough to offer them ownership, that’s probably a sign they shouldn’t be here at all.

So, every year we will send an invite to all non-owners who have been around for at least 2 years, and ask them if they want to become owners.

What does ownership cost?

We strive to minimize the financial value of the company. I know, that’s the opposite of what other companies do. But remember, the purpose of The Agility Collective is not to enrich it’s owners. The purpose is to help consultants be happy.

We’ve all seen consulting companies that work like pyramid schemes - where old-timers are like fat cats parasiting from the hard work of newcomers. That’s exactly what we don’t want to be.

So, our shares are fixed at the lowest possible price.

When you become an owner (which is entirely optional), you buy shares at that low price. You will have the exact same amount of shares as the other owners. And if/when you leave the Collective, you must sell your stock back at basically the same price. For details, see contracts.

This means there is no financial incentive to own shares, and no cashing out.

What does ownership actually mean?

Ownership means very little in practical terms. You won’t get rich, and you won’t gain more influence (power is gained through meritocracy, not ownership - see our decision process). In theory there are situations where ownership CAN make a difference, like if our normal decision process completely breaks down and we have to resort to shareholder voting for a critical decision. Well thats the theory anyway.

What if someone buys us?

Also a theory, someone could come along and shell out a load of cash and buy us. In that case the owners would in a sense cash out. But with the current structure we see that as extremely unlikely. The business itself is just a container, a platform. The real value is the people, and they aren’t even employed by us. So although someone can technically buy us out, they can’t really buy the people inside. And besides, who would buy a company that explicitly strives to minimize it’s financial value.

But who knows …stranger things have happened.