{"action":"created","issue":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/issues/142","repository_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq","labels_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/issues/142/labels{/name}","comments_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/issues/142/comments","events_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/issues/142/events","html_url":"https://github.com/dwyl/hq/issues/142","id":196207510,"number":142,"title":"Company Legal Structure/Entity","user":{"login":"nelsonic","id":194400,"avatar_url":"https://avatars3.githubusercontent.com/u/194400?v=4","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic","html_url":"https://github.com/nelsonic","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/nelsonic/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"labels":[{"id":259737134,"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/labels/dependency","name":"dependency","color":"e6e6e6","default":false},{"id":467754970,"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/labels/discuss","name":"discuss","color":"60eeee","default":false},{"id":259737132,"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/labels/enhancement","name":"enhancement","color":"84b6eb","default":true},{"id":259737133,"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/labels/help%20wanted","name":"help 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DWYL legal entity is _currently_ a Private Limited Company (_limited by shares_).\nWe set it up that way simply to \"_get it done quickly_\" while still maintaining _complete_ flexibility to _change_ at a later data if required.\n\nWe have worked in:\n+ **Registered Charities** (_lots of regulation but clear tax advantages_)\n+ **Limited Liability Partnerships** (LLP) (_partners model but w/ limited liability. have cake & eat it!_)\n+ **Cooperative Organisations** (_we bank with the Coop and prefer shopping at the Coop despite higher prices for no obvious benefit beyond warm-and-fuzzy-feeling_)\n+ **Community Interest Company** (_we've helped setup two of these DTMO and F&C_) has clear benefits in terms of the _message_ it sends to stakeholders/members and good if you want to lock-in funds to a specific mission, but limited actual _benefit_ from a legal/taxation perspective.\n+ Boring old (private/public) **Limited companies** of various sizes ... since I was a kid, I've always _liked_ the idea of floating \"my\" company on an _alternative_ marked/exchange without using an investment banker to pitch the prospectus i.e. DYI the IPO while we're still small so we can send actual trade-able shares to all stakeholders ... obvs we would only \"offer\" 25% of the stock so no \"Private Equity\" or \"Activist Investor\" would try and take over/hijack our mission by buying up a majority stake! but I still _like_ the idea ... and given that we're going for [Hyper Transparency](https://github.com/dwyl/hq/issues/140) in _any_ case the regulatory/reporting requirements of a PLC will be quite easy to meet. http://www.londonstockexchange.com/companies-and-advisors/main-market/rules/regulations.htm\n\n> Are there any _other_ company legal structures we should consider in our discussion...?\n\n## _Considerations_:\n\n+ Perception of both \"internal\" and \"_external_\" stakeholders - what message does COOP/CIC/LLP/PLC send to each constituent of our community? are there people who will _only_ work with us if we're a COOP? Do we want to be part of the \"_Digital Coop Movement_\" (_which we are huge fans of BTW!_) ? or do we want to \"_prove to the world that a PLC can be run for People & Planet before Profits, but still have a sustainable income for all members!_ ...?\n+ Co-founder & team member remuneration (_are there any restrictions imposed by any of the \n+ Taxation (_what taxes are we liable for? could we pay no tax if we were a registered charity?_)\n\nAnother _related_ question but not the _focus_ of this discussion is _where_ should we be based?\n(_given that \"Brexit\" will be a thing ... should we be based in London...?_) see: https://github.com/dwyl/hq/issues/141\n\n## Pros of Staying Private\n\n+ We can **focus** on our ***mission*** without having to \"_answer_\" any questions about why we are consistently investing for the long-term instead of maximising short-term gains.\n+ Distracting reporting/regulatory requirements. (_how much of this can be automated_...?)\n\n## Pros of a PLC\n\n+ _Ironically_ if we _focus_ our IPO prospectus to _emphasise_ [***long-term-thinking***](http://www.asianbc.dk/Findings/Rapid-reactions/Very-longterm-strategies.aspx) the way many Japanese/Chinese/Korean companies have done we can set out our vision and get _many_ more people interested than if we remain closed/insular...\n+ Financial Leverage to tackle bigger projects... https://github.com/dwyl/phase-two"},"comment":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/issues/comments/352703809","html_url":"https://github.com/dwyl/hq/issues/142#issuecomment-352703809","issue_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/dwyl/hq/issues/142","id":352703809,"user":{"login":"rub1e","id":11595920,"avatar_url":"https://avatars0.githubusercontent.com/u/11595920?v=4","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e","html_url":"https://github.com/rub1e","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/rub1e/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"created_at":"2017-12-19T10:33:25Z","updated_at":"2017-12-19T10:33:25Z","author_association":"MEMBER","body":"My *personal* view is that it would be lovely if more companies adopted the [triple bottom line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_bottom_line) view of business **(People, Planet, Profit)**\r\n\r\nBut dwyl is *already* a Purposeful company with strong socially responsible values - *I don't see this changing the way dwyl thinks or behaves as a company*.\r\n\r\nSo the question is really **\"Is there any benefit to paying for the B Corp Badge?\"**\r\n\r\nMy instinct is to be suspicious of certifying bodies like Fair Trade, which always seem to benefit the certifying body more than the farmers they're supposed to be championing.\r\n\r\nBut if paying £1000 for the Badge makes people notice dwyl, or gets people to write about us etc. then it's a steal at twice the price! (And unfortunately there's not really enough evidence out there on the impact the badge has on revenue...)\r\n\r\n**Discuss...** "}}
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