Owning Instellar Shares: Reflection of 1 Year Asterik Cooperative

Bima: Hey Pop, what got you interested in cooperative? Where did you first hear about it?

Poppy: Hey Bim! I just like the idea of cooperatives that prioritize democracy, openness, and mutual aid. When you and Mas Romy introduced the idea of an employee cooperative during our company outing, I got really excited. What made you want to start a cooperative? And how did you get Mas Romy on board?

Bima: I’ve always been interested in cooperatives because they allow for more democratic business ownership. Mas Romy and I chatted a lot about it, then he suggested we create a cooperative at Instellar so employees could collectively own shares (ESOP). It felt like a perfect fit!

Poppy: It’s interesting that Mas Romy was the one who brought it up.

Bima: Yeah, the opportunity came from Instellar through Mas Romy as CEO. By the way, you’ve got a lot on your plate as it is. Doesn’t managing a cooperative add even more to it?

Poppy: Well yeah, but the reason why I wanted to get involved in the first place was because I wanted a space to connect with coworkers outside of work. So yeah, sure, it’s busy, but it’s still fun! I can hardly believe I’ve been the chairwoman for a year now.

Bima: Right! Our cooperative has just hit the one-year mark! How do you think it’s been going so far?

Poppy: From a business standpoint, things are running pretty smoothly with cash flowing in and out among the members. So the mutual aid aspect of it is working well. But I want everyone to feel more involved and have that sense of ‘ownership.’ We really need to kick off some cooperative education this year, don’t you think? We should definitely plan for that in year two. What’s your take on the progress so far?

Bima: Honestly, I wasn’t even sure anyone would be interested in the idea of a cooperative at Instellar, haha. But many did, including you, Pop! And it’s great that our operations have gone smoothly this year. Now we can move on to the next step: getting employees to own shares collectively through Asterik.

And I agree, growing that sense of ‘ownership’ among the members is the next challenge. And yes, prioritizing cooperative education is key to building that sense of ownership. Plus, we can bring ESOP to life through the cooperative. What are your thoughts on our discussion regarding ESOP?

Poppy: We’ve got some research to do to nail down the details, but I know we can pull it off!

Bima: Yes, fingers crossed!

Owning Instellar Shares: Reflection of 1 Year Asterik Cooperative

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