A growing Northamptonshire based business is looking for individuals who wish to become part of an ethically based worker’s collective. The current business owners, Paul Battye and Melanie Cutler, are looking to turn their business into the new collective to share with like minded individuals, creating an ethical and sustainable business that has an interesting and supportive working environment, long term security and better work-life balance.

You must be able to:

• work as part of a team,

• be willing to undertake a wide variety of roles,

• learn new things every week,

• work varied hours,

• be keen to reduce waste headed for landfill,

• and become a Partner in the business.

Radical Thinkers, Practical Doers are soon to be a Co-operative limited by guarantee. We are currently trading as Battye’s Bazaar, a 3-year-old business taking second-hand objects and re-selling them on behalf of its clients. With two vans, several market stalls, a marquee, a soon to be launched on-line presence and nearly £30,000 worth of stock the business has gone as far as 2 people can take it but with 10 people the turnover is expected to increase from £30,000 to £600,000 in one year.

This is an exciting opportunity for people who want to get away from a ‘normal’ job with a boss, no job security, and no wage rises. We want people to be part of our team, equal with us and everyone in the organisation. Supporting each other, reducing our impact on the planet, believing we can do more as a team than by ourselves, we can create long-term security and a lifestyle that is less dependent on money but creates more disposable income in your pocket.

If you ever wanted to become self-employed but were afraid to go it alone – why not do it as part of our team within this ethical co-operative. We urgently need people to join us now. We’re launching a new set of auctions in March and April across Northamptonshire, Rutland and North Buckinghamshire. The business will have opportunities for up to twelve people and looks to expand to take up to 20 by the end of the year. But we’re not looking for employees; we’re looking for members, people to become equal partners in a business. We want you to own part of it. There is no up front cash required – just your passion.

The long term plan is to build a pot of money so that in 5 years time we could secure our own land and build our own low-impact houses for the co-op members, as well as others who support our aims. Later this year we hope to start diverting food from supermarkets and offering it on a pay-as-you-feel basis to local people who are struggling. Future plans could also involve manufacturing, a community bank and anything that cooperative members feel would benefit current and future members, on a communal basis.

Our aim is to create a growing community where people have secure working roles, secure energy and housing, and an income that affords them leisure and freedom from unnecessary stress.

For further information about joining the co-operative, please contact Paul Battye on 07779130785 or Melanie Cutler on 07450885653

or email [email protected]

You can also visit our Blog page: https://radicalthinkerspracticaldoers.wordpress.com

and Facebook sites: https://www.facebook.com/radicalthinkerspracticaldoers/

https://www.facebook.com/Battyesbazaar/

https://www.facebook.com/BBAuctionsorg/

More information

Radical Thinkers, Practical Doers is a radical new cooperative that aims to encourage people to work together by taking control of their income generation as a first step. Then, as a team, they can take control of their expenditure and minimise it, by group savings and creative thinking, whilst growing their joint income through the workers cooperative. Over time it is expected that we will secure enough money to build our own houses, thereby taking us out of the housing market and exorbitant rents / mortgages.

We are an outward-facing cooperative that aims to continually bring in new members, providing secure work roles (as members not employees), secure housing and secure energy provision. This will reduce the amount each household needs to take from the cooperative, make the whole business more resilient and the community able to withstand future recessions as we build in a whole-of-life concept to the project.

Battye’s Bazaar was formed three years ago by Paul Battye after he had been unemployed for over a year. He had only ever been unemployed for a few weeks before that spell but despite applying for jobs that were half his usual salary he could not find employment. Calling on friends to help he asked for any books they no longer wanted so he could set up a book stall on the market. After a short while he started selling vintage and collectable items and now has a growing business with his partner Melanie Cutler.