The Myth About Successful Community Businesses
April 2 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDT
The Myth About Successful Community Businesses
Thursday, April 2, 2026
- Pacific: 10am-11am
- Mountain: 11am-12pm
- Central: 12pm-1pm
- Eastern: 1pm- 2pm
View your local time here.
Join business design professional, Brandon Collins, to explore the myth that successful community businesses can’t create financial wealth while also valuing relational health.
About the event
The myth that it is impossible to run a community business that is both ethical, regenerative, and financially successful has dominated our spaces for too long– and it makes sense! In our capitalist economy, financial growth trumps the very fabric that holds us all together- cooperative relationships.
Despite this, a holistic approach to economic thought reveals a path toward building both community health and wealth. It is critical that we change this paradigm to an entrepreneurial design centered on right relations with ourselves, our planet, and our community, and this takes shifting our perspectives.
In this webinar, communitarian and business design professional, Brandon Collins, will guide participants through this fundamental shift in perspective. Together, we will explore how ecology and permaculture design provide a framework for modeling communal economies and developing businesses that makes an extractive economy obsolete.
In this webinar, you’ll learn about:
- Business as a Relational Discipline
- The Ecology (or a whole-systems approach) of Community Economics
- Key ways to shift your mentality about successful community businesses
- Guided exercises using the Permaculture Design System as a starting place for modeling a cooperative business in your community
About your presenter
Brandon Collins
Brandon has dedicated himself to the study of communal economies and business. He attended University of Nebraska Lincoln as a part of the Honors Business Academy, a specialized cohort program which focuses on developing competency in all areas of business education. His personal focus is Economics, Public Policy, International Business, and Organizational Management.
Upon realizing he disagreed with his capitalist business education, Brandon sought out experimental education in communalized economies. He spent three months studying the Gift Economy of Tamera Ecovillage in Portugal, followed by two years of advising and operating the three small businesses at Ganas Community in Staten Island, NYC.
Brandon also helped to found Special Musicians in 2017, a non-profit that offers music education for students with special needs. He spent five years as a Branch Director and continues as an executive board member today.
Location
You’ll get the Zoom link after you register in your confirmation email. Please check the spam folder of the inbox you use to register for an email from orders@ic.org.
The Online Event Experience
Live Zoom Sessions
Nothing pre-recorded here! When you sign-up for an event with FIC, you’ll have the opportunity to view a live session on Zoom with the panelists.
Affordable and Accessible
All our events are run on a sliding scale basis. Generous donations cover the costs for low-income attendees. FIC is committed to making our programs accessible to people of all walks of life.
Watch the Recording
You’ll receive the recording of your event to view for 60 days. So don’t worry if you can’t attend a live session. Watch or listen whenever it is convenient for you. Transcripts available upon request.
Registration
