By Akari Muhisani & David McClellan
For some, organizing a Community Based Investment Enterprise can be a daunting task. You have to consider the type of business you want to become, which bank and brokerage firm to use, language in the partnership agreement and even coming up with a name can be overwhelming. Bob brought us on board with CLIMB with the specific purpose in helping new clubs get established. What was lacking in the process is a white glove service where clubs can reach out to someone with any questions and assistance.
We decided the most effective way to help as many clubs as possible is through a one-to-many model via a cohort program. Our CBIE Start Up Cohort program consist of four sessions.
Session 1 - Organization & Legal Structure
Session 2 - Accounting and Treasurer Role & Best Practices
Session 3 - SSG training, Opening a brokerage account on fidelity, and Club Best Practices
Session 4 - Monthly Club Meeting Management and Capstone Presentation
We had two open houses sessions in July and August to expose potential clubs to our free program. We started in September with six clubs and finished with five in December. All clubs went from the beginning stages of organizing, to creating a stock study, and presenting to the entire cohort at the end. Shout out to the following clubs for presenting a stock to the entire cohort.
E2141 – Amazon (AMZN)
Barton Clark Family Investments – Ford (F)
TWNEXGEN – Meta Platforms (META)
Big Bucks Investment Enterprise – Walt Disney (DIS)
The Mutual Investment Club of Milwaukee – Home Depot (HD)