The Charter Partners Declaration of Interdependence contains entrepreneurs’ aspirations for achieving greater success by working interdependently with other like-minded business owners.
Co-created by Members and the Charter Partners Management Team, the Declaration of Interdependence is modeled on the language of the “The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies,” signed July 4, 1776 by the founding fathers.
Following is an exerpt from the The Charter Partners Declaration of Interdependence:
In the course of business events, it becomes desirable for today’s entrepreneurs, who own or intend to own a successful privately-held family or independent business, to create a business community that connects them with each other. It is also desirable for these entrepreneurs to assume a strong position among the powerful forces of the economy, with a recognition and commitment to the innate responsibility that comes with this power, to use it for good and leave a positive legacy for generations to come.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That business owners are endowed with certain fundamental opportunities, and among these are ownership, meaningful work, and the freedom to pursue the benefits of Cooperative Entrepreneurship®.
That privately held businesses represent the spirit and strength of America.
That we can remain independent, while recognizing that, by willingly joining together to work interdependently, we can thus reap results not possible on our own.
That alliances among business owners yield the Power of Shared Knowledge®, and result in the co-creation of products and services that often prove of greater value to individual business owners and the community at large.
That we compete and collaborate in the spirit of raising the bar, to bring the best ideas and business successes that support our families, our employees and the communities where we live.
That we have in common the value of integrity, the exercise of which creates an environment of mutual trust and respect.
That we seek to grow as people, embrace change with the spirit of learning and lend a hand to support each other.
That the Earth’s resources are finite and as a Business Community, we have the responsibility to protect these resources for the generations who will follow us.
That cultivating and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs is essential and . . .
That we do all things with respect to each other and have some fun working together.
We, therefore, as current and future business owners of the Charter Partners Business Community in the United States of America, do declare that we are independent; but are also connected freely, in shared interests, and thus are interdependent.
As a community of current and future business owners, we have full power to collaborate, share, teach and learn from each other, establish commerce, pursue mutual ambitions, and to do all other things which business owners may of legal right do.
And for the support of this Declaration of Interdependence, we pledge to each other our mutual trust and respect.
Created and ratified January 2005 by Members of the Charter Partners Community
DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE
