FCI Live: Don't Fling Power: the Secret to GM Transition

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 3 PM E / 2 PM C / 1 PM M / 12 PM P

Don't Fling Power: the Secret to GM Transition
Bonnie Hudspeth, Firebrand and JQ Hannah, FCI

There are “working” boards and “governing” boards - one is the way startup food co-op boards function before the store is opened, and then a flip at store opening - right? Nope! From studying and working with startup food co-op GM transitions for the last decade, FCI has identified a unique and critical stage of governance between being a working board and a governing board that spans from when the opening GM is hired to when a startup graduates from Stage 5 organizing. In this session, we’ll review what the transitional governance stage is and what it means to transition “operations” to a GM effectively, rather than fling responsibility at a brand new GM that sets both your GM relationship and possibly your co-op’s entire future on a rocky path.