Season 2 of the Business Decisions podcast is back. We’re joined by Jon Shell of Social Capital Partners, a non-profit organization that aims to advance economic opportunity and social inclusion by designing and implementing systemic ideas to tackle social problems. Jon is also part of the Steering committee for the Canadian Employee Ownership Coalition.  

In this episode, Jon joins us to discuss Employee Ownership Trusts – explaining what they are and why he, and many others, believe they can offer a win-win-win solution for business owners, employees, and society at large. Jon explains the success of EOTs in the U.S., their rising success in England and provides insights on their potential if implemented in Canada. We discuss some examples of these EOT success stories, including Taylor Guitars where Jon was involved, and what Canada can learn from them. 

Jon covers the benefits and challenges of EOTs, as well as the need for education, awareness, and policy support. He also reveals what was just announced in the recent federal budget here in Canada and how/why it fell short of what his organization was hoping for. Finally, he explains the vast scale of opportunity for EOTs in Canada if the right approach is taken, and the main steps and considerations involved. If you are curious about EOTs and how they can transform our economy and start to close the wealth-gap that exists in Canada, this episode is for you.