Livelyhood's "Honey, We Bought the Company"

In this hour long special -- the third in the Livelyhood series -- our host Will Durst meets hardworking Americans pursuing the age-old dream of owning a piece of the pie. Whether facing layoffs, tired of being another number in a cubicle, or driven to solve a problem for their family or community, the individuals we'll encounter take business into their own hands.

For a closer look at "Honey, We Bought the Company," go on the road with the Livelyhood crew to:

Madison, Wisconsin and meet a group of cab drivers who risked everything to start a worker-owned cooperative.

Biddeford, Maine and get to know the dedicated employees of a blanket factory who bought and saved their company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

Columbia Falls, Montana and meet Bobbie Gilmore, an accountant at an aluminum company who took a rare stand against her employer -- and won -- when he failed to live up to a profit-sharing agreement with employees.

A Hopi reservation in Arizona, where Debbie Tewa returned to launch a solar energy business that has helped make residents of the reservation more self-sufficient and environmentally aware.

South Bronx, New York, where one young mother moved from welfare to work thanks to a successful cooperative of home health aides.

Click here for more information on starting your own business, employee ownership, and other ways to be your own boss, including:

Everything you wanted to know about current trends in the world of self-employment and other paths to being your own boss.

The Livelyhood resource guide, including organizations, websites, and publications to help you get started on the road to employment independence.

Our glossary of need-to-know terms if you want to buy the company.

And, finally, Livelyhood's megalist of links to a range of websites from the silly to the substantive dealing with the changing nature of work in America today.

Livelyhood's third one-hour special, "Honey, We Bought the Company," aired on PBS in September 1998. For information on ordering a copy of "Honey, We Bought the Company," contact The Working Group at 510-268-WORK or info@livelyhood.org.