One Year In ~ Looking back on the first year of cOMmon

One year ago, we launched cOMmon.

Looking back today, I don't immediately think about features, milestones, or everything we have built. I think about the people we have met, the conversations we've had, the lessons we never expected, and how much this journey has quietly changed both of us.

When I asked Jen what came to mind first, her answer wasn't the platform.

It was this.

"The very first thing that comes to mind is the adventure I started together with my mum, Eve."

Right after that, she remembered the road trip we made in November 2024.

"That was the moment when cOMmon really started to take shape and our ideas became something tangible."

And then she added something that, to me, still captures the heart of why we started.

"Above all, I think of hope. Hope for a regenerative world where people live in connection again, with each other and with nature."

What we expected, and what we discovered

When we started, I believed the biggest challenge would be building the platform itself.

I imagined people would gradually join, memberships would help finance further development, and the cooperative would naturally emerge afterwards. Looking back, I realise I had that almost completely the other way around.

Building the platform was never the hardest part. Building trust was. Technology can connect people, but it cannot create relationships. A community doesn't become active because software exists. Trust grows through time, repetition, and lived experience.

That changed the way I look at everything we are building. The cooperative, which I originally saw as something that would follow later, gradually became one of the foundations that makes everything else possible.

Instead of trying to follow our original roadmap, we learned to adapt to what reality was showing us.

Walking without knowing exactly where it would lead

Jen stepped into cOMmon very differently.

"I didn't have a detailed plan or big expectations. It simply felt right, and I knew it was a path I wanted to walk."

That intuition carried her through the entire year. When we launched, cOMmon was mainly a platform to connect roamers and rootsers.

Since then, The Collective Mind has found its place. Opportunities have become an important part of the ecosystem. Our team has grown, bringing new ideas, insights, and perspectives.

One sentence from Jen stayed with me.

"Because of that, cOMmon no longer feels like something that belongs only to my mum and me. It feels like something we are shaping together with others. That is probably one of the most beautiful evolutions."

I couldn't agree more.

We launched one year ago, and since then we have welcomed many members.

As Jen said:

"That still feels incredibly special."

Building people before building technology

One of the biggest surprises this year wasn't the technology. It was the people.

Jen put it beautifully.

"What surprised me most is how many people carry the same energy and the same longing to make the world a little more beautiful. People who truly believe things can be different and who each want to contribute, in their own way, to a regenerative future."

She added:

"That gives me so much energy."

At the same time, we also discovered another reality.

"I also discovered how much distrust some people carry because of experiences from the past."

That has probably been one of our biggest lessons. We know our intentions are genuine, but it isn't always easy to communicate that clearly. Sometimes that makes it difficult to build a real connection straight away, or certain choices are judged very quickly.

Rather than becoming discouraged, it taught us something important.

As Jen said:

"It keeps teaching us to communicate with even more transparency and care."

Trust cannot be rushed.

It grows.

Learning together

This year taught both of us far more than we expected.

Jen discovered that she didn't have to carry everything alone.

"Working together with people who share the same intentions brings so much more strength, creativity and momentum. A good team is truly worth its weight in gold."

She also found herself learning in unexpected ways.

"I have learned so much about regenerative agriculture, different cultures and people's backgrounds. Today I understand much better why regenerative ways of living and working are so important for our future, but also why it can be difficult to put those principles into practice within the systems we currently live in."

Then she said something that I think applies far beyond cOMmon.

"That has taught me to judge less quickly and to stay curious about other people's challenges and experiences."

Perhaps that curiosity is one of the most valuable things we can cultivate.

Trust takes time

Building something together isn't always easy. Even when everyone shares good intentions. There are doubts. Misunderstandings. Different expectations. Different rhythms. Jen reflected on this with a lot of honesty.

"I have learned that working together is not always easy, even when you are building something beautiful together."

And then came a sentence that has stayed with me ever since.

"Everyone carries their own backpack."

The more people we met, the more true that became. Every person arrives with different experiences. Different hopes. Different disappointments. Different reasons to be careful. Trust asks us to honour all of that.

More than mother and daughter

This journey also changed something much closer to home.

Jen described it better than I ever could.

"We have come to know each other in a completely different way. Not only as mother and daughter, but also as two people who dream together, make decisions together, make mistakes together, and keep searching for what works."

She didn't romanticise it.

"Sometimes that brings tension. But in the end, it has only brought us closer together."

I feel exactly the same. I'm deeply grateful that cOMmon gave us the opportunity to rediscover one another in this way.

A seed grows in its own time

One of the hardest parts of this year was accepting that some things simply move more slowly than we hope.

Jen experienced that too. Balancing her own work with cOMmon wasn't always easy. And she felt something else that I think many people will recognise.

"You feel other people's disappointment too, and without realising it, you carry some of it with you."

Then she shared the metaphor that now lives with both of us.

"cOMmon is like a seed. You cannot force it to grow faster. If you give it the right attention, time and care, it will gradually grow into something strong and meaningful."

And perhaps that is exactly what this first year has been. Not explosive growth.

Not quick success. Simply taking root. As Jen also said:

"Sometimes it feels as though very little has happened. But when you truly pause and look, you see how much has already taken shape."

When I look back, I see relationships. I see trust. I see people who stayed. I see people who joined. I see a community that is slowly beginning to recognise itself.

Looking ahead

One year has taught us that some things simply cannot be rushed.

As we step into this second year, I feel something else beginning to change. The story will no longer be ours alone. More members are gradually becoming part of the cooperative team, each bringing their own experience, perspective, and way of contributing. In the months ahead, some of those voices will begin to share their own stories, in their own way, from within and around cOMmon.

That feels like the next natural step.

Because cOMmon was never meant to be shaped by one or two people.

It is slowly becoming a cooperative of people who believe that living and working together can take different forms. Not through fixed answers or perfect systems, but through shared practice, mutual care, and a willingness to keep learning together.

I would like to end with Jen's own words, because I don't think I could say it any better.

"cOMmon began as a small seed, planted through intuition and hope, and it continues to grow every day thanks to everyone who believes in a regenerative future."

May we continue to care for that seed, together. 🌱