Introducing Billie Coop

Hi, I'm Steve, and this is Billie Coop.

We incorporated in BC in 2025, and honestly? The first few months were a little slow. I was hacking on projects and doing some contracting, and the other three have been tied up with their own work. That's okay — we're just getting started.

We started a worker-owned software cooperative because... why not? The alternative is working for someone else or working alone. Neither sounded great. This way we own what we build, split things fairly, and maybe have some fun along the way. AI is making it easy to run companies with fewer workers. A coop is structured to do the opposite — we only exist to employ us.

Our first project is Lite Invoice, a simple invoicing app for freelancers and small businesses. Nothing fancy — we just wanted something that works without the usual upsell nonsense. 2026 is the year we take it seriously and see if we can make it sustainable.

This blog is where we'll share how it goes — the wins, the mistakes, and the weird in-between moments. If you're curious about coops, indie software, or just want to follow along, you're in the right place.

— Steve
About AI & writing

P.S. We're going to try sharing stats each week. It's a loaded topic given all the hustle culture bullshit out there, so the whole thing probably deserves its own post — but for now, let's see how it goes.

P.P.S. "Sustainable" here means we can afford to pay ourselves a living wage and work on this full-time if we want to. We're not sharing MRR because money's just a means to an end — the real goal is gainful employment for all of us.