Enjoy this guest post from coworker Kristin Mastre on how coworking gave her much needed balance between being a stay at home mom and a small business owner. Having my cake and eating it too.
Member Kristin coworks every Wednesday night while her husband hangs out with the kids.
The other day, my kids and I were attending a birthday party for one of my older son’s preschool friends. As the kids were running around jumping in bounce houses and sliding down slides, another mom and I had a chance to chat.
“Congrats on all of the progress you’ve made with work! You deserve it. You’ve worked really hard. There are quite a few moms around town who are envious that you have it all. You have a balance of staying at home, but still working in a career both at the same time. A lot of people wish they could do the same.”
It was an incredibly flattering compliment, and it wouldn’t have gotten it without the help from my fellow coworking space members. I can live that double life while night coworking. I do have a great balance with home and work. I get to take my boys to everything they want to do – karate classes, attend school field trips and park days; I also plan meetings, collaborate and grow my business and passion. I get to have my cake and eat it too. Being a work-at-home-mom is isolating and frustrating, often times feeling like you’re talking to yourself (or the walls). When I was at my lowest point in motherhood, I joined a moms group and became an active member, essentially saving my sanity. When becoming an entrepreneur, it seemed like a natural step to join a coworking space to network with other professionals. Fortunately, my coworking space had the best membership for me where I could still keep my flexible work-at-home lifestyle and cowork with other local freelancers at the same time. It’s great! One night a week I leave the boys at home with their dad so they can have “boys party”, watching movies and eating popcorn. They enjoy sharing their special bonding time together. I get to pack up and head off to coworking where I get an incredible amount of work done while forming business relationships that are taking my career to the next level. Without my membership, my business growth would take a lot longer, not having those vital professional connections. Also, my kids would be missing out on some important one-on-one time with their dad. We really do have the perfect balance that way and it wasn’t difficult to obtain, thanks to night coworking.
Coworking is considered by many to be an urban movement, with most coworking activity located in big cities.
But our recent census of U.S. coworking facilities shows that roughly 20% are located outside of the 50 most populated U.S. metropolitan areas (MSAs). And over 40% are outside the 10 most populated areas.
Examples of smaller cities with coworking facilities include Asheville (NC), Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Lincoln, Santa Cruz (CA) and Ft. Wayne.
We also found that a growing number of coworking facilities are located in suburbs – some well outside the urban core.
Altamont Coworking www.altamontcowork.com , for example, is located about 50 miles east of San Francisco in Tracy, CA. Another example is Satellite Coworking www.thesatelliteinc.com , located 31 miles south of San Jose in Felton, CA.
It will come as no surprise to those familiar with SF Bay Area traffic that both of these facilities stress the advantages of using their space instead of commuting.
Other suburban coworking facilities, such as Converge Coworking www.convergenj.com in Union, NJ, are located in closer-in suburbs.
The growing geographic diversity of coworking facilities reflects the broad appeal of the coworking movement.
Steve King is a partner at Emergent Research and is leading their current coworking study. www.coworkinglabs.com
If you have more than one coworking option to choose from, or you need help comparing the features of a coworking facility to those of an executive suite or dedicated office space, here are 5 things to look for.
By Angel Kwiatkowski
If you have more than one coworking option to choose from, or you need help comparing the features of a coworking facility to those of an executive suite or dedicated office space, here are 5 things to look for.
1. Comfort and Ambiance
Ok that’s two, but they go hand in hand. The worst thing about working in a traditional office space or (gasp!) cubicle jungle is that they aren’t comfortable. Fluorescent lights, worn out desk chairs and stark white walls belong in hospitals, not your everyday workspace. Check out the space’s website and look for pictures of the interior. If you don’t find any, it might be because they’ve got something to hide.
2. Multiple Workspaces
Does everyone have to crowd around the same table? Do you have to fight off other early risers for the “good desk”? A prime coworking space will provide different places for you to work, so that you can choose the environment that is most conducive to your productivity on any particular day. Couches, tables, open and enclosed desks, nooks and comfy chairs all within ten feet of a white board? Yes please!
3. Conference Space
Freelancers and small business owners are constantly having meetings. Lots of them. Being a member of a coworking community means that you no longer have to take these meetings in crowded coffee shops. Make sure you find out whether there is a classy looking room with a closeable door for you to use. If you take a lot of meetings and there’s no meeting space, it might not be the right facility for you.
4. Multiple Membership Plans
The whole reason people are attracted to the idea of freelancing or owning their own business is because they feel trapped in the traditional 9 – 5. What’s the use of coworking if it isn’t flexible enough to fit into your life with ease? Look for coworking facilities that offer multiple stages/styles/levels of membership. This will ensure you get the most out of the experience and your investment.
5. Good People!
It’s called coworking. That means more than one. Every space has to start somewhere, and there are always those days that everyone stays home, but the people are the most important part of coworking. Find out how large the membership is, what kind of work the other members do, and ask the space owner/host/curator which days tend to be busy or empty. This can help you plan which days you want to come for quality interaction.
A lot of people are talking about coworking. But does it really make that much of a difference?
Starting a business isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. Most entrepreneurs are so interested in keeping the bills paid, they forget how vital things like fresh air and conversation can be to their business’ success.
If you’re debating whether or not to give coworking a try, here are some compelling reasons to experience work outside the home office:
1. Motivation
Joining a coworking community is like getting a double shot of motivation right in the ticker. It might surprise you to know that there are people that will find your ideas/talents/products impressive and constantly encourage you to reach for more. They are called coworkers, and they are waiting to assure you that there is a reason to keep going.
2. Networking
Aside from those special souls that were born for cold calling, have you ever met someone that really enjoys networking events? There’s all that awkward glancing between face and name tag, painful small talk about the catered food, and the inevitable fumbling for the business card.
When you’re a coworker, networking ceases to be a traumatizing monthly event and instead becomes a natural part of your daily conversation. Each day, you’ll be sitting next to someone new, with a whole set of talents, ambitions, and business contacts waiting to be discovered.
3. Bartering
Money tight? Working in a community of small business owners and freelancers means that everyone can relate to clients who ignore invoices and struggling bank accounts. But instead of breaking down, coworkers barter. Chances are, within 20 feet of your laptop you’ll find someone that’s willing to trade you graphic design work for some help with marketing, or new head shots in exchange for a snappy press release.
4. Outsourcing
(No, not like that terrible show that replaced Parks and Rec). If you’ve got more work than you know what to do with, there’s no need to give up sleep or force your family into indentured servitude. As a coworker, you have a built in pool of talented, motivated people all around you that will probably be interested in picking up your slack for pay or barter. Not only will your clients think you’ve developed super human powers because of how fast things will get done, you’ll gain major karma points in the freelancing community.
5. Creativity
Traditional businesspeople swear by “location, location, location.” For coworkers, the mantra is “ideas, ideas, ideas.” Writer’s block, brain farts, and design paralysis are no match for a community of creatively endowed people. If a problem project has you stymied, try shouting it out to the built in focus group seated all around you (check to make sure they don’t have their headphones in first). You might be surprised at how quickly you’ll have more ideas than than ever.
These are the adjectives that come to mind when coworking in Omaha’s newest collaborative workspace, CAMP Omaha.
Snuggled secretively inside a former furniture warehouse that’s getting a creative make-over, CAMP has the feel of a 1950′s elementary classroom gone horribly right.
Gone are the intrusive fluorescent lights and clumsy chalkboard. In their place are giant windows, spacious desks, comfy couches, and a map of America so giant it’ll make you want to want to play Twister all over the Midwest.
In its own words, “CAMP is a dream realized through creative friends, late night pancake runs, Double Dead Guys, supportive parents, great friendships and a passion to give back to Omaha.” Translation: if you’re into private offices and library-like workspaces, don’t bother going to CAMP.
BUT! If you like comparing musical playlists, longboarding to the bathroom, and pulling all-nighters with freelance fashion designers, software programmers, writers, and photographers…CAMP has a bunk with your name on it.
Wanna learn more? Follow @CAMPomaha on Twitter or join their page on Facebook. If you’re passing through Nebraska, be sure to stop in and say hi to Megan and the whole CAMP gang. (And be on the lookout for the wandering mannequin!).
@GoneCoworking is the adventure of Beth and Eric, two crazy kids traveling the country to find out whether it’s really possible to be a location independent freelancer! The coworking community provides a unique opportunity for traveling telecommuters/freelancers/business owners to have a professional workspace and remain connected with their peers while away from home. Here’s an inside look at some of the coworking people and spaces we’ve met along the way!
Wood Project / Meeting Table (Jay and Tom at their desks)
Short History
A couple of years ago, I read an article on coworking. After reading it, I thought to myself…wow, this is just like the old Neighborhood Telecommuting Centers of the 1980’s.
Having co-written the first “Telecommuting Plan” at LLNL, I became a staunch advocate of telecommuting and in the early to mid-90’s, I pondered opening a Telecommuting Center in Tracy, CA. Hey…205 was getting busier, 580 was packed most days, lots of commuters complaining about their long commutes, and these commutes were getting longer and longer. I thought “Wouldn’t it be perfect to give commuters a place to work, close to home?”. However, not having money or support, that never happened….probably a good thing.
Fast forward 15 to 20 years or so….
Now “retired” from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (but, still needing to make money) I opened the Tracy Virtual Office (now AltamontCowork) as a “coworking” location on May 1, 2009.
Did I understand what coworking was? Ahhh….No. My mind was stuck in “telecommuting” mode, and commuters. But, that’s ok…I’m great at learning on the fly. I did.
Originally, as I sort of said above, I thought opening a coworking location was a great way to get commuters off the roads, reduce traffic, save dollars, be closer to home, improve their quality of life and increase productivity. All the benefits of telecommuting. In other words, a modern version of a Neighborhood Telecommuting Center…my dream.
Scratch that….
Fast forward, 14 months (and change)
I now understand “coworking” (at least from my own experience).
Before I move on, let me get the following out of my system, as I still believe VERY strongly in the benefits of telecommuting (working at home or, now, at a coworking location). There are ZERO commuters using AltamontCowork. ZERO. Let me rant on that point for a few seconds: If you are happy commuting over 4 hours a day from Tracy to the Bay Area, great, BUT, I DO NOT want to hear ANY complaints! If you complain…then DO SOMETHING about it. TALK to your Old Fashioned Boss (OFB) about telecommuting. Believe me, your OFB will NOT talk to you…he / she does NOT care one whit (maybe with an “s” in front) about your commute or quality of life. If you are too chicken to do something about your commute (assuming your job allows you to telecommute)…don’t complain, pure and simple. Ah….there, I’m done. I feel better? Arrrghhh….
Back to coworking. 🙂
A coworking location IS an open collaborative space where independents, freelancers, small / micro businesses can call “home”.
It is NOT a boxed 10 x 10 office, it is NOT a virtual office…which is just a time-shared boxed office.
Likewise it is NOT Starbucks or McDonald’s or Barnes & Noble where you can sit and work on your laptop (in isolation except for the noise) until you get booted out.
And it is NOT your home. This means you have to get dressed and go to work. It does help you stay away from the refrigerator, helps you avoid distractions (honey-do lists, kids, pets, laundry, lawn, garbage), and fight off isolation.
It IS a place where you get to know your fellow coworkers, where you can work in environment similar to a company, but, you are your own boss.
It IS a place where IDEAS flow freely (you are no longer isolated).
It IS a place where you can get help just by asking. “Can someone help me?”.
It IS a place where you can give seminars, teach a class, or have a meeting.
It IS a place where you and your coworkers can (and do) go out to lunch together, enjoy birthday parties, have family nights, laugh, and enjoy other social events. It is kid and pet friendly, and, geeezzz, you could field a softball team in your town.
It IS a place where you can meet clients without cleaning your house! And feel safe.
By the way….a coworking location IS ALSO CLOSE to your home. You can be with your family, you won’t miss important plays, games, doctor visits, etc. You can ride a bike to work or walk (good for your health and the health of the world). You will probably spend more of your money in town (good for the fiscal health of your town).
Coworking has MANY benefits….and it is super affordable for starting out.
One coworking location came up with a great description:
“Work FOR Yourself, Not BY Yourself”
I thought of another while running….rats, walking one day, we are:
“A Community of Independents” (since there are no commuters / telecommuters).
Summary
Coworking is a NEW way to work, and I predict it will be THE way to work 10 years from now as box offices and virtual offices knock down walls to become coworking locations.
The benefits of coworking are simply too compelling to ignore.
Commuters?…..hmmmm, well. Have fun. Until you get the nerve to talk to your OFB (Old Fashioned Boss) to start telecommuting / coworking, have a good life on the road. No complaining!
Driving through Iowa on our way to Des Moines revealed exactly what you might expect about a midwestern state: corn, tractors, wind farms, and more corn. But nestled inconspicuously in a warehouse just outside the downtown area is a hothouse for creativity and technical innovation called Impromptu Studio.
As Iowa’s first home for coworking, Impromptu is proud to have inspired others with the spirit of coworking and led the way in igniting growth in Iowa’s technology scene.
The mix of coworkers that call this comfortable space home is eclectic and refreshing. From artists and writers, to developers and remote workers, many different types of people have come to depend on the community and collaborative potential of Impromptu Studio.
Chatting with @catrocketship, it was easy to see that a common coworking problem affected the professionals in this space as well: the inability to avoid coming up with new projects, business ideas, and website themes on a daily basis. Coworkers are constantly inventing and creating, a process that is effortless when working an elbow’s length away from likeminded people.
The other half of this delightful spacecrew, @scottrocketship, was clearly passionate about what coworking can do for the still-developing cultural and technological scene in Iowa. Striving to push the envelope, whether it be throwing rockin’ parties or offering the only voice of criticism in room full of yes-men, it’s creative thinkers like Scott that will continue to reinvent coworking into something even better.
@DanielShipton is the space’s founder, and dedicated advocate of the coworking lifestyle. CEO of @BitMethod a company that has quickly grown to support five employees, Daniel refuses to retreat to private office space. Instead, his company proudly inhabits the upper section of the loft space, happily brainstorming and inventing out in the open at a long conference table.
In the future, Daniel sees coworking as a recruiting tool for technology companies like BitMethod. Companies that contract out their work to freelancers can offer a cafe-like space on the company grounds as a way to take the “remote” out of remote worker. Morale and productivity go up, while the company is able to keep wasted space and resources down. And the company will have a built-in pool of awesome people to pick from when it’s time to expand.
If you’re ever passing through Iowa, I highly recommend stopping into say hi to the coworkers at Impromptu. Even if it’s just for an afternoon Mario Kart tournament.
We have been making great progress cleaning up the coworking wiki and eradicating spam. The first step is to start a moderator group that approves/denies people who would like to make edits. This is a pretty easy step as folks who are not interested in coworking and only want to add links and such generally don’t try very hard. Will Bennis from Locus Workspace in Prague personally writes everyone who doesn’t include a message in their sign up request and only one in four write him back. We also keep a close eye on the changes RSS feed and jump in and clean house when someone mucks things up.
The space listing has been cleaned up too and moved into a specific Directory page. We have also kicked off The Coworking Database Project aimed at creating better searching functionality. The end result will be a fully decoupled data set with APIs to hook into various interfaces around the net. For example, imagine the data behind Coworking in Deutschland was centralized and they were able to pull just the German spaces to power their list and map. If you would like to get involved in that project we have a mailing we use for collaboration and it’s all listed on the project splash page.
If you are interested in helping out with the wiki cleanup work, or would like to make suggestions, just drop me a line at jacob [at] officenomads [dot] com.
We’re looking for guest bloggers from the global coworking community. Help support the coworking movement by sharing your experiences, knowledge and insight about coworking here. Use the “Submit a Blog Post” button on the right.
Author: @GoneCoworking is the adventure of Beth and Eric, two crazy kids traveling the country to prove that it really is possible to be a location independent freelancer! The coworking community provides a unique opportunity for traveling telecommuters/freelancers/business owners to have a professional workspace and remain connected with their peers while away from home. Here’s an inside look at some of the coworking people and spaces we’ve met along the way!
GC: How were you first introduced to the concept of coworking?
Gerard: Honestly, I don’t remember at this point. I knew about coworking for the longest time, but I mistakenly defined it as rented office space. When I had the glimmer of a wink of a thought about opening one I started digging deeper and realized that coworking was very different from office suites.
GC: What are the benefits/challenges of coworking?
Gerard: I like to tell people that coworking offers self-employed workers all the benefits of working in an office, and none of the bad stuff. That is, you get to chat with colleagues, go to lunch with them, but nobody answers to anyone, so there is no boss, no politics.
The primary challenge with coworking is really the working environment. Working in an open space, next to one another, is not for everyone. Working in a dusty loft, with second-hand furniture is not for everyone.
GC: What sets Cincy Coworks apart from other facilities a traveling freelancer might visit?
Gerard: If you are a freelancer and work in Cincy Coworks you will be working right next to someone who is at least somewhat like-minded. Our current space is too small to avoid this.
There are plenty of office suites in town. Even better, market rates are so low right now, that you could get your own office for cheap. But you won’t talk to anyone and you will work alone. And if you work alone, why not just stay working at home?
GC: I love how part of your slogan is “not just for working.” What other benefits does coworking provide for entrepreneurs/freelancers that an office suite can’t?
Gerard: In addition to the benefits above, we are located in an up-and-coming neighborhood with a coffeeshop, an Asian restaurant, an organic market and deli, all within a couple blocks.
We’d like to hold more evening and weekend events and encourage our members to hold events, but this is a work in progress.
Check out this cool video for a sneak pick into life at Cincy Coworks!
If you’re in the Cincinnati area, and are looking for a place to cowork, you’ll be please to know that Cincy Coworks is a proud member of the Coworking Visa program, and are happy to welcome drop in visitors any time they’re open. Follow @cincycoworks on Twitter, or head over to www.cincycoworks.com to learn more!
