Many people in the coworking community are already familiar with The Global Coworking Unconference Conference kicking off its second year in Austin, Texas March 5^th-6^th.  Rayann and I have been gearing up for this event for a few months now. We teamed up with Liz Elm, the Executive Producer of GCUC, and owner of Link Coworking to help spread the word via the web of this awesome event. We are proud to be a part of the GCUC social media team and we are looking forward to bringing you live action once the conference is underway!

Here are the reasons we are going:

1. We believe in the coworking movement.
2. We are collaborators; therefore, why not collaborate with other space owners.
3. No need to predict the future, we are going to create it.
4. Get those tough questions answered with expert panelists.
5. Did someone say food trucks?
6. Check out beautiful Austin!
7. Finally meet people face-to-face that we’ve been talking to on Facebook, Google groups, and Twitter- #newfriends
8. The Work Spot is hosting The Unofficial GCUC Coworkaholics Pre-Party the night before.
9. All the cool kids are doing it.

Yesterday was Mayor Nancy Harris’s State of the City Address, and we were thrilled to have been in attendance as well as being mentioned in her slide show! Her presentation focused on building the city to become a desirable place for Millennials (born 1982-2000) in order for growth. Faye Edmonson summed up the event perfectly on Patch.com by quoting Mayor Harris’s main points:

• “Young professionals also want to have opportunities to become engaged in the community”
• “Young professionals usually organize around issues rather than go to meetings on a regular basis”
• “Today’s young people tend to be lifelong learners looking for authenticity”
• “If we involve young people in our city, they’re going to stay here”
• Nancy also mentioned the Work Spot in her speech by emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurs in the community: “Providing multiple earning options where young entrepreneurs can flourish, such as the Work Spot, a coworking environment, also are desirable.”

We understand the importance of collaboration, connectedness, entrepreneurship, and guess what? So do Millennials. With this in mind, we have very exciting programs  for Millennials and entrepreneurs at the Work Spot.

Our goals for 2013 coincide with Nancy Harris and the city of Duluth; we can’t wait to see local businesses grow, community involvement evolve, and for Duluth to become a hub for entrepreneurs to come for resources, support, and success.

Duluth Economic Manager Chris McGahee, left, with Kristin Donaldson, who represented The Work Spot. Credit: Faye Edmundson

This just might be the shortest blog post to date.  Friendly reminder, we think it’s spelled “coworking.”

Check out the full conversation from DeskMag’s article, Coworking or co-working?

As the word “coworking” has begun to spread, and people are understanding the concept, we often hear these two phrases a lot: “So, you’re like Regus?” and “Ohh, so you’re a business center.”

We can understand where these two thoughts come from, but we wanted to get the word out and set the record straight. Deskmag also reacted to a publication from Regus that boldly defined coworking as something from the “past.” Deskmag has also written about how business centers and coworking spaces are not in competition with one another even though there are overlapping clientele.

Here are just a few points, and there are many more not mentioned. Maybe we are biased, but at the end of the day coworking is awesome and we want more people to be a part of it.  Collaboration is the name of the game, no matter where it happens.

Sources:

http://www.deskmag.com/en/home-offices-increase-unproductivity-coworking-spaces-belong-to-past-640/2

http://www.unwired.eu.com/WT12/london/_review/Regus-Co-working.pdf

Photo credit

Ok guys, it’s no secret that we have space to rent by the hour or the day. Presenting our 3 options:

1) Meeting Room
2) Conference Room
3) Training Room

Here are 10 reasons why we are more awesome than the other event places:

1) Overhead projector, and all AV connectors included:

Some places charge you to use their equipment in their rental space. Not us! We want to give you as many freebies as possible. We have all AV connectors for Macs and PCs so all you have to remember is to bring your laptop!

2) Free Wi-fi

Yeah, we said it.

3) Coffee Shop next door

Chocolate Perks is located right next to us. Caffeine makes every event better, face it.

4) Ambiance

Our art filled training room provides creativity to even the most non-creative person in corporate America. All of our art is by local artists. We also have a fun orange wall in our training room that can make anyone smile!

5) Free parking… oh and a park right across the street

Don’t you hate going to events and find out parking isn’t included? Parking is always free and we are located right on Main Street in historic Duluth. We are also right across our gorgeous town park area.

6) We can fit 30 comfortably.

Depending on your event and room layout, we can fit around 30 people comfortably in the training room. That’s a lot of people.

7) Price, duh!

Yeah $50 an hour is a steal! And guess what… if you’re a Work Spot member it’s only $25 an hour. Take THAT hotel room rental prices, bam!

8) White board and markers

We know you love to doodle, and we have 16 foot long white board and markers for your enjoyment.

9) We help you promote it

If you have an event in our space, we will post it as an event on our Facebook page and mention it to our members in our weekly newsletter.

10) Cause you want to grow your business

Hosting an event or training session will boost brand awareness, and give you cool points.

The Work Spot has just completed another successful semester with a super-duper sharp intern. Many businesses often find interns to be very helpful, but how do you know if this will be the right fit for you and your business?

• Do you have time? Interns take a lot of hands on effort, especially in the beginning. Time out your work week and see how many hours a week you can commit to your intern before you even start the search.
• Have a syllabus. Most schools require the intern to turn in a syllabus prepared by the company of the tasks and duties that will be taking place.  Write the backbone, or main points once to save you time in the future, and then adapt the syllabus on a case-by-case basis depending on the strengths of your intern.
• Do not just get an intern to get coffee or file papers. This relationship needs to be mutually beneficial.
• When he/she starts their internship, find out about their hobbies, classes they are taking, and academic strengths. Build a solid relationship.
• You can often learn from them. Today’s intern generation is super savvy with technology. For example, maybe there is a mobile application that can help with organization that you don’t know about?
• Give your intern assorted tasks, feedback, a task that he/she can complete from beginning to end.  Let them know the importance of their work and make them feel part of the team.

An intern is a win-win and you could be building company loyalty which could create a great future employee. Get creative, don’t be afraid to take a student under your wing, and encourage your intern to share their future successes with you even when their time with you is done. And remember, HAVE FUN!

If you would like to learn more about getting an intern or resources to find one email us and we’ll be happy to chat with you.

On November 30^th we had the pleasure of attending an inspiring and informative event geared towards entrepreneurs.  It was presented by Chevon Hines, a driven and passionate young woman who graduated with her undergrad in May 2012. She had the vision to start her own company and she did; this was the first event she put on as Chevon Hines Enterprises.

The event was a panel of 4 experts who had the experience and wisdom necessary to guide and advice new business owners.

So whether you are a recent startup or have been in business for 20 years, the panel of experts shared some very helpful advice that can benefit everyone.

• OK, so you have your big idea. Before you write a business plan, write a position paper, this should cover a few vital points: (1) What’s the problem in the industry? (2) What’s different about you? (3) Why does this difference matter?   This is helpful to know before you hit the road running to see that your product/service is actually needed in the industry.
• Do you have an innovative idea? Someone’s going to catch up to you. Have a strategic plan to deal with it when it happens and a plan to keep moving forward.
• What is your end result? A panelist said that that he asked this question to many new business owners and they didn’t have a clue. Are you trying to eventually sell it? Have it acquired?  There are only a few options, so pick one for now and work it.
• Understand  the legalities of your business, this can help you avoid a lot of future headaches.
• Have an operating agreement with your co-owners. Get it out of the way in the beginning and this will also help you avoid more potential future headaches.
• One of the panelists invests in new businesses, when asked what he looks for in a person to invest with, he responded: “Does this person have passion, optimism, and character? Do I trust you as a business person, and do I believe in the value you are bringing to the customer?”
• Learn profit and loss statements. Even if you are not dealing with lots of the financial statements, you should know when and how you are making money within your business.

Whatever you are doing to start/grow your business just know you are not alone, and there are countless resources for you. Stop by The Work Spot and find out how you can tap into some our resources to help you accelerate your business. We have a lot of exciting things happening and we want to collaborate with you!

After attending the 2012 Global Coworking Unconference Conference, I left with an overwhelming desire to unite our own Atlanta coworking community. Generally in coworking, we talk so much about collaboration and communication within our spaces, but rarely do we discuss what is happening outside of them. While in Austin, I learned that many of the Seattle coworking owners formed a group called the Seattle Collaborative Space Alliance and had been casually meeting to discuss issues and celebrate successes. These get-togethers were used to bring about best practices in the Seattle coworking community. I sat in my chair listening to them, having the urge to jump and scream, “I want that!” I wanted someone to talk to who knew exactly what I was going through.

Upon my return back to Atlanta, the first item on my to-do list was to send an email to everyone considered within the Atlanta coworking community that I knew. We had our 1st meeting at 151 Locust. For most people in the room, it was the first time meeting one another. Ignition Alley, Hub, 200 Peachtree, Bean Work Play Café, and The Fusebox were all in attendance (Strongbox West and the Venture Spot had previous commitments, but it wouldn’t be right not to mention them~).

That first meeting was unstructured, casual, and with no agenda. It took us only a few minutes to realize that we were not there as competition, but as associates to help each other out. Expectations and boundaries were hashed out; friendships were formed.

The main objective on all of our minds was to raise the awareness of coworking in Atlanta, in turn, hoping to build sustainment within in our spaces. I look forward to what will come.

You can follow the Atlanta Coworking Alliance on Twitter (@ATLcoworking)

Also! Checkout the 2013 Global Coworking Unconference Conference; I’m going to be there, are you?

Hello everybody, my name is Constance and I’m a junior at the Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology. Like your typical, geeky teenager, I enjoy anything relating to computers, like videogames and programming, but I also have an artistic streak in me. Going to a school that focuses on math and engineering, my goal appears to get a degree in computer engineering. However, that artsy side of me wants to be a freelance digital artist, so I’m unsure of what to do in the future.

How I ended up interning for The Work Spot is a simple story. In order to graduate, every junior has to do an internship, called the “Junior Fellowship Experience” and this is the internship I got placed at. My JFE coordinator thought that I would be a good match since I was independent, strong working women and already knew a thing or two about web design and coding. Once every couple of weeks, a class of juniors will get together to share our experiences at our internships.

The question always comes up, “Hey Constance, where do you intern?” Of course I reply, “I intern at a coworking space, The Work Spot,” and then my friends get a funny look on their face. Not many people know what “coworking” actually means, or they guess it consists of people working together, which is kind of right. So to follow up with my reply, this is how I describe coworking:

“Coworking is when independent workers share a work space and exchange ideas as opposed to working at home alone. Unlike a regular office space, coworking is informal and open and focuses more on the community aspect. Like the ‘two brains are better than one’ idea.”

Some of them walk away satisfied, some with still with a confused look on their face, either way, I think to truly know what coworking is, you have to go out and try it for yourself and see what happens.