The Wall Street Journal recently posted an article in their Small Business section about coworking. And the title struck a chord with us.
The article, Start-Ups Share Space to Shave Costs in Slump: ‘Co-Working’ Rental Deals Find Fresh Impetus as Entrepreneurs Enjoy Both Lower Overhead and Networking, goes right to the point of C4 Workspace. No matter the economy small and solo businesses have the same basic needs: a professional presence and an environment where they can grow.
Stormy Weather
Right now, the economy is not so good. Obvious, but it had to be said. What doesn’t change is that our businesses still need to prosper. Prosperity is not a solo enterprise; it depends on collaborating and cooperating with others. That may mean paying a stranger to perform some anonymous service for you or connecting with a colleague, a known quantity, to perform the same service. Which would you rather do?
Doing “commerce” is not easy. It can get messy. But doing commerce all by yourself is impossible. You will always need other people to make it fly.
What we are trying to offer at C4 Workspace is a place where you can work around other people, get to know them while they get to know you, and discover each other’s strengths. Want to be a coach? We have a few of those. Need some project management advice? C4 Workspace has a member or two that do that. Looking for people facing the same challenges as you everyday? Oh yeah, we have plenty of those.
I’m Their Best Customer!
I hope this doesn’t sound like a big sales pitch. I’m one of the people that invested to make C4 Workspace happen. You could say I have an “invested” interest. But I’m also a small business person (DoingMedia LLC) that works full time from the space. I work with great people everyday, some who do things that I do and many who don’t. I know my business image has changed since I moved into C4 Workspace. DoingMedia is perceived differently by clients, prospects and colleagues.
Is any of that a reason to cowork? Maybe. If you want to work alone it’s not for you. If you need a dose of social interaction with your business life then probably so. If you’re a lone ranger who can only do everything themself then come on down and check it out. Seriously. The worse that can happen is you still work alone and you use some of our printer ink or drink some of our ice tea. The best that could happen? Well, that’s all up to you.
p.s. Don’t you love title alliteration?