Category Archives: Business

Work is not a place!

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So, I “worked” SXSWi, putting together a docudemo (that’s my word!) So I didn’t get to do the Panel experience. Some of my best friends are panelists. The panel I was most interested in was the Future of Work panel moderated by Clay Spinuzzi from UT Austin. (Also on the panel was soon-to-be-opened-coworking-space-catalyst Liz Elam from Linked.

I had lunch with Liz after the panel and she kept talking about the guy from oDesk. Here’s a blog post that I think is explains oDesk’s general view toward coworking. I don’t necessarily agree with their basic premise which is ?Work is not a place!?. And therefore you don’t have to be in one place to work. I agree with that. I think their not too subtle subtext is that anyone can work for anyone from anywhere; the ultimate virtual worker. Which just happens to be what oDesk does – find  virtual workers and work for virtual workers.

But when you want to or need to what better place than a coworking space. Like, uh, [unsubtle subtext] C4 Workspace?

What do you think?

Clay Spinuzzi: The Future of Work

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We met Clay Spinuzzi a few months ago at the first meeting of the Texas Coworking Coalition. Clay teaches Rhetoric at UT Austin and hosted a panel at SXSWi called “The Future of Work.”

After his panel, Amanda Congdon from sometimesdaily.com interviewed him about his panel topic and coworking in general. This is probably the best interview I’ve seen about coworking and how it relates to the today’s work world.

We’ll be bringing Clay down for a panel with some of our economic development friends on the future of work in San Antonio.  Stay Tuned!

An Open Letter to the San Antonio Community

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(We will really appreciate if you read through this entire, longish note.)

Thanks to everyone who has coworked at C4 Workspace. You’ve seen the value and reaped the benefits of a collaborative, social working environment. Over the past 8 months we have been very successful getting the word out and getting involved in the community by hosting a pretty wide range of events. With the help of many of you we were able to open and launch last June.

Here’s the deal

Rent, phone, Internet and utilities = $3800 a month. C4 Workspace has a monthly shortfall of $2000 which the three partners have funded up to now. But this is not about us. Debbie, Perla Escobar and I invested in this idea knowing our investment wouldn’t pay back overnight. We are only the catalyst for this movement in San Antonio.

We’re thrilled that our Full Time Resident desks are right on track. Erik Bosse, Media Justice League, Local 782, DoingMedia, and soon Michael Druck from On Cue Studio are all working at C4 Workspace day to day.

The Community Space usage (paid) is a little ahead of plan; the pro bono usage is about where we expected.

However the Part Time Coworker desk plans which are running about 70% behind plan and Conference Room usage which is 80% behind.

C4 Workspace needs you to come and work. For a day or sign up for a monthly Coworker or Resident plan or hold a meeting in the conference room.

How can you help?

In a month if we had…

  • 30 Daily Desk visits (about 7 a week) = $600 ($20 each)
  • 2 add’l Resident Desk Plans = $560 ($280 each)
  • 4 add’l Coworker Desk Plans = $600
  • 4 Conference Room bookings = $280
  • 6 Community Space Bookings (3 hours each) = $450

…(or any combination of the above) we would meet our monthly expenses.

What will you miss?

(if we can’t make the monthly budget?)

  • A downtown address
  • A Professional Office
  • The possibility of any of the events we’ve hosted over the past 8 months
    • Film Screenings
    • Workshops
    • Beer making
    • Art shows
    • Mixers
  • The cheapest, coolest event space in San Antonio
  • Connection to an amazingly diverse group of  people

Did you know…

  • Parking is free
  • Printing is free
  • WiFi is free
  • Coffee is free
  • People will talk with you…and smile

C4 Workspace is 10 minutes from…

  • The Airport (via 281)
  • The Northwest side (IH-10 and 410) (About 5 minutes more during morning and evening rush.)
  • The Convention Center
  • The Riverwalk
  • All of Southtown

We know. We’ve timed it. We’re 15 strolling minutes to The Majestic Theatre, Blue Star Complex and most of the major hotels and downtown corporate offices.

What’s Your Answer?

  • Has your business grown lately?
  • What is your marketing budget?
  • What is the productivity cost of working at home or a coffee shop?
  • Where did you meet the last person who had a significant effect on your business?
  • How many clients have complimented you on your choice in coffee shops?

Our coworkers express these answers each time they use C4 Workspace.

C4 Workspace need your help.

We know the coworking concept is valuable. We think you know that too. If you have coworked at the space you know the value. If you haven’t coworked at the space now is the time to find out.

C4 Workspace needs you in the next 30 days and throughout the year. Be more than a visitor (much less a stranger) and become a coworker who is actively invested in one of the most innovative ideas in San Antonio.

Thanks again for your support. Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Regards,

Todd O’Neill
Catalyst/Partner

Debbie Curtis
Manager/Partner

Perla Escobar
Partner

Community Workplaces Presentation

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In our continued effort to provide information (and proselytize) about coworking we offer up this presentation from the folks at Carrboro Coworking in North Carolina.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

What is Coworking and Microleasing?

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Coworking as Economic Development Engine

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Our motto down here at C4 Workspace is “Building a Sustainable Professional Community for San Antonio.” That means we’re building an internal community that is connected to the external community. And that the coworkers in our community will prosper together which will in turn benefit the the San Antonio community at large.

So it looks like New York City is thinking the same thing. In this article from the New York Observer, Mayor Announces $1.5 Million Bailout Plan for City’s Media and Tech Industry, you can read about a variety of things Mayor Bloomberg and company are trying to do to help the city recover from the financial meltdown.

I like this part…

Finding affordable office space among the city’s tech startups has been an ongoing struggle for many entrepreneurs and freelance new media bloggers in New York, too. New Work City on Varick Street, a co-working space for freelancers and startups, offers memberships for $50 to $500 per month. But discounted office space, with enough juice to power computers and servers, is in high demand. So the city is also partnering with economic and business advocacy organization Downtown Alliance to build “hives,” or coworking spaces. The first, called “Hive@55,” will be an affordable co-working space for up to about 50 freelancers at a time in a 5,000 square foot space at 55 Broad Street, the high-tech highrise built to attract more tech companies to the city.

Small and micro business have the same problems all over. One of the biggest challenges freelancers and other home based businesses face is having an affordable, professional, physical presence. And having other professionals to connect with. Which solves the universal problem of isolation. That is what coworking is all about. And it looks like New York is about to tap into that in a serious way.

So…what does NYC got that San Antonio ain’t got? KnowotI’mtalkinbout?

[Thanks to our friends at OpenSpace Coworking in Charlottesville, Virginia for the link. Hi Nikki! Hi Jeff!]

Outright.com on Co-working

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This just popped up on my Google Reader and I thought I would share. The Pros and Cons of Co-Working comes from the Outright.com blog which is full of good nuggets about running a small business and the issues that face them.

So what do you see as the Pros and Cons of Co-working? Did they miss anything? Leave a Comment!

[I really like Outright. They provide income and expense tracking for small and solo businesses through a free website. They are also part of something called the Small Business Web, a group of companies that provide online applications that help small businesses manage their day to day operations. They have integrated their apps so you can pass information from one to another. It's like having a whole staff to do your bidding. More about that in another post.]

Coworking in the Wall Street Journal

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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?