Category Archives: members

It’s in the Bolsa

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Coworking attracts people who think different. Small businesses that are willing to go after new ideas. And so, I give you Susana Canseco.

Susana is new to C4 Workspace. She, and her husband Brandon Seale, joined just a few weeks ago and have Coworker desks for their respective businesses. Brandon is an honest to goodness oilman and Susana is a cattle rancher. Really. Moo cows (actually beef cattle.) She represents Rancho Ojo de Aqua, her family’s ranch in northern Coahuila, Mexico. Pretty cool right? But that’s not all.

I just found out that Susana and her family have a side business. A green business even. They make all sizes of bolsas (bags) from recycled feed sacks. These are very cool, just reek of Texas and are strong as all get out. Not sure if they’re waterproof at the seams but I’m pretty sure you could haul water back from the crik (sic) to keep the doggies all hydrated and such.

The bolsas are made from recycled feedsacks, many of which were used at Rancho Ojo de Agua. They’re lined and include reused seatbelt handles and straps. You can check out some great photos on their Facebook Page.

  • Adventure Bolsa–a large tote for the farmers market, grocery store, beach, or anywhere else you need to take stuff. Interior and exterior pockets.
  • Bolsita–smaller version of the Adventure Bolsa–can be used for grocery shopping, as a purse, for a few books, etc. Interior pocket.
  • Messenger Bolsa–fits a laptop alongside books and files. Interior and exterior pockets, including cell-phone pocket.
  • Bank Bolsa–use it as a pencil bag, a cosmetic bag, a guy’s small shave case, or as a small clutch purse. Has a zipper across the top.
  • Duffel Bolsa–great for a trip to the gym, a weekend getaway, hunting trip, or horse show.
  • Purse Bolsa–traditional purse styling and size with all the other great Bolsa features–pockets, seatbelt handle, fully lined, and easy to clean.

Bolsas can be purchased from Susana when she’s down at C4 Workspace or online at elojodeagua.com, at our booths, or from our growing list of retailers.

Coworking is just awesome possum. (But I don’t think they use recycled possum feed bags for any of the bolsas. Bummer.)

New Members since…a long time ago

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We have been beyond remiss in recognizing new members to C4 Workspace. This list is actually as of January 1. And I know there are people we missed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the class (so far) of 2010.

Jose Banuelos Banned Entertainment Filmmaker
Betty Buckley Be Creative Television Development
Carina Chocano Content Strategist and Writer
Jc Cuenca Industry Screen Print Printing and Marketing
Keenon DeVaughn Start-up Software
Calley Gonzalez Couture by Calley Fashion Design
Le Lowry Writer ad Coffee Afficiado
Retha Oliver Writer
Lettie Ozuna Geological Information Systems (GIS)
Lynne Russell Interconnect 365 LLC Marketing
Sally Valenzuela Corporate Training
Michael Verdi Mozilla Video Producer
Delia Vonmuldau Haute Republic Fashion Retailing
Shawn Welk Vue Mobile Telecommunications
Joel Ziegler Ziegler Photography Photography

Our Anniversary Gift Registry

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…otherwise known as our wish list.

It’s our First Anniversary and we’re having a big party on June 5 to celebrate.

It has been an “interesting” first year. Getting the space off the ground, spreading the concept around, traversing the pitfall of a small business tied to a thing (the building.)

We’ve had a little list of needs and nice to haves but we’ve never posted it. So, just in case you were thinking of getting the space a gift, we thought we’d share what would be very special presents for C4 Workspace. (A traditional First Anniversary gift is paper and we have some items below that qualify. Look for the asterisk.)

Gently used items…

  • Small water heater 15-40 gallons
  • Projector (Ours walked away around the first of the year)
  • Espresso machine
  • PA System
  • Almost new Mac or PC (for shared use)
  • Drop ceiling for Conference Room (via fairy godmother or gift card(s) for materials)
  • Toaster Oven
  • 2 Drawer File Cabinets
  • Bookcases
  • Room dividers (or gift card(s) to buy materials and build)
  • Digital Camera
  • Coffee Urn

We would be grateful for…

  • Printer paper – white
  • HP 02 ink jet cartridges – B&W and color
  • Bottled water
  • Paper Towels
  • TP (not gently or any other kind of used)

Gift Cards can help us with these projects or purchases. From…

  • IKEA
  • Home Depot
  • Lowes
  • HEB
  • Office Max
  • Office Depot
  • Best Buy
  • Etc.

FREE Workshop Space for Members

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The BIG thinkers at C4 came up with a new idea and gave it the name “SMARTEES”. It’s really two ideas, branded as SMARTEES.

How it Works

Seminars and workshops are a great way to use your knowledge to provide value to people (read: grow your business) It shows that you’re an “expert” in your field. The SMARTEE program helps brand you as that expert. And FREE space keeps your costs to a minimum. But it’s only for C4 Workspace members.

Details! Details!

Here’s the deal.

2 hour Seminar

4-6 hour Workshop
FREE
(Can include $10 lunch from the Filling Station…Mmmm!)

FREE or Workshop Fee
(Share 20% of revenue with C4 Workspace in lieu of space rental)
Members can host either one 2 hour seminar or one 4-6 hour workshop each month.

Get Started

  • Create your topic
  • Schedule the event 4 weeks in advance
  • Determine time slot; lunch, evening, weekend, etc.
  • Put together an outline and description for promotion
  • Get a C4 Workspace logo to include in your marketing
  • Invite members, clients, prospects, and the community.

A Few Suggestions

  • Focus your topic
  • Keep it basic to the intermediate level
  • Plan sessions to be interactive
  • Make handouts valuable
  • Charge for longer sessions – give specific outcomes
  • Sell or giveaway bonus materials
  • Reveal your ninja abilities with Q & A time

What Else?

  • SMARTIE® Candy for everyone!
  • Stickers, if we can get it together
  • Extra promotion on Facebook, Twitter, blah, blah, blah and C4 blog, C4 Press List, and Flyer in C4 Window

Why???

C4 Workspace is a place for members to work and grow their business. Workshops are a great way to make that happen. Having more people in the space is good for everyone.

By working together we create new opportunities!

Call now! Operators are standing by!

Northside Location: Survey Says!

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Thanks you everyone who went through the Northside Coworking Location survey. We were using it to gauge the interest in the space on the Northside. If you were a survey-filler-outer don’t forget to stop by and pick up your Daily Desk pass. Even if you replied “No.” We have two free coworking days coming up: Cinco de Mayo (May 5th, natch) and May 13th.

On the survey we had great response…sort of.

Here’s What We Learned

Resident Desk (personal desk with 24/7 access)

  • 4 people said they were interested  - Which is good.
  • Only 1 person left their email – which is not so good.

Coworker Desk (Shared desk with business hours access)

  • 6 said they were interested – Pretty good
  • But, alas, none left their emails (Are you seeing a pattern here?

Daily Desk

  • 10 said they would be interested – Great
  • 9 left their email addresses!!! – Also Great!

Conference Room

  • 5 said they would be interested – Again, great.
  • 5 left their email addresses – WooHoo!

And we had 14 “No”s – Thanks for for playing our game!

What does it all mean?

Well, we don’t know yet because we don’t know who nearly all of the Resident or Coworker folks are.

Here’s what we’re gonna do. We are going to have two information sessions, one during the day (lunch) and one in the evening. We will Tweet and Facebook Status the heck out of this. If you are interested in a Resident or Coworker desk you MUST attend – or send a note from a licensed physician.

Right Now, go to this page and tell us who you are and what you’re interested in.

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