“I need a place and I need a team.”
This is what I would say during my last few years as a full time consultant, with escalating urgency and to anyone who would listen.
It was clear at the beginning that I wouldn’t last long as a solopreneur working from home. New York City was not conducive to coffee shop meetings, and my apartment lobby was a medical office waiting room that was probably last decorated in 1979. It was before the era of the Ace Hotel in NoMad and other hot meeting spots where camping out with a cappuccino was cool and even good for business.
But, fortunately for me, it was the dawn of the coworking revolution. Looking for a Manhattan office in my budget, I answered a Craigslist ad for a new spot in Soho. The people were young and the space made me feel creative, like I could do my best work. So I signed up.
Little did I know, renting that office earned me the early street cred of being the first member to move in to WeWork’s first location on their first day in business, and later, lucrative contracts consulting other emerging companies creating space for creative professionals. Even better, it gave me the team I needed. Sharing a floor with a handful of other young, hard-working visionaries became the work community I didn’t know I needed.
There was Samantha, the interior designer and yogi who was always good for happy hour. And Seth, the sales bro who talked me down from the ledge when shady clients ghosted their invoices. Jason, the graphic designer who threw epic poker parties at his Nolita loft; Kirk, the urban adventure man and business book club buddy; Claire, the digital marketer and aspiring comedienne; Ryan, Andy, Jeff, Megan, Gwen, and more. Working together – but not for the same company – gave us a unique camaraderie that was truly a moment in time.
So, once our office community grew too large to track and we each started moving on to new cities, jobs, or locations, I found myself again needing a team and the intangible benefits of a physical space.
I needed insight, support, guidance, optimism, solutions, and collaboration.
And I figured that if I needed it, so did everyone else who was going it alone, whether they were the sole employee in their town or an entrepreneur with a seasonal workforce.
I like to say that every visionary businessperson has the what, and the coworking revolution has given us the where. I created Pregame to give us the how.
My hope is that you’ll join us, whether in person at our Clubhouse in Portland, OR, or virtually by contributing to the magazine.
Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Take advantage of a solid team to give you both the tangible and intangible tools to move forward.
Strategy & Style,
Ciara