From Idea to Reality : How I decided to open a Coworking Space
{Article originally posted here by Kady Sandel.}
My goal has always been to work from home. But little did I know, it’s not as great as it sounds! It certainly has perks, don’t get me wrong. What many don’t realize is the extent that you’re alone, all the time. Perhaps worse yet, your work structure waivers… home and work blends together. Great in the short term! Killer on productivity. I would eat 9 times per day (literally!), take what seems like 8 micro-naps. Dishes? Done. Laundry? Done. Best yet, endless cat disruptions. You get the picture — home is distraction central! I could go to a coffee shop to escape; to separate work from home and even enjoy the ambience of others. Still, I am ultimately alone and paying primo for coffee — overrated!
About the time I was fed up with this endless cycle, I discovered coworking…
Community. Location. Home.
I loved the concept! Shared office space for small business owners, entrepreneurs and freelancers? We all work together, collectively pursuing independent goals while building not just a network, but friendships? Deal! ?
I started to think and talk about it…
At the time I was still in Denver, knowing that soon I am on the move to Austin. I temporarily joined a cowork — I just couldn’t do the work-from-home thing anymore! Still, the pending move gave me a fresh perspective and created new opportunity, so I researched the Coworking industry and I was hooked…
The concept was incredible! To connect people who work from home and foster professional collaboration? We can all work together! To escape the coffee shop, yet still enjoy the premium amenities that make work fresh? Check. To pool productivity features like conference rooms and printers? To significantly undercut expensive office suites in favor of a community workspace? Check and check.
This perspective clicked, and the ideas kept flowing… How could I build a community and make a place where people will feel welcomed, productive and comfortable? I started reading blogs, I was chatting with everyone about my idea, I attended networking events, social events. I was proactively doing everything I could to figure out how to make the ideal casual-professional environment.
Selfishly, I also wanted to cowork in Central Austin and be able to walk to restaurants, bars and retail. I talked with many folks in the area and they were highly supportive of the concept too. How amazing would it be to work from a place like home, take a lunch break with friends and casually stroll to check out the new eatery next door? Simply put, a coworking space in Central Austin on the Drag sounded amazing.
MELD is a house. It’s literally a house, built residentially in the 1920s, it hopped over to the commercial world as Austin boomed around it — isn’t that perfect? A house in Central Austin that I can convert into a shared office space? Comfort, productivity, and in the heart of Guadalupe St? Bonus: it has parking too? Done! This spot, both the house and location, was exactly what I was envisioning… Next step is to renovate and build-out the space and kick-start the community that I’ve dreamed of!
I like to think of it like this: you can make coffee at home, enjoy coffee at a local coffee shop, or enjoy a coffee with friends at the local coffee shop. Well, MELD is the working equivalent of coffee with friends! ?
Want to know more about MELD? If you would like to visit us, feel free to schedule a tour HERE or contact me directly at hello@MELDcoworking.com.
