Let’s start at the beginning.
In mid-December 2007 my former employer closed shop, and my position was dissolved effective January 1, 2008. My son was 2 months old, I was the sole provider for my young family, and I had 4 options for continued employment presented to me. Three options were to work for another business, but one option was to start a business.
After considerable prayer, thought, and counsel, I opted to go out on my own. My wife and I already had a 5-year plan in place to be self-employed, but that blueprint became a 2-week plan abruptly. By the grace of God we launched what was then D&A Design, and tried not to look back (too much). I set up shop in one of our bedrooms, purchased Mac equipment and Adobe software, and we were in business.
The first year was thrilling: Every project and every client were new projects and new clients! Having a newborn around, my first, was amazing, too: I got to be around all the time, and the bond formed between my son and I cannot have a price put on it.
Year Two saw lots of growth with our small business, and my baby son became a toddler. It became very apparent that the home office was not going to be ideal. I cannot count the number of times I had to rush outdoors, or literally sit in a closet when my toddler son – just being a toddler – broke into a burst of joy or tantrum while I was on the phone with a client. After so many apologies to understanding clients, you start to realize that a space outside the home isn’t such a bad idea after all. When weighing my options for off-site space I knew I didn’t want to rejoin the commuters – driving is such a waste of time and resources, and quite frankly I don’t feel safe on Cincinnati mass transit options. I began looking for office space within 10 minutes of my home in Wyoming, Ohio.
For 6-8 months I asked those in my networks: “Know anyone with some office space left over from down-sizing who would let me rent it for ~$200/month?” I asked business owners within a few miles of my home office, too. Every option that emerged had some kind of side/hidden cost that couldn’t be estimated month-to-month, or the landlord wanted $400-$800 per month in rent for a room with windows and no amenities. Office parks offered a smaller per-month rental fee, but only in exchange for a 2 year commitment. Obviously these folks, well-intentioned as they might be, were living in a real estate market of yesteryear.
At month 9 of my search for office space in Cincinnati I learned about coworking.
I learned that Cincinnati has a few options, one of which – Cincy Coworks – was being very aggressive in terms of assembling members, and getting space for full time coworkers. I was hooked, and I began periodically working from Cincy Coworks’ temporary office space at Venue 222 in Cincinnati’s Over The Rhine neighborhood.
A few months ago I was one of six independent business owners whom became charter members of Cincy Coworks, as we opened space in East Walnut Hills, and began full-time coworking. The space is nothing short of beautiful, and the people are great to work around.
For me, however, after two months of coworking in the new Cincy Coworks space I realized that it wasn’t going to work right now for two reasons. One, the drive was a bit much. It took 20 minutes to get from my house to the office, so it wasn’t exactly convenient. That 20 minutes would easily expand to 40 during winter. The other reason is that the A/C in the space wasn’t cool enough for my personal taste. I found the space to be too warm for my comfort level. I was the only one – my five other fellow charter members find the space to be just fine in terms of environment coolness. I tend to be a human furnace anyway so I’m sure the heat I felt in the space was amplified by my natural tendencies. Still, coworking is all about transparency and enjoying the space you work in. I needed to tweak my situation.
I talked with the guys who started Cincy Coworks about my reservations, and eventually packed up my stuff. We wished each other well, and moved on. I don’t rule out going back to Cincy Coworks in the future. Should I relocate back to the east side of Cincinnati, I’d revisit coworking with this fine group of people (BTW – my house is for sale) Bill and Gerard, the brains behind Cincy Coworks, are two guys who really know what they’re doing, and I’d suggest anyone interested in coworking go check out what they are doing in East Walnut Hills.
In Cincy we are very fortunate in that we have 2 full-time options for coworking, and it is in this other option that I have found ideal space: Working Side By Side (WSBS for short).
It has what I need right now: It’s 3 miles from my front door, the A/C is kick’n, the businesses around me are totally different from what I do, and networking is already happening.
While Cincy Coworks accommodates professionals from downtown, and the near east and west sides – not to mention northern Kentucky – there is a huge untapped market of professionals in Cincinnati’s northern neighborhoods and suburbs. This is where I believe WSBS can offer a lot of convenience.
It’s located off of I-75 at Glendale-Milford Road and Chester Road in Glendale’s backyard. The environment is quiet yet has an upbeat vibe. There’s ample space for meetings away from my desk, and when I make calls it is somewhat private. To my understanding there is space available for a private call area/room when/if needed. I’m a few minutes from Blue Ash, Tri-County, and the northern suburbs. If an independent professional living in Cincinnati’s northern realm is in need of office space, WSBS is an ideal candidate to consider.
The beauty of coworking is that I am able to enjoy the social and networking benefits of being in an office, but without too much office politics. I come and go as I please, and I can be as social as I want and need to be so long as my work is getting done.
The other big benefit is that of having some degree of separation between home and work. I say “some degree” because small business owners know there will never be a total separation between the two. We have chosen this lifestyle, and we’re better people for it. Being an employee bores us, so the flip side is that our work follows us where ever we go. Having a coworking space, however, allows for concentrated allotments of time for work and home life.
I’ve had multiple meetings with contracted freelancers and clients at both Cincy Coworks and WSBS. It is a much better situation than trying to host a meeting at home or a coffee shop, or asking that that dreaded question: “Could we meet at your office… I work from home.”
Coworking is such a unique, yet obvious, solution for where so many of of find ourselves in the workforce today. I can see coworking being in Brand Shepherd’s future for a while to come.