Wendy - You've got some exciting vision there... perhaps closer to an "incubator" in function than classical coworking.
I was just interviewing the founder of a coworking space that lasted only three months, about what some of the challenges she faced, while trying to create a space that supported economic diversity and targeted different markets than developers and computer-industry professionals. I'd be happy to introduce you to some successful coworking space operators I've met in my travels, in areas beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, that do have a different client profile, with much more a mix of writers, legal professionals, insurance agents. My business partner and wife Betsy Morris is the Urban Planner in the family (I'm more of an Urban Schemer) and she read your note with interest... she's advised some small community-development corporations (notably minority-led nonprofits aiming to do microenterprise/economic development without promoting gentrification). We've also stayed in Durham a couple of times this year while visiting cohousing neighborhoods and coworking places in the area, and love walking around downtown, so we're eager to learn more about your space and your vision for it, and help coach in the process. Short answer to your basic question: yes, there is coworking which supports social entrepreneurship. I think you'll find that once you get past the stereotype of computer professionals = $$$, you'll find lots of innovators and cultural creatives embracing the model of shared cooperative workplaces in most of the coworking I've visited. You might look to some of the coworking spaces that got city economic-development funding (albeit for difference purposes), including UpTime Chico out here in CA and your easy-to-visit near-neighbor Carrboro Creative Coworking in Durham (a lovely spot that I got to visit on Halloween), for models on how you might be bale to leverage funds to get support for people who can't necessarily sustain the operating costs for their shore of your space. The key lesson we've seen here on the list, though is: don't do it alone. Bring in support from family, colleagues, clients... whatever it takes to weave together a supportive network that will help accomplish your goals once it perceives the vision and the value. Raines Cohen, Coworking Coach http://CoworkingCoach.com/ Planning for Sustainable Communities in Berkeley, CA, where we hope to sign Monday on a tiny office downtown that includes use of a shared space that may soon be hosting WorkAtJelly sessions and perhaps even become its own full-time coworking space. On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 8:24 AM, Wendy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hello! Happy Thanksgiving! > > I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. My name is Wendy Clark > and I have lived in the inner city of Durham, NC since 2000. I am a > pre-catalyst. When I was 20, I started my own service based business > with less than $100 (www.carpediemcleaning.com ). I decided the goal > of my life would be to help as many under-resourced people I could, > particularly children. The business grew, had some experiences along > the way, then 2 years ago continued to pursue the question of how you > bring change to a community from the inside-out. I decided the next > step would be find space for my current office and came across an old > warehouse that would be perfect for creating a center to create a > community atmosphere in addition to provide access for affordable > office space and an entrepreneurial culture with my business being an > anchor. It's 14, 500 square feet and will be ready Spring 2009. > (www.belovedcommunitync.com) I just heard about co-working one week > ago and your google group yesterday (Thanks Brian!). > > I have two passions. First- Social entrepreneurship. I believe it's > important to have the heart for justice and helping people but to > operate with business sense. It allows for both models of the for- > profit and non-profit but is based on the people and their goals to > help people. > > Second- To create a bridge between the gentrification culture and the > local community. There are a lot of creative and amazing people within > the local community who have not had access to relational and mind-set > opportunities to help cultivate their dreams. Could we bridge the two > demographics and see amazing things? > > Here are my questions- As I have been looking through the materials I > see that most of these centers are for the technological/consultant > savvy, 20-30-something demographics. Has anyone had experience with > creating a niche to a more social entrepreneurial focus? Two- has > anyone had experience with cultural crossovers to create a more > diverse space? Also a mentor that I am working with is very concerned > about people's ability to pay especially those that are coming from a > more of a survival background and are growing in their entrepreneurial > mind-sets. Do you have a qualification process for people coming into > the community? > > Thank you for creating this forum and already being a great resource! > Wendy > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
