Alex, Thank you! This is hugely helpful too!
Totally hear you on adding value beyond the space. I've recently begun to talk to another local entrepreneur who had previously been interested in starting a local small business incubator. A mutual friend of ours (who acts as a mentor for us both) put us in contact with each other a few days ago, and we really hit it off. Turns out, we both had a similar vision, which was to help small businesses and entrepreneurs in Gloucester, VA to be successful -- we just were pursuing it in different ways. Moreover, we both felt (and feel) that our different strengths and connections complement the others', and it just seemed like it made more sense to collaborate than to compete against each other with such similar ideas and visions. So, we decided that we are going to partner together to create what will be a coworking space that also happens to be a small business incubator. We're working to establish an advisory of local businesspeople who would essentially act as mentors. The mentors all would come from diverse fields (local business owners, accountants, lawyers, marketers, and various other consultants who will bring value), and they'd be asked to donate an hour a month of consulting/advising for the members. The advisors will also be asked / have the opportunity to lead classes and workshops which will give them opportunity to pour into the members, but also to advertise their services, so it's reciprocal value, hopefully. We know that the incubator aspect will not appeal to all, but that is true of the coffee, the printer, the meeting room, and even the coworking space to an extent, right? :) -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
