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------------------ *The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.* Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten On Thu, Aug 3, 2017 at 12:09 PM, Angel Kwiatkowski <fccowork...@gmail.com> wrote: > This is my all time favorite blog post on turning an empty space into a > community. I link to it CONSTANTLY. https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2014/ > 06/how-i-turned-an-empty-coworking-space-into-a-coworking-community/ > > Angel > > > On Sunday, July 23, 2017 at 8:04:05 PM UTC-6, Suzanne Vale wrote: >> >> Hello! >> >> I'm new to this forum. My name's Suzanne Vale and I've just opened a >> coworking space called Jam Jar Cowork <http://jamjarcowork.net.au> in >> Collingwood, which is an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia. >> >> Below is some info about me, why I've started Jam Jar, the space and the >> community we're building. >> >> I'm really glad to have found this forum and can see it's really >> supportive with lots of helpful, insightful advice and discussion. I look >> forward to joining in! I'll also be at GCUC in Melbourne next month so hope >> to meet some of you there. Drop me a line if you're coming along. >> >> Cheers Suzanne >> >> >> *Why I started Jam Jar* >> >> Some of you may have met me at CU Asia 2016, in Ubud, so you'll know that >> I've been working in offices for my whole (varied) career (admin, >> customer/financial services, public service, law) and that I studied >> architecture at one point and I love people and their creativity. >> >> So I've started a coworking space because the opportunity to take on the >> building that we're in coincided with me finding out about coworking and >> thinking that it was the coolest thing I'd heard about in ages. Coworking >> also addresses a long term beef I've had that workplaces and spaces are >> missed opportunities. They should be better and controlled by the people >> who work in them. Coworking spaces are finally doing this, and in lots of >> different ways that are still emerging and changing. Good times. >> >> I'm about offering the small businesses of this neighbourhood a good >> quality space that they can shape and refine over time, where they can come >> to work together, meet new people, hang out, run events, have meetings and >> have the facilities they need to do these things pretty seamlessly. >> >> *The space* >> >> Jam Jar is just over 200m2 and primarily aimed at post start up >> businesses in the neighbourhood. We also have some decent meeting rooms (a >> boardroom and 3 smaller rooms) and have found that there's been interest in >> them from CBD businesses wanting to get offsite for workshops etc. >> >> We're in a really great location in a gentrified, former industrial >> pocket right near Smith Street, which is well known in Melbourne for its >> restaurants, cafes, shops, street art and culture, and which has a tram >> line direct to the city. >> >> We refurbished the building we are in, which was a tired, 3 storey office >> building that was only 15 years old. Our emphasis was on getting natural >> light in and creating lots of different types of useful spaces while >> dedicating most of the floor area to open plan desks. Every decision of our >> fit out was made with the environment in mind despite our tight budget. >> This meant we preferenced low VOC products, natural materials and products >> from companies that are ahead socially and environmentally. It also meant >> we reused as much as we could from the previous fit out and bought quality >> second hand where we could. We balanced this to create a feel that the >> space is new and 'clean' aesthetically. (Examples of reuse and secondhand >> included reusing the old aluminium and glass partitions to make new meeting >> rooms, reusing the kitchen sinks from the old tea-points in our new break >> out space and tea-point and reusing perfectly good security hardware, >> buying secondhand Knoll / Formway task chairs that are barely used ex-Tax >> Office and secondhand desks from Grimshaw Architects' when they refurbished >> their office). >> >> We've tried to create a casual but professional space that's airy and >> comfortable. We're also emphasising health in the workplace. For example we >> try to give members control of the space/their environs, we've got plants, >> and office dog, ergonomic chairs, the beginnings of an activity based set >> up. >> >> *The community* >> >> I'm a little sheepish that we opened and are now building our community. >> All the experience and knowledge at CU Asia said build your community first >> but logistically this didn't work out for me. We have 2 open plan spaces so >> we're only using the smaller of these at the moment so people aren't spread >> through the building. As we grow, we'll open the other area. >> >> So far we're doing ok with a handful of local people joining us as part >> time members over the last few weeks - a lawyer starting a new practice, a >> business adviser, a graphic designer just moved down from Sydney, a wine >> maker/wine events business, a couple of creative writers and a couple of >> other former lawyers who are moving into the start up space. It's slow - we >> have people here each day but not a lot of cross-fertilisation because we >> haven't had a critical mass on any one day. >> >> So we need to work harder to get the word out that we're here and to get >> communication happening between our members to help them form a community. >> We have lots of ideas that we are carrying out but* would love more >> ideas and to know what's worked for other brand new spaces, especially in >> comparable cities*. I'm finding podcasts super helpful and inspiring >> here too, especially The Coworking Weekly Show and Everything Coworking. >> *Interested >> in others' favourite podcasts and forums*. >> >> Our attention to social and environmental responsibility is continuing - >> we're big on recycling within the space and we've opened our space to >> community groups for use out of hours, which accords with the ethos of our >> neighbourhood and something our members love. We want to explore more >> opportunities to partner with the neighbourhood in this way. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- > 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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- 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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
