Coworking Seattle

Glossary of Terms
Photos from Centre for Social Innovation.
Office Nomads: Individuality Without Isolation

Some History
2005: Coworking emerged as a new business model, kick-started by Brad Neuberg in San Francisco, CA.
2007: Office Nomads opened it’s doors in Seattle.
2009: CoworkingSeattle begins: A hub for collaboration and exploration of coworking facilities and opportunities in and around Seattle

Some Data
Worldwide, there are over 200 coworking spaces.
Over 3 years, Office Nomads has seen over 450 individual users at our Capitol Hill coworking space and currently has 64 members.
Approximately 30% of today’s workforce is independent, according to the Freelancers Union. Even more beyond that telework at least one day/week.

Currently in Seattle
Office Nomads (Capitol Hill)
Jigsaw Renaissance (Capitol Hill)
Metrix Create Space (Capitol Hill)
Maple Leaf Branch (Maple Hill)
Eastlake Mail/Vybe Hub (Eastlake)
StartPad (Pioneer Square)
Indie Ballard (Ballard)

Who is coworking?

Independent Workers
George is an ornithologist who works out of a small shack on an island in Alaska for several months out of the year.
When he’s not in the field, he works at Office Nomads to be around others and be productive.

Mobile Workers
Robyn moved back to Seattle with her husband when he started his medical residency.
She was able to keep her urban planning job through the move, which is based out of a firm in New Jersey.
Working from home didn’t work for her, so she moved to Office Nomads and has been coworking for over 2 years now.

Small businesses
Joe began his resume consulting business on his own.
He needed a professional location to meet with clients, and sought out a coworking space.
After his business grew, he was able to hire an employee without having to increase his overhead significantly.

Why Coworking?

It’s about the people
Coworking spaces are community-based workspaces focused on the members. We are not “desk rental” businesses.
We believe that people support what they help to create.
We believe in creating a platform on which relationships can be built and sustained.

It’s Simple
Coworking is a simple business model.
The basics need to be reliable and consistent.
People don’t need a ton of bells and whistles, they need to be around other great people.
Indy Hall, Philadelphia.
Photo by lavardera on Flickr.

Because it works!
Ryan started out of a coffee shop on Capitol Hill
Moved to a coworking space
He can expand and contract in employee size easily.
He can meet contractors and land contracts all in one place.
Ryan Salva of Capitol Media – www.capitolmedia.com

The BIGGER Picture

Quality of Life
A work-life balance is easier to achieve when you separate your work from your home.
Quality of life improves for members as they become more engaged citizens in their neighborhoods and cities.
Yoga at Office Nomads

Community Partnerships

Transportation
Over 65% of Office Nomads members live less than 3 miles from the office.
Many walk, bike, or take the bus.
Coworking spaces are one of many tools to use in an overall sustainable city planning strategy.

Innovation & Economic Development
Job opportunities increase
Business partnerships develop
Constant networking opportunities
More dollars spent in the neighborhood

What’s Next?
How can we infuse the idea of coworking into government or business planning and policy?
How can we creatively finance more coworking spaces so more spaces can open and start creating positive social change now?
How can we encourage more people and organizations to get involved?

Resources
International Coworking Website http://www.coworking.com
CoworkingSeattlehttp://www.coworkingseattle.org
Centre for Social Innovationhttp://socialinnovation.ca/sssi/
Office Nomadshttp://www.officenomads.com

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Coworking Seattle

by Office Nomads on Jul 08, 2010

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Coworking Seattle — Presentation Transcript