Since leaving YourTango, I’ve used the past two months to take a really close look at my career coaching business, trying to figure out what I want to focus on, which products and services I want to take off the table, which I want to add (if any), and where I want this whole career coaching thing to go.
The first sentence of the bio I wrote for the YEC site was telling: “Steph Auteri is the founder of Career Coaching for Word Nerds, a company created with an eye toward building a community of fellow word nerds and publishing professionals who can share stories, experiences, tips, and resources with their peers, and also connect with established experts within the industry.”
It made me realize that — as much as I enjoy one-on-one coaching — I’d really like to make my coaching biz a community.
And so, the germ of a (possibly ridiculous) dream was born: To one day open up a coworking space / cafe that also holds regular literary and networking events.
I don’t use an established coworking space myself (though I sometimes pack up my laptop and head to the Fine Grind for some distraction-free work and a cup of coffee). But the idea does intrigue me. And no wonder. According to Coworking: How Freelancers Escape the Coffee Shop Office and Tales of Community from Independents Around the World — an ebook written by Angel Kwiatkowski and Beth Buczynski – 82 percent of coworkers in the U.S. feel more motivated and productive since joining a coworking space. Not only that, but most make seven vital connections within two months. Human contact and the possibility of collaboration? Sign me up!
The pretty pretty ebook!
Coworking was rich with info on the benefits of coworking, coworking etiquette, and the ways in which to find a coworking space that works for you. It also contained stories from happy coworkers around the world. Definitely worth a read.
But what I want to ask you is this: What does your fantasy coworking space look like?
Does it offer events? Coffee? Cubicles? Conference rooms? Scheduled dance breaks? (Now that’s an idea… ) Spill it!
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