Co-working groups are a variation on co-working spaces. I highly recommend employing this model and developing it as a women-centric variant of co-working spaces in order to achieve women’s business and life goals which exist outside of traditional business goals and operations.
Please note that many, if not most, women’s business aspirations do fit within traditional models. With the development of other models, that could change.
If the day is a Monday, it means I go to the Computer Lab at the YWCA and facilitate a co-working session for women bloggers. This is under the auspice of a Meetup.com group, Tucson Women Bloggers. I coordinate the group and have watched and nurtured as it has evolved into three branches that include training, co-working, and social gatherings.
Living your legacy, making your dreams and goals real when you are mature, is supported when you draw upon an encouraging network of women working toward similar goals on similar trajectories.
The Tucson Take On Co-Working Groups
In the our writing co-working group, one woman is simply writing her memoirs on a lab computer, saving the reports to a thumb drive, and printing the results, as well as saving them on a thumb drive. Putting them online is not her highest priority at this time, although she has done so in the past and may do so again.
Laptops, tablets and paper journals open. Some work on blog posts, entries in journals are made, and we collectively help women overcome snafus as they set up their blogs for the first time. Stories flow. Laughter breaks out. A very positive sense of achievement fills the room.
Co-working spaces evolve as niche-based solutions to contemporary, often urban, entrepreneurial and business needs.
In Tucson, where I am based, and which has a knack for creation of human-centered innovative solutions to urban needs.
Whether it is the rare bird of a community-based radio station, KXCI, or the community-based re-use network, FreeCyle, that started out in the Old Pueblo, Tucson nurtures community-innovation and solutions. And our old school establishments are very deeply rooted in ancient practice, our churches are often sanctuaries, real sanctuaries.
Co-working as an adaptive strategy in a new economy fits the way Tucson works. We are well into the fine-tuning process of this venture cycle. Early trials of the concept have closed their doors, as did Maker House in April of 2015.
Tucson Co-working Spaces
Gangplank broke away and reconfigured itself into Co-Lab that seems to be subsumed by Startup Tucson. The the focus is on venture and tech development. It does allow free drop-ins.
Spoke6, the first coworking space in Tucson, is still in business although its website is woefully out of date which never bodes well for a business.
Connect Coworking, like some other spaces, offers tiers of workspace/membership with rates available for limited daily access too.
Rail Yard is a newer entry into the co-working space market with two art and design community members operating the space.
Most of these spaces will gladly arrange tours and/offer free working days to present their spaces to you. Distinctly different atmospheres grace each establishment.
If living your legacy includes starting a business or nonprofit venture, check out local facilities where you
share overhead and support services and allow for synergistic interaction.
Groups and Spaces
One take that is unsupported by research, as far as I know, but makes for a reasonable hypothesis, is that traditional technology heavy co-working spaces are usually more male supported structures. Women have co-worked forever through the multitasking that is necessary for family and home maintenance, and networks for community support activities. I suspect that women focus on the processes in coworking spaces and men focus on the physical territory of the coworking space. Like all generalizations this is probably overstepping the bounds of credulity with snippets of wisdom and truth within it.
This sounds wonderful and sure beats sitting at home all alone, trying to stay motivated and do your best work (that’s me!)
I couldn’t do it every day, but having a co-working day really helps me.
It does seem like a productive solution. I am wondering if any such groups are in my area or perhaps I should start one.
I highly recommend starting one if you can’t find a group. It helps in many ways.
This reminds me of a very successful model that artists use all the time. Sharing space surrounded by like minded people that help each other. About time it came to other work spaces. Bravo for Tuscan!
Yes, artist cooperatives work very well. We can learn from them!
I have looked into these in the past, but I never want to pay. It’s so much easier to stay home. But less productive, for sure.
That is why we do it one day a week per agreement with a local nonprofit that has an under utilized computer lab where we meet, but coffeeshops would work too.
I never considered such solutions to the loneliness of working from home. Will have to check out what’s in my area (for at least once in a while).
Yes, for writers I think all the time would be too much, but that is why I think a group works better than a place for us.
There is a place in San Diego called HeraHub that is a wonderful co-working space-sharing place that some women I know use and seem to thrive there. I enjoy going to meet them there but have a hard time justifying the fees…. Silliness I know!
I’ve heard of HeraHub. If I was so inclined this would be a bricks and mortar place I would back or undertake.
This sounds like a very good idea. I was always a loner (and lonely) until I recently joined a writing group, reading group grief group and toastmasters. The best thing about groups is all the support you get!
The support and connection is wonderful. New ways of creating community are emerging and I love it.
The premises is a strong one and makes total sense when you think about it. No question. But justifying the fees is another thing, especially when you love the loner existence. Still, I support it and give a huge shout out to those who work towards spreading the magic.
I am an open source, community fueled, cooperative and sustainable venture backer. I am pushing the group over the place aspect of this for folks like us.
What a great solution to the loneliness a person can feel from working in isolation. Personally though I relish my time alone.
I relish my time, but I find that I need to get out and engage in professional conversation at least once a week.
I’m not sure how much work I would actually get done in a group setting but I think it’s a great idea. There are a bunch of places like that near me but they’re definitely not cheap.
Actually, running a business out of one of these in Tucson is much cheaper than footing the expenses of a brick and mortar office by yourself. Arranging it as a group and using available locales is one way to approach the topic of coworking.