Some of you have heard this already, but the space we had our eye on on Woodburn Ave. has been leased to someone else.  I should say that this was entirely above the board and understandable.  We had not signed on anything yet, and the landlord was very upfront with his desire to put a retail business in that retail space.

In any case, what this means is that we’ll continue to hunt for space, and keep everyone abreast as much as possible. 

What does this mean for the Charter Membership offer?  Good question.  While the space we ultimately select will change the financials, it shouldn’t change much.  We will leave the membership offer up.  If you decide to join this exclusive charter group know that we will make it right in the end.  For example, if costs becomes lower, you will receive the difference back.  If costs become higher, you will have the choice of helping us by making up the difference, or changing your mind and receiving a full refund.  You get the idea.

So please continue to bear with us!  And drop by our current setup at Willow Creative when you need to get out of the house!

Cincinnati Coworks is in need of charter members!  This is the real deal folks, and we are serious.  We intend to open in the Woodburn Ave. space.

We started with a single, one-time day of coworking and had 17 people show up.  We started coworking once/week, and had many visitors and 3-4 regulars.  Then, we moved into the cozier 3rd floor, which allowed us to cowork 5 days/week!  And a couple of those regulars made that their everyday home for working.  It’s now time to get a permanent home.  It’s now time to get a space where we can interrupt each other with ideas, make lunch plans, have meetings, make phone calls, and have parties.

We’ve (hopefully) been transparent and level throughout, and this is no different.  On the Join page is our Letter of Intent.  It is not a contract.  If you sign one and recant later, no one is going to hunt you down (though you may get a dirty look or two).  The Letter of Intent’s purpose is to let everyone align on expectations.

How did we come up with the membership fees and this charter offer?  We sat down and created a list of everything we felt we needed upon opening (e.g. 1st month’s rent, deposit, desks and chairs) and a list of expenses we felt we’d incur month-to-month.  Then, we based the charter proposal and monthly membership price on that.  Since this is a 100% bootstrapped effort, if there is interest in paying above and beyond the minimum that we’re asking for – for example, a one-time donation, or several months of pre-payment – we’ll figure out what the return for that gesture would be.

And don’t worry, the drop-in rate will still be $10, same as it has always been.

Why might you sign up?  If you are tired of working out of your home and want to collaborate with others, yes. But also, you need to sign up if you believe in our vision.

Send in your letter now!  We intend to hold an evening information session soon to meet some new people in person, and to answer questions. Nothing fancy – we’ll just pick a time and place. If you any concerns whatsoever, feel free to contact me directly or use the channel of your choice.

“Ever wonder if your idea could have a major impact on our city?” asks the folks at Ignite Cincinnati (not to be confused with Ignite Cincinnati).  We believe Cincy Coworks could.  So we filled out their appreciatively brief grant application form.  There are some logistical and demographic questions, but here is the money question and our answer.

Question:

Ignite projects should be created by you! Step outside of the box and think of something unique that 18-40 year-olds would find both interesting and cool. Tell us why we should vote YES for your project and let us know how it will be a reflection on young people and the neighborhoods in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Answer:

Coworking generally brings to mind young creatives tapping away at laptops in a cool office space. We want to create this and more. These solo-preneurs are hard at work building the next big agency, or building the next big startup, or simply enjoying the benefits of being your own boss. These people are already in Cincinnati. We just need to bring them together.

We envision Cincinnati Coworks as a platform for events with a civic-minded focus on making Cincinnati a better city. We want to do so by hosting user groups, SIG’s, GiveCamps, Barcamps, mini-conferences, community classes, Pecha Kucha nights, Ignite events (the other Ignite Cincinnati), you-name-it.  We’ll provide the space at little or no cost and a built-in network of potential participants. At Cincinnati Coworks, our mission as a professional community hub is to transform how people in Cincinnati with ideas get together and make the region a better place to live. Also, with the coworking visa program, coworking members in other cities know they have a place to work when they visit Cincinnati.

Our operations are supported by our coworking members. These members are freelancers, consultants, and independent contractors who are by definition cut of a different cloth. We provide them a place to work and collide with like-minded people. The whole business is structured so that these members build a community and friendships.  Did you ever become really good friends with someone you worked with?  Imagine the same thing, only now you’re your own boss, and you get to work with friends without the office politics, without the org chart, without superiors, without having to deal with others who really don’t want to be there.

Coworking is not unique throughout the country, but it is unique in this city.  I know of no coworking spaces open currently. In fact, with as many independent consultants and creatives buzzing around Cincinnati, I find it surprising and a bit of a shame that there has been no coworking space opened to date. We want to fix this problem. That is why you should vote YES for Cincinnati Coworks.

Last week, we took a tour of 2807 Woodburn Ave. in Walnuts HIlls as a potential coworking space.  More updates later.

Coworking every Monday down at Venue222 for the past couple months has been great.  We usually get 4-5 of us down there working, and one time had as many as 14!  Coworking was a hive of activity that day.  But it’s hard to build a group just one day a week, and we can’t use such a nice space every day.  Fortunately, the 3rd floor of 222 E. 14th (same building) is available 5 days/week, so starting on Monday, January 18, 2010, we’re moving our operation up there and coworking all week!

The 3rd floor of 222 E. 14th is excess office space offered graciously by the Willow Creative Group.  On the downside, we don’t get as much space or as many amenities. On the upside, it is available 5 days/week.  I believe it is more suitable for our usual turnout, and a little cozier.  The interiors are just as nice and have been renovated in the same manner as Venue222.

The drop-in fee remains the same ($10/day), but contact us if you are interested in paying for a whole month at a lower rate.  For more details, see coworking at Willow Creative.

I believe we can build up momentum faster with more available days.  But please bear with us as we get a feel for the new space and a feel for attendance.  See you next week!

As could be guessed, any coworking outfit’s primary expense is the space.  Our space requirements drive the budget.  Our budget drives our pricing levels.  So now might be a good time to look at our coworking survey.  It remains open and continues to gather data, but here’s a quick snapshot based on 59 responses.

Also, from time to time, people ask us about our survey results.  Well, we have no secrets, so for those who have asked, this post’s for you.  I’ve taken out the free-form answers.  There’s a couple demographic-type answers at the end.

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