OpenSpace

A big thanks to everyone for your enthusiastic response to Clean Fridge Fridays! The refrigerator looks so sparkly and good-as-new! Thanks for your help in keeping OpenSpace bright and clean. Y’all rock.

Here’s the story: You know that we love having our Occasional Members here. However, we’ve started to get lonely after 6pm every day. So, we looked at the data and realized that over an 11 month period, only .05% (that’s not even one complete person) of our Occasional Members spent time with us after 6pm.

You also know that we’re definitely into efficiency (as are most of us entrepreneurs and small business owners). So, after looking at the data, it only makes sense that we change our normal operating hours EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1ST to Monday – Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Exception #1: If you already have something scheduled on the OpenSpace calendar for after 6pm, and you’re an Occasional member – not to worry. We’ll make sure your meeting goes off without a hitch (as usual).

Exception #2: If you want to schedule something later than 6pm, just contact us at hello@getopenspace.com. We’re happy to work with our members on a case-by-case basis.

Want 24 x 7 Access? If you’re an Unlimited Member, just request 24×7 ACCESS under the “Amenities” tab when you login to your account online. Not an Unlimited Member, but want to be one? Just login to your account online to change your plan!

Find out on Monday, July 18th!

If scientists use the scientific method, what do entrepreneurs use?

Why do expert entrepreneurs hate market research so much?

Is your idea an opportunity just waiting to be found, or made?

You can now supercharge your entrepreneurial IQ, thanks to intriguing research led by UVA Darden Business School’s Dr. Sarasvathy, which provides fundamental insights into how expert entrepreneurs think. After 10 years of research and over 50 publications, the word is officially out! Inc. magazine’s February cover article about effectuation, “How Great Entrepreneurs Think,” was its most popular of all-time!

Effectuation: Learn the Decision Framework of Expert Entrepreneurs

Monday, July 18th at OpenSpace

Doors at 5pm, Talk starts promptly at 5:30pm

FREE
(Sponsored by OpenSpace)

RSVP requested (but not required) – let us know that we’ll see you by emailing us at hello@getopenspace.com.

The 45-minute session teaches powerful principles & tactics for both experienced entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs – and people who want to infuse their lives & work with an entrepreneur mind-set.

You’ll learn:

• What to do when prediction is impossible
• The five principles of effectuation
• How to achieve external propulsion
• How to minimize risk in venture growth
• How to co-create opportunities with partners
• How to invite surprise into the startup process

Attend this session if you wish to find out more about the special Effectual Intelligence coaching pilot program. There are only 3 spots in this program, and you need not have a business idea to apply. Individuals or startups of up to 10 people can apply. More information will be made available at the event.

We are excited to announce, after weeks of anticipation, that 24×7 access to OpenSpace is now fully live and ready for use! OpenSpace members under the Unlimited Plan now may work after hours at no additional cost! To receive their access key fob, Unlimited members should request 24×7 access under the amenities tab on their online member account.

If you would like to become an Unlimited Member with 24×7 access, please email hello@getopenspace.com or call us at (434) 566-0880 for more plan details.

For full details on 24×7 use and procedures, please review the new 24×7 access ‘rule book‘. Thank you for your patience as we have worked to make 24×7 a reality!

We’ve all read about the many benefits of happy employees, right?  In a recent article about increasing positivity in the work place, I came across some seriously fantastic perks offered by able companies. For example, UBS, a financial firm, offers its employees a nap room. Read the article here for some other ideas on how to increase smiles and lower blood pressure in the (your) workplace.

(photo via–what I’m envisioning for the nap room)

fitness facilities, childcare, ping pong tables, prepared meals….what mood-boosting perk would you like to see at your company?

Yes, it’s ugly. In fact, it’s Charlottesville’s Ugliest* Office! Congratulations to Simeon Fitch and the Bens at Mustard Seed Software, LLC for winning one month of membership at OpenSpace and a new iPad! In their own words …

SAVE US FROM OURSELVES!

Three guys, one basement,
Hot & sweaty coders.
Coffee stains & dust bunnies,
Awkward body odors.

Late nights fixing bugs,
Caffeinated shaking.
Foreign matter between keys,
Carpel tunnel aching.

Dog hair, food wrappers,
Sticky keyboard madness.
Dim lights & camped desks,
Startup business sadness.

GET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE!
Get me into some OpenSpace!

*Ugly is a subjective determination, and in this case labeled such at the sole discretion of the OpenSpace judging committee. Yes, we saw hoarders, plenty of mold, 80s pastel décor and bearded ladies in the submissions, and it was a tough call.

As we suspected, many of you are grinding it out every day in some VERY ugly offices. So, if you need a break, stop by – there is OpenSpace for you.

As we all know, we are experiencing one of the worst economic times in years. Some say, in generations. And microbusinesses—a term referring to firms with fewer than five employees—are being hit with unmerciful force.

In the current climate, we have record numbers of small businesses on the brink of folding. Workers who feel they have no job security and so less to lose by starting their own business. And an unusually high percentage of unemployed professionals creating start-ups. What used to be risky is now a necessity.

And these small business owners are asking themselves:

• How can I cut costs?
• How can I make money?
• How can I feel professional when I work in my pajamas at home?

Can communal work spaces like OpenSpace help businesses survive? Can coworking actually help businesses thrive? We believe they can.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of OpenSpace:

• Affordable Work Space. There are no steep office leases to sign. You don’t need that lump of capital to rent space.
• Accountability. You are surrounded by other professionals who are thinking, working, creating. This isn’t an atmosphere for procrastination. There are no pajama wearers here.
• Networking Opportunities. Gathered together are potential clients, mentors, collaborators. A brainstorming arena if you will.
• Access to Essential Technology. Wi-Fi is high-speed, AV needs are covered, meetings run smoothly. This is no make-shift office where the microwave is the most advanced equipment in the room.
• Community. Here you find support, encouragement, and connection. You are not alone. You are not isolated.

So whether you are a business team of 1 or 5, OpenSpace offers benefits you cannot find at the café, at home, at a remote windowless office. Check out our new Team Plans. We created these pricing plans with your bottom line in mind.

To read about small business/coworking success stories:
The Washington Post, Monday February 1, 2010
Affinity Lab in D.C. offers small and new businesses room to grow

More and more people are choosing to work away from the traditional office. Today’s technology makes this easier by allowing us to stay fully connected almost anywhere we roam.

This new breed of worker has been lingoed: a “nomad”, the “mobile worker”, or “worker in limbo”.  The word on the street is that about 23% of the U.S. do their jobs outside of the office and this number is on the rise.

So as people work outside the box, moving around in the real world, they find the freedom exhilarating and motivating. But they also find that working alone can be lonely. We are social creatures after all. Being connected to the Internet does not replace being connected to other human beings.

That’s where places like OpenSpace come in. We offer the connection, the buzz, the synergy. The atmosphere needed to work independently and a feeling of belonging to a community.

These “coworking centers” or “limbo pit-stops”, or “creative work environments” are popping up in cities across the nation. They are all a different flavor, depending on the needs and philosophies of the locals. There is Office Nomads in Seattle, Beehive Baltimore in Maryland, BLANKSPACES in L.A., Sandbox Suites in San Francisco, and New Work City in Manhattan–to name a few.

And the media is getting caught up on the buzz.

NPR ran the story Co-Working Offers Community To Solo Workers on January 6, 2010.

CNN ran the story Working in ‘Wi-Fi’ limbo on January 22, 2010.

If you’re in the Charlottesville area and you haven’t stopped by OpenSpace for a tour, please do. Our staff are kindly, our members are eclectic, and our coffee is hot.