I have been a little quiet lately.  Trying to get my odd combination of business experiments profitable has been keeping me busy.  As has actually enjoying coworking!

At this time we have about six people that come once or more a week and another six that come a few times a month (and a few more that are talking to me or following the progress but can’t come out at the moment).  Over the last few weeks a handful of Easy Chair regulars have started to participate in coworking and a few people who came for coworking have become regulars.

Some of the most productive times and interesting discussions have come from the times that are not Monday and Thursday but other days where a few of us happen to be here anyway.

We have had a few new relationships and connections being made as well.  Chris, an editor for the Mutineer Magazine (a specialty beverage magazine from LA), has become a regular and met Klaus from Corporate-Toons and the Plaid Avenger.  It looks like they have a pretty cool joint project brewing.

For a fun experiment between a 23 year old and a coffee shop owner it has been a cool experience.  I hope more people will join us and become part of our community!

If you are interested please come out on Mondays or Thursdays and introduce yourself!

I just found a cool podcast that is run by two big names in the coworking community.

The Podcast is called “The Coworkers” and is a weekly conversation between Alex of Indy Hall and Tony of New Work City.  It is really cool to hear them talk about how things are going in their spaces and building the culture of their space.

If you want to learn more about coworking you need to check this podcast out.

Blacksburg Coworking is still going strong at the Easy Chair officially on Monday and Thursday from 2-7pm but you can find coworkers most any day. I hope to see you there!

In the last few days two videos from Steven Johnson have started to circulate around the internet.  For the last five or so years he has been investigating the types of environments and ways ideas come into existence.  If you have a few minutes take a look.

Five minute white board talk:

18 minute TED talk:

I like to pretend that I am this eloquent when I explain my ideas, but I know I am not.  Anyway, the parts that really stuck out to me is the importance of both time and other people to the creative process.  This is something I learned on a less refined level years ago and part of what lead me to start organizing Blacksburg Coworking.

Creativity and productivity do not just happen we have to make a conscious choice to put ourselves in the proper environment with the proper tools to get things done.  If you need a place and a community to be a part of to support your creative and productive process please come out to Blacksburg Coworking.

We meet at the Easy Chair Coffee Shop from 2-7pm on Mondays and Thursdays, though a few of us are there most other days too.

Over the past few months there has been a good bit of talk about regional economic development in the New River Valley.  There are organizations that have been working on it for decades like the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance.  Anne Clelland of Handshake 2.0 has also been discussing a vision for development on her site.

So does coworking have a place in the discussion?

Yes.  In so many ways, but let’s take a look at three specifically.

1. Drawing People to Town

As it stands now the telecommuters and entrepreneurs are scattered all over the valley.  Some find office space, others coffee shops and others stay at home.

Creating a space for these people to interact and work can draw people from around the area into one place.  More traffic, more eyes, more money flowing into the surrounding businesses.

One member wants a coffee to start the day, another to break up the morning, and yet another walks to the near by restaurant at lunch to meet with a client.  People who might have stayed at home that day, or gone to the McDonald’s down the street.

2. Cross Pollination of Ideas

While everyone is in one place, or at least frequenting one place, ideas spread rapidly and grow.  A new business, product, or service to the community can be born out of ideas that might have died or been lost in solitude.

A strategic partnership between two people or businesses that would not have normally crossed paths.  A referral that becomes a web of referrals that grows everyone’s business, increasing tax revenue and spending in the region.

As more people do well with more businesses around us we all benefit, much like the old saying a raising tide lifts all ships.

3. Entering the Region into an International Discussion

The coworking movement is a truly international movement.  With over 400 communities around the world and more opening almost daily.

Several large cities and regional communities have been discussing coworking from New York City to Fort Wayne, TX and on.  The idea has been discussed in major publications and local news around the globe.  I have a small collection of these discussions and spaces here.

The New River Valley has a chance to welcome coworkers from around the world through and to our area and attract new talent to our businesses that are familiar with the concept from their current cities.

An entrepreneur in every garage? Sure, but wouldn’t offering a location and community to those entrepreneurs, telecommuters and other independent workers be an amazing way to help us all grow our businesses and this community?

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

New Work City is a well known coworking community in New York.  They have been working for the last few months to expand their space and offer new services to members and the community.

They have a blog where they are posting the progress of their space as it nears completion.  Check it out!!

NWC Blog

I have recently been having several great conversations with many people about coworking in Blacksburg and what it can mean for individuals and the New River Valley as a whole.

Independence Hall is a great example of an established coworking community and space with an amazing vision for the city they are in.  If you have some time check out their coworking FAQ post.

IndyHall Coworking FAQ

Their core values really resonate with me and the values of the NRV community.

Collaboration. Openness. Community. Accessibility. Sustainability.

These are not necessarily the exact order and words we will use, but this grabs the heart of coworking.  Alex and Geoff the founders of IndyHall made it clear that their goal was not to make money directly from coworking but rather as a catalyst.

This is the kind of space we need in the NRV.  A space to serve as a catalyst, a club house for those that can work independently or work from home.

A space that increases creativity and productivity.  Increases revenue to the local economy through taxes and drawing workers from around the valley to proximity with local businesses.

I am currently discussing opportunities to partner with people and businesses in the area to grow coworking in the New River Valley.  Want to join our community?  Join the Newsletter, find us on Facebook, and/ or leave a comment below.

I look forward to working with you.

We had a pretty great time yesterday at the open house.  Right at 3:30 a group came and got some iced coffee/ tea and we had some good conversations about what coworking is and what we are doing at Easy Chair.  Then over the course of the rest of the day we had another half a dozen or so come through, some old friends and a few that were new.  A few conversations between people and getting some real work done.

In my mind it was just about the perfect day for coworking that we have seen so far.  I did not know everyone but work, conversation, and community was happening in the entire shop.

Thank you to everyone that tweeted/ posted and discussed the open house over the last week!

And a big thank you for being a part of coworking yesterday.  If you couldn’t make it I hope to see you next week on Monday or Thursday!

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Free iced coffee or tea, got your attention yet?

Thursday will mark the 10th event for Blacksburg Coworking. It has been an interesting 5 weeks.  I have met many interesting people around town and we have varied from 12 people working to just me.  As we look forward to the future I am excited to see how things develop.

To celebrate our 10th event Easy Chair has decided to give out free iced coffee and tea at 3:30 pm.  Please come out to support and or learn more about what Blacksburg Coworking is and could be.  Meet others in town who have been coming out to coworking.  This event is completely open so invite anyone you know who might be interested in coworking to come out!

What: Blacksburg Coworking Open House
When: 3:30 pm August 12th
Where: Easy Chair Coffee Shop
What: Free Iced Coffee and Tea with Blacksburg Coworking

RSVP to the Facebook Event here!

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

We will also be doing normal coworking Thursday from 2-7pm.  Come on out and do some work and take a break around 3:30 to say hello and get some free iced coffee.

It happens to all of us.

Ideas become bland. Nothing really seems to move forward in an interesting way. A job we once enjoyed becomes a chore.

Sometimes this is an indication that we need to change careers. Maybe that position wasn’t quite the right match for you. Other times it is an indication of something much easier to fix.

How? With community.

When I start to hit that creative wall it is usually that I have gone so deep into my own head or my project that I get caught in idea loops. One idea leads to another leads to a problem leads to an idea leads back the the beginning. No progress is made, at least no mental progress.

The amazing thing comes when you add a new perspective or setting into the equation. Ideas seem to magically get unstuck and insurmountable issues seem to have innovative solutions (or sometimes embarrassingly obvious ones).

“Diversity is the spice of life” as the saying goes. Come out and get to know some new people in what may be a new environment for you at Blacksburg Coworking.

We are meeting at the Easy Chair Coffee Shop from 2-7pm Today (Thursday August 5th).

What other methods have you found to combat stagnation in your thought process? Leave a comment below!

I do not remember when I found this (taken from the Google Group at some point), but if you were curious just how big the coworking movement was just take a look.  And keep in mind this is not an complete map, there are more spaces out there.

As you can see this is a global movement.  I hope to one day add Blacksburg to this map!

Update: So you should visit the link, there are 4+ pages of spaces on the map, the embeded version only shows the FIRST PAGE!!!!