cowork.element

Today Coastal Sussex Media launched the first product completely conceived and developed inside Element Cowork: the Coastal Sussex Morning News. We invite you to become a part of our community and see what ideas explode out of you!

We’ve created a Meetup group to manage our events & classes. Join our group and stay informed about everything that’s coming up — plus you can RSVP for our first Thursday Night SPHERE!

Click here to visit our group & join.

For those of you who are interested in coworking, but can’t quite wrap your head around the concept, I suggest you take a tour through the web site for Independents Hall in Philly, so you can get a feel for what a coworking space looks like after it’s been up and running for a time.

Indy Hall sprang to life in 2007 and has had a great impact on the entrepreneurial community in Philadelphia. They now have 35 desks spanning 4400 square feet in the heart of Philly (pretty close to the original Indy Hall).

Another great resource is the Knowledge Base at Coworking.info. Be sure to check that one out, too.

To community,

Dave

I was driving from Wilmington to Lewes – which I do with some regularity, unfortunately – and I turned on NPR when I was in range of our station here in Sussex County.  The first thing that I heard has clarified community in my mind and is my new outlook.  It is quite simple but a profound statement on both our current culture and how we live our lives.  The quote is:  “When we hurry, we arrive at our destination, but we arrive alone.  When we take our time, we arrive at our destination with a community that we have created and gathered along the way.”  The challenge is making this the new way you work, the new way your live and the new way to believe that life is a journey.  Something to think about on a beautiful Saturday – I think I will post this and go outside and slow down.

Thanks to all the great people who came out last night to celebrate Coworking in Lewes. We had a tremendous time.

People from all over the area and from a variety of business backgrounds came by to check out the space and learn about the community we’re planning to build right here at Element Cowork. It was amazing to be in a group with a builder, a structural engineer, a database manager and a government affairs professional — and have them all receptive to the concept.

As we enjoyed the Bethany Blues barbecue and the great local beer from Dogfish Head and Evolution and wine from Nassau Valley Vineyards, many ideas were sparked about how to make the most of our community. From a “company” volleyball team to community service projects to documentary nights to weight-loss challenges (directed at me, no doubt), many of the area’s self-employed and traveling professionals seemed keen on the potential of having an office community to call home.

Thanks to Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf for stopping by to celebrate small business and job creation at the beach, and to 14th Representative District candidate Chris Weeks for doing the same. Coworking has bipartisan support!

And a huge thanks goes out to Katie, Amanda, Eric and the staff at Element Design Group for all their help in organizing the event. They did it all, from touch-up painting to arranging for the barbecue to baking goodies for the partygoers. You guys rock!

A good time was had by all, but it’s only just begun. We invite you to drop by any time and check out Element Cowork.

To Community,

Dave & Matthew

Well, it is 45 minutes until our Co-Work Launch Party happens!  The space is all abuzz with activity – Bethany Blues is about to set up dinner – we have wines from Nassau Valley Vineyards – their Pinot Grigio and their Indian River Red – our very own Delaware Vineyard right down the road.  We are even showing video of a wine tasting in the Ambassador’s Residence in Paris that Nassau Valley Vineyards was invited to.  We have 60 Minute and Shelter Pale from Dogfish Head which made the long trip from Milton, DE.  Up from Delmar, is Evolution Exile ESB and Primal Pale.  It’s fun to have such great local businesses to support.  A special thanks to our friends at Outlet Liquor who discounted our beer selection this evening.  But, the whole point of tonight is to meet, mingle and gather as a community and as people interested in co-work.  We have heard some great comments here on the blog, over email and around the area.  Stop by tonight and if you can’t make it, stop by soon – we’ll be here and we look forward to talking with you or working with you!

So the question arises often:  What is co-work?  It is a great question and one that isn’t exactly simple to answer.  The reason being is that there is nothing like co-work.  At the heart of co-work is working.  Co-work is a desk, a conference room, and space to work – whatever your work may be.  Everyone from writers, to journalists, to lobbyists. to pastors, to IT professionals, to attorneys are co-working.  There are a number of entrepreneurs that are working from home – the dining room table or even a small study in their home – and they are running successful businesses.  But day after day of working alone can get a little, well, lonely.  Co-work is essentially the business world’s version of parallel play.  If you have ever watched small children (under the age of 2) play together – they aren’t really playing together – they are playing next to each other but they are playing alone.  We have a need to be by others – or sometimes we have a need to be away from certain others .  That is co-work. 

A friend of mine the other day summed co-work up as Facebook in real life.  To some degree that is spot on.  It is a sharing of your thoughts and ideas but more than that it is listening to the thoughts and ideas of others.  Two minds are better than one and a room full of minds having a good discussion is exponentially better.  Having a group of people all working independently together can spark some ingenious synergies and co-work fosters that.  Co-work is a community so don’t worry if you need to concentrate on something – co-work isn’t a party where you won’t be able to get anything done.  Everyone is there to work and to accomplish tasks, set goals and achieve them.  The community of co-work is there to foster that and, perhaps, to help you get there even quicker.

Co-work is the polar opposite of the movie “Office Space.”  Most people co-working either work for themselves or work remotely.  People like that are independent thinkers, they are motivated by self, they are against forms,  and pro creative thinking.  There are no cube farms – just open space and an area you can call yours - for the day, a few days a month or 24/7.  It is a work space that works for you. 

Co-work is also experiential -  you have to see it to fully understand how and why it would work for you and for what you do.  It is one part pure work, one part networking, one part idea generator, and one part community.  All in – it is exciting and it is a great way to invigorate your business and make a move to be a part of a community of like-mindedness.

If there’s one thing that gets us fired up at Cowork, it’s creativity and great, new ideas. Like this:

Busy week at Co-Work.  We are preparing for next week’s launch party.  We are launching more than just Co-Work – we will be talking more about Sphere.  Sphere is Element Co-Work after hours.  After work it’s always nice to kick back, relax and expand your mind and Thursdays, being the preview to the weekend, are a great night to do so.  That is the genesis of Sphere.  Sphere is about getting together to discuss topics, learn more about a variety of topics or just get together and watch a documentary and have a chance to discuss it.  Great things happen, great conversations are had, and ideas come together when the like-minded have a chance to be in the same room.  When you have interested folks, experts in various fields and thought provoking topics – you get an interchange of ideas that can create opportunities, form new ideas, launch business ideas or, and this isn’t so bad, create friendships!  Learn more next week – on Thursday – about Sphere and about Co-Work

We have been having great conversations about co-work (the concept and the place) with so many people.  The range is from a Pastor of a local Church to Wilmington and DC folks that are being pulled by the power of the ocean.  The Sussex Beaches are a great draw for a great many people and community happens here both with residents, visitors and second homers (not too sure that is a word but it is now).  Co-work is a great place to just throw on some head phones and knock out a couple hours of work when home is too crazy to work from or when your typical office space just isn’t inspiring you.  I had a great conversation with our friends up at CoIN Loft in Wilmington – they have some stories of collaboration and teaming that still get me excited thinking about it!  A few of the folks at CoIN have found ways to partner and present Clients with many more services than they would have if they had just gone after a job solo.  That’s the new economy and that is the new business model – collaboration of like-mindedness where we all benefit from eachother’s strengths. 

Things to look forward to at Co-Work include a Free Day at Co-Work where you can come in, plug in, sit down and see what the experience is like.  We will be officially launching Co-Work with an evening at Co-Work (we were going to be there anyway, might as well have a few new friends, old friends, and future friends stop by for a drink and a bite to eat!). 

Stay tuned for more information and welcome to the conversation – sorry, didn’t really intend for that to rhyme….