The Best of Both Worlds - Making Business and Coworking, Work
Sara Bacon, Founder of Greenpoint Coworking (GPCW), had been working at home for 7 years before she decided it was time to do something about her isolation. As the founder of her own design firm, she identified with the coworking community’s values and philosophies, and decided to marry the two by creating both a coworking space and new home for her business.
I had the pleasure of coworking at GPCW (one of our fave Brooklyn spots) on a recent morning, and sat down with Sara to learn more about how she strikes the balance between her profession and her newfound passion — coworking.
LC: How has your design company enhanced your coworking space and vice versa?
S: My design business, COMMAND C, and Greenpoint Coworking have developed a bit of a symbiotic relationship. From a marketing perspective, there’s sort of a cross-pollination that’s happened pretty organically. When I talk about one business, it automatically feeds into conversation about the other. GPCW gives COMMAND C a home-base that’s professional and legitimate, whereas working from home wasn’t the best place to hold client meetings and such. And, on a logistical level, the two businesses have completely different cash flow patterns. Having both businesses has helped to balance out my cash flow situation, too.
LC: What challenges do you face trying to run both a business and a coworking space simultaneously?
S: The biggest challenge that I’ve faced is being pulled in too many different directions at once and not knowing how to balance my focus and priorities. In the beginning it was really a ‘just do what’s in front of me’ sort of mentality. Now that GPCW has been open for a few months and I have most of my systems in place, I have a better idea of what needs to be done on the day-to-day.
LC: You’ve curated a really fantastic community of complementary coworkers. How did you attract such a synergistic group?
S: I believe that the things that make GPCW unique, are the things that attract the kind of people we have here. Relatively speaking, we’re a fairly small space, so there’s a pretty intimate vibe. The people who are here tend to like other people and want to be a part of a community. Secondly, the space is gorgeous–the people it attracts seem to really appreciate the aesthetics of their work environment and their quality of life.
LC: Do you have any other advice for small business owners who are looking to start a coworking space?
S: Just make sure that the two businesses fit in well with each other. For me, it was imperative that both businesses grow and support one another. I think that’s worked out because of the nature of the two kinds of businesses. The other thing I’d say is don’t overlook the coffee expense! We drink lots of it. I had no idea.
Want to give GPCW a try? Now through December 24th they’re offering one month free with any new membership. Learn more by visiting their Loosecubes space profile.
