Once upon a time there was a small business owner named Goldilocks.
She’d been working out of her home office for about a year, after launching her own marketing agency. After three days of wearing the same pajamas while scheduling social media posts, she realized, “I feel really stuck. There’s got to be something better out there.”
The next day she woke up early, changed out of her pajamas, and headed out.
Goldilocks was looking for workspaces that would offer her a place of inspiration and opportunity to grow her business. She’d found a few places online and knew that she’d want to experience the space first.
Too Much Coworking
She wandered through the streets and city park downtown, and spotted a towering building in the city plaza. Its glass exterior was shiny, modern, and sleek. Goldilocks walked to the building’s entrance and into the lobby of the sprawling, multi-storied workspace. Her jaw dropped.
The place was immense — there were desks and meeting spaces arranged throughout the open office design, and members of the workspace buzzed about their business. “I wonder who I talk to?” Goldilocks murmured, still standing in the lobby and waiting for someone to notice her.
“Do you have an appointment?” said a person at the front desk who seemed to appear out of thin air.
“Oh! I don’t, I’m sorry, I’m … just looking for a place to grow my small business,” Goldilocks started to explain.
“Okay, well, you’ll want to set up a tour of the space, but sit over there so that I can find someone with time to take you around.” said the front desk manager.
Goldilocks sat down. And she waited. She watched while entrepreneurs, frantic freelancers, and remote workers huddled at their desks and in their offices. They were either staring at their laptops, or laughing and high-fiving each other. She noticed that the space was packed with little personal space afforded to each member.
Goldilocks started to sweat. “Too much. This place is too much,” she said. Quietly, she picked up her things and rushed out of the busy lobby area.
“I need some place quieter, maybe something smaller. Perhaps not as many startups with more small businesses that I can relate to,” she thought.
Not Enough Coworking
She did a search on her phone and found a coffeeshop nearby. It boasted plenty of seating and some of the best cappuccinos in the city. “And there’s free wifi…” thought Goldilocks.
She made her way from the massive coworking space downtown and found the coffeeshop nearby. She was pleased to find that the space was cozy, had plenty of seating, with local art displayed on the walls. The smell of fresh coffee perked her up. Even if the espresso machine was a little loud, she didn’t have any client calls today.
She ordered one of the signature drinks and found a comfy place to set up her laptop and logged on. “This isn’t bad,” she thought. She wasn’t thrilled about the $8 coffee, but started answering emails and pulled out her task list for the day.
After a few hours, she started to get hungry. There were plenty of pastries available at the coffeeshop, but Goldilocks wanted something a little more substantial. “I’m going to have to find a lunch place or something,” she thought. “I can’t just eat pastries.”
“This place just isn’t…enough,” she thought.
She gathered her things and stopped by a sandwich place next door. While she ate, she wondered what to do next. “I can’t go BACK to the coffeeshop, then I’ll have to buy another coffee,” she thought. She finished her sandwich, decided to walk around the neighborhood and eventually found herself on the Atlanta Beltline.
Just Right Coworking
Walkers, runners, cyclists, dogs and dog owners enjoyed the trail. Goldilocks smiled and strolled along the path. As she walked she noticed a sign ahead: “Cowork and grow with us on the Beltline!”
She gasped. That’s exactly what she’d been looking for. Was it too much to hope for? She followed the signs for this “coworking space,” walking past local businesses and restaurants of all types selling their unique products and services.
Passing a cozy patio with seating, Goldilocks found her way to the entrance. She held her breath, opened the bright red door and walked inside.
“Welcome to Alkaloid,” said a friendly woman at a desk near the entrance. She looked around the space; this was a gorgeous, eclectically renovated historic building which offered several places for members to work. Shared desks for those needing affordable flexibility, dedicated desks for the people who wanted their own workspace, and for small businesses who needed it, there were affordable offices of all sizes. And, best of all, Goldilocks could try out the space for free today.
The owner of the coworking space led her through the building, and around each turn Goldilocks grew more and more at ease. This place had it all: a place for her to work, it felt comfortable, had fresh local coffee everyday, conference rooms for client meetings, and a community of other people who needed the same things she did. Goldilocks sighed and smiled.
“Yeah,” she said. “This space is just right.”
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