Today is the big day! It's the official first day for us in Indie HQ's new digs in uptown Charlotte! As you know, my business partner husband and I have managed Indie from our home offices for ten years. In this video, I interview Tyler Ford, our new office manager, about the space we are leasing. (Sorry about the noisy truck during the last few seconds! It sounds like a roaring lion …)
We have always been in the virtual midst of the action. We are now thrilled to be more involved in our community physically. Since we've been working solely from home for a decade, you may be wondering why we decided to lease office space. There are many reasons, but here are three of them:
- The Time Has Come. When I left my traditional job in January 2000 to launch Indie, I was planning a wedding, a marriage and a family. I wanted to be more available physically to my children while they were young, so it was logical for me to work from home. I didn't consider any other option, and it's been perfect for a decade.
My husband and children continue to be my highest priority, but since the kids are nearly 7 and 9, we can be available to them in different ways now without being as connected to them physically.
When the seasons change, you have to change. And so it goes.
- To Avoid Complacency. Complacency is the enemy of progress. Over the past several months, as my parenting duties have changed, I have noticed that being at home has become a little too comfortable. My husband and I talked it over and decided that we didn't want to become so comfy that we didn't challenge ourselves.
It's time to shake things up! We are changing our surroundings and exploring new ways of doing things so we can remain relevant and at the top of our games.
- To Be More Involved Locally. The change of scenery has already opened new doors! We've established new opportunities to be of service to others, as well as to be served by them.
To celebrate our first day, we hosted a breakfast to introduce ourselves to everyone here. (FaceBook photos!) We discovered that many of them had not met each other, yet they'd been working side by side in the same office suite for weeks or months. They told us it was great to have a reason to come together for just a few minutes to connect and find out how they could be helpful to one another. I knew it would be, and that alone has confirmed the value of this transition.
Making The Virtual Physical
Here's a little story to further illustrate the value of becoming more physically present as a small business owner.
On July 22, I encountered a woman named Casey Brewton after I started this conversation at the FaceBook Page. As you can see, we had a little exchange and discovered we were both in Charlotte. I didn't make a note of her name, and I didn't think anything more of it.
On August 20, I posted this to my Twitter page. Casey responded and we had a brief chat via DM where we confirmed that we had connected via FaceBook exchange the month before.
This morning, a young lady who looked familiar was the first person to join us for breakfast. I thought for just a second that it might have been the same person I had “met” before on FaceBook and Twitter, but then I thought, “What are the chances of that?”
Well, you know what happened next. We quickly discovered that we had met on FaceBook and Twitter. Suddenly, Casey was not a stranger. She was not a new person in my life. She was already a business colleague and friend, and I immediately felt connected to her in a strangely deeper way.
Casey blogged about it today at her blog! How cool is that?
That's what I mean by shaking things up, doing things in a new way and remaining relevant and available to help others.
Coworking In Your Area?
Coworking spaces are cropping up nationwide, and I believe they are a big part of the future of small business, especially as location-based mobile and social networking tools become more widely available and popular. You may be able to find a co-working space in a city near you! If you're in the Charlotte area, and are interested in leasing space where we are, visit Lightbulb Coworking to get the scoop! Spaces are going fast so check it out soon! We're at 1430 S. Mint Street, Suite 103. Feel fee to come down and visit anytime! Our conference room is great for consultations, so let us know how we can help you!
We plan to celebrate later this afternoon with a special dinner at everyone's favorite “fancy” restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. I'm excited! Thank you for celebrating this moment with us!
Question: What do you think? Do you work from a home office? A traditional office? Both? What do you like about your work space set up?
