You’ve heard a lot from me lately about coworking in BC’s Fraser Valley.
My business partner Matt Farley and I have been working to found a space for solopreneurs, startups, telecommuters, freelancers, and other home-based knowledge workers to get together, work in a great space with community, a boardroom for client meetings, WIFI, coffee, and no worries/concerns/distractions from the home.
SwitchCube is the name that Matt and I have chosen for our coworking space in Abbotsford BC.
We’re touring a few spaces tomorrow, and look like we’ll be ready to start making some offers on places as soon as next week. At the meetup we held last week, a lot of people were eager to get going soon đ
We also settled on our corporate color: purple. (Or some shade thereof …) Thanks to Kuler, we have a palette as well:
As you (may) know, I and a partner are starting up a coworking space in British Columbia’s Fraser valley. Specifically, in Abbotsford. We started with just a landing page, but last week, added a Meetup group.
I had some issues setting it up, and immediately after I linked directly to our landing page from Meetup, Meetup actually cancelled the account and refunded my payment. But … we worked out our differences over a beer (actually, not) and I set up the page again, sans link.
And Meetup has been awesome. We now have 18 people in our Meetup group, plus the 20 or so who have signed up via the landing page (there is some overlap). We’re pumped!
If you’re interested in cool flexible office space, with a side-dish of community and networking, please let us know! Join the Meetup group, and sign up on our Coworking Abbotsford landing page. At this rate we’re hoping to be able to sign a lease within a few weeks, and open up within a couple of months.
Coworking wannabes in Abbotsford: we toured a space today in downtown old Abbotsford, BC, that might just work for our coworking initiative. The “we” is me (duh) and Matt Farley, my partner in coworking crime.
As you know if you’ve been following this blog, we’ve been working to introduce coworking to the Fraser Valley – specifically Abbotsford. Coworking is an innovative new way of working that combines the best parts of a coffee shop, the home office, and work. It’s bringing needed social and networking qualities to the army of telecommuters. And it’s enabling working in your community, near your home, without the commute.
Where?
The best place for a coworking facility is fairly close to you (so you don’t have a commute) and fairly close to lots of amenities and transit. This one scores pretty highly. Here’s where it is, smack in the middle of old downtown Abbotsford (away from big-box land and suburban sprawl):
How big? How is the space configured?
The space is about 4000 3000 square feet, so there’s plenty of room. It’s got some office space (4 offices) which are separate, but open to the high ceiling. And some dedicated desk space … and some open space where we can put some tables, sofas, chairs … all the goodies for a comfortable shared workspace.
The main entrance area, where we could put some tables:
Where we might have some dedicated desks:
And yeah, a full kitchen. Move in ready!
A conference room for Big Important Meetings⢠…
Even a storage room for Stuff⢠and maybe bikes, etc.
So, what do you think?
Any thoughts? Looking good? Or, not a great location?
Let us know what you think …
And … of course … join us!
Let us know that you’re interested in a new way of working … check out our Coworking Abbotsford home page, and fill out the form. We’ll then keep you up-to-date on our progress.
Coworking is smart independent knowledge workers who work mostly solo or in small teams, but don’t want to be stuck in their home office all day every day
Coworking is remote team members of larger companies who don’t want to be remote from people & interactions & a place to go
Coworking is networking and creative interaction between people with different skill sets, maybe even in different industries, leading to different solutions
Coworking is a place to work but not a traditional office
Coworking is like the coffee shop, but you don’t have to buy a coffee or a muffin every hour – and it’s a bit quieter
Coworking is a space for small teams in larger companies who want to break off and do something innovative
Coworking is a place where growing companies can get a few spaces while they’re looking for other offices or premises
Coworking is the future
Well, we’re trying to set up a coworking space in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Yeah, right here in the Fraser Valley. With the farms next door (not really) and Mount Baker in our window (well, maybe).
The “we” part is yours truly, John Koetsier, and Matt Farley, of Pendeavor, a web design firm. You should join. It’s about the community, not about us. It’s about the space and the place, and the interactions with others that can occur when you’re there.
Pretty soon, you’ll have a place to sign up. It’s coming … on a page much like this one:
I’m starting to think about starting a coworking space in Abbotsford, BC.
I’ve been working out of my home office for about 4 months right now, and while the commute is great, the community is absent. There’s a buzz and a beat to working with others – especially cool, innovative, smart, and creative people – that you just can’t match when solo.