It all started with this thought: "Coworking Shouldn’t Be Lonely

Every great idea starts with a problem. For me, it began a little over a year and a half ago, when I was in search of a coworking space near me. At the time, I was also the Chief Operating Officer of a growing software company, a role that consumed my full attention. Honestly, it felt a little crazy to be thinking about something else. But I was so consistently disappointed with the options I found. They lacked any real community, the spaces themselves felt lifeless, and the pricing was confusing and just not transparent at all. Trying to become a member felt like an unnecessary obstacle course.

One day, I had this thought: I could start a space myself. It felt like a completely wild idea, but I couldn't shake it. I spent about a month just "noodling" on it before taking a first, small step. I went to tour a commercial space near me in Bridgeville. It was a cool spot that ultimately wasn't the right fit, but that single tour was the spark I needed. It lit a fire and gave me the momentum to take action, all while I was still fully committed to my day job.

From the start, I knew that for this project to be successful, it had to begin with community. I spent a lot of time interviewing a ton of people, listening to their pain points and ideas. We even hosted a public design workshop to better understand what our ideal experience could be.

Once we had a clearer vision, we started the long, difficult journey of finding the right physical space for our clubhouse. If you've ever been through this, you know that commercial real estate negotiations take far longer than you could ever imagine! It's been a complicated, prolonged ordeal, and that's before we even start the work of preparing the space.

Throughout this process, two things became incredibly clear that I'd recommend to anyone starting a business:

1. Define your core values. Before you do anything else, think about who you want to be and what values will guide your business. We did this early on, and it has been a game-changer. Our values have helped us make key decisions, design our member experience, and keep us true to our mission.

2. Test your idea in a tangible way. One of our most insightful moments came from a simple brainstorming session. A founding member of our community had the idea to start a weekly meetup while we waited for our physical space to be ready. We kicked off "

   Thursdays w/Work Club" at Carnegie Coffee earlier this summer, and it has been an incredible experience. We get to meet and hang out with new people, share what we're working on, and help each other with career advice and problems. It has been the perfect way to test what this community could be.

   
   

As we get closer to having our physical space ready, I am so grateful for the people who have joined me on this journey. We have a robust group of founding members who are already showing me exactly what's possible when you put community first. After all, coworking should never be lonely.

Our mission is to elevate our members' businesses and lives by fostering a community-first work environment where meaningful connections, collaboration, and mutual growth thrive. I welcome you to join us.