Ping pong Champions CrushAds and Simiosys

And We Have a Winner!

All month long, residents have been duking it out on the ping pong and foosball table in our own CoLab style March Madness, and last week we crowned our winners!

Chris Calabro from Crush Ads and Chris Stapleton from Simiosys brought their teams to victory last week and are winning the Grand Prize of $100 off next month’s rent!

You probably remember Simiosys from our blog last month. Their teams MVP was Carol Porter. She can rock a foosball table!

Crush Ads is made up of Florida natives Chris Calabro and Daniel Simone. Chris is the ping-pong player, and put up a tough fight in the final match against Simiosys. Even their company slogan says they’ll “Crush the Competition” and they did just that!

Thanks to all who participated in our tournament and Congrats again to the winners!

Think you could beat our champs? Visit CoLab Orlando and set up a match! There are always events happening in our space for members of CoLab and the outside community.

Inside CoLab Orlando

One of the greatest challenges for entrepreneurs can be finding places to network. But what if you worked right next to someone that could easily get that troublesome job done that you’ve been slaving over for weeks?

This is the beauty of working in a co-working space. At CoLab Orlando we see a little of different people filling up the spaces – from software developers to public relations firms. The good part about everyone being a door away from each other is when clients start asking (or maybe demanding) certain projects.

Take the PR firm, for example, that is growing exponentially. Well, the office of two that was once perfectly capable of handling client’s needs now desperately needs a software developer’s help – and they needed it yesterday.

Luckily, the new acquaintance they’ve made of their next-door office mate happens to be a software developer and one knock on the door and a quick conversation and the firm has the new database they had needed so desperately.

There’s no running around trying to network and make connections throughout the city. CoLab Orlando’s co-working space is a mecca of connections for any entrepreneur.

Why not stop by for a visit now that you’re realizing the T.V. room next to your home office isn’t really offering you the work motivation you’ve been looking for. We’ll give you a tour and get you started in your new co-working space.

Walk in to Erica Berman’s office and it’s obvious she earned the trademark “The Eventista.” Between her office decor to her list of clients, the unique success of Jane Layne Events is apparent. The office, which is decorated for beauty and function down to small details, embodies the approach she takes to event planning.

Even with huge events like the past month’s NBA All-Star Weekend, no small detail goes unnoticed. Like she told us in her video interview, Erica wants her clients to know exactly why everything is done the way it is – everything is purposeful, including locating her office inside of CoLab.

“Being at CoLab is like working at a company within a company,” she says. The relationships she’s made are similar to those she would make in a traditional office setting, but at CoLab her neighbors are a totally different company.

We asked her to sit down and share some awesomeness on camera:

You can get in touch with Jane Layne events by e-mailing events@janelayne.com, check out their Facebook Page, or following them on Twitter.

Do you work in a coworking or collaborative space? What do you think about Erica’s description of working at a “company within a company?”

For lots of coworkers, working in a coworking space is a good way to separate your work and personal life.

But recent trends suggest the opposite among millenials and the digital workforce – a blending of work and personal life. This article on GigaOm explores the subject, noting that even Zappos employees will soon work on a “metropolitan” campus that encourages mixing personal aspects with their work life.

CoLab’s residents use the coworking space both ways. There are many members who use the space to get out of the house, be more productive, and get some needed feedback from peers. Then they head home – able to enjoy their home life better because they don’t work there.

To some residents, though, CoLab is their “second place.” They come for the coffee, watch Netflix over lunch and plan group outings. After work is done, they head downstairs to the neighborhood bars, restaurants and parks directly outside.

Offices and conference rooms are occupied on the weekends and sometimes late at night. Why? Because these residents love what they do. There doesn’t need to be a strict separation between work and personal life because they’ve turned their hobbies into jobs.

Coworking is also a great way to meet new friends. You’ll start to notice that many of the people you share an office space with are interested in the same things you are. Most coworkers are entrepreneurs and creatives just like you, which can make for some lucrative business relationships or sound advice.

Want to boost your networking possibilities? Set up a tour with us and see what else we have to offer.

Chris Stapleton, Creative Catalyst at Simiosys, and Urban ReThink are hosting a PlayTank experiment on Monday, February 20th. The mini-conference will be exploring interface design and how people relate with artifacts as narrative interfaces.

You can view the flyer here. Thanks for sharing, Chris and the Simiosys group!

Director of CoLab Orlando, Sarah Beyer.

CoLab Orlando, a coworking space located in Downtown’s Angebilt building, has hired Sarah Beyer, a Nashville native to direct the space towards more collaborative goals. Coworking spaces are open work spaces for independents and creative professionals to work for themselves without letting go of the social aspects of a traditional job, placing emphasis on collaboration, community and openness. CoLab Orlando is one of those places in Central Florida that opened in 2008.

According to Beyer, the most important element of small business ownership is networking with other like-minded business owners. Sharing ideas, getting feedback and even venting to someone who really gets what you are going through can make the difference between success or failure. That’s where coworking comes in.

“The bottom line shouldn’t be focused on sales. My bottom line is creating an environment that encourages collaboration and community growth. The other stuff will fall into place,” Beyer says about her new role.

Beyer comes from CoLab in Nashville, where she helped develop the thriving community of over 70 creative professionals with the community director there, Kailey Hussey. “We chose Sarah for our Orlando community not only because she understands the coworking community and what it has to offer but also for her ability to execute. We are excited to see what she’ll do as new director as we reboot our Orlando branch,” says Hussey.

Beyer is a graduate from Belmont University in Nashville with a degree in marketing. After spending a year as assistant director in Nashville, she heard that the Orlando location was going through some turnover. “I knew that the community there needed someone with experience who wouldn’t just let it go for the next best thing. This is a job you have to love,” Beyer says.

You can expect to hear more about CoLab Orlando in 2012. Beyer’s plans include monthly events, including networkers, happy hours, seminars, MeetUps, and more. “CoLab Orlando is wonderful. Many of our companies have been here for a while, and I’m looking forward to growing CoLab around our growing clients,” says Beyer. The location is expanding within the Angebilt building, with more open coworking space and office suites.

Cowrking space at CoLab Orlando.

In 2012 there are several trends to watch for, including a rise in the number of self-employed individuals. The shifting economy is leaving graduates with no other choice but to find their own niche and join the self-employed work force.

But it’s not just graduates. It’s baby boomers looking to get back into the workforce without having to put up with all the uncertainty of corporate America. A recent article published on CNBC.com touted the benefits of going it solo.

“Temple University officials noticed something a little out of the ordinary when they looked at the results of the post-graduation survey of 2009′s undergraduate class,” states the report. “For the first time in the life of the survey, self employment ranked alongside banking, education and health care as one of the most popular career paths for recent graduates.”

One thing to remember when taking this route is the importance of investing in yourself.
Working in an environment that promotes concentration and ingenuity is a great way to start.  Being self employed means you wear all the hats- you are your PR, accounting, sales, and management and your producer. Surrounding yourself in an environment with other people running their shows will help you keep from running yourself dry.

Coworking is an option that has become a popular choice for the ever-growing number of entrepreneurs. Trying to develop a company within the confines of a house full of distractions can be a huge set-back. Think about how many times you’ve tried to focus on a project at your home office and found yourself instead dedicating all that time toward taking care of a house chore.

At CoLab, our entrepreneurs do lunch, chat on the couch between meetings, share ideas, and often work.  Having part of your business network readily available to you – in the same building! – will make an impact on the quality of your work and life.

If you’re interested in an office give us a call so you can see for yourself exactly what we’re talking about. 904.417.8430

Get out of your home office and find a better place to work.

The 2011 Freelance Industry Report found that freelancers weathered the recession better than other traditional employees with 52 percent stating the recession hardly made an impact on their income.

It’s not a surprise then that 59 percent of freelance workers are happier now than they were before choosing the solo route, nor is it shocking that 54 percent would never go back.

The most striking statistic, however, is that 90 percent of those who freelance do so from home, which causes one to ask: is this why the top three challenges for these individuals are managing time, staying productive, and maintaining motivation throughout the work week?

Truth is, it’s hard to focus when your dogs are yapping, your house needs dusting or there is a Law and Order marathon on TV. Suddenly the home office you thought would save you lots of money and time has become a source of overwhelming distractions.

CoLab Orlando provides a reprieve from hectic work environments. Renting a desk, cubicle or office space can almost be like a home office away from home.

You still have the flexibility of working on your own schedule and coming and going whenever you please, but with the added bonus of a quiet workspace occupied by other entrepreneurs who share your same aspirations.

To experience this for yourself, give us a call and set up a tour. CoLab offers desk space for as low as $99 a month and small office suites starting at $199. All coworking memberships come with free use of the conference rooms, free high speed internet, free printing and free coffee.

It pays to have a virtual office space.

Starting a small business is exciting and challenging. It requires time, effort and most of all, money. Things like start up costs and overhead can sometimes overwhelm a new entrepreneur. Luckily, CoLab Orlando provides a great way to keep overhead and start up costs low with a virtual office.

A virtual office is simply a formal business address without the office; companies pay for the address and often the ability to get mail delivered but don’t have an actual office. With coworking, virtual office space becomes more than an address: coworkers get to use the conference rooms to meet with clients or can drop in and work for a day in addition to getting the office address.

Coworking is a rapidly growing alternative to executive suites and rented virtual addresses. Coworking is much less expensive and far more flexible. CoLab Orlando is one of the largest and highest rated coworking spaces in the country, according to Loosecubes.com.

An official business address has become much more important for businesses. Having a downtown Orlando business address at CoLab Orlandogives your business an added sense of credibility as well as allowing clients to meet you in a professional setting and not just a coffee shop or home office. Online, business directories such as Google Places, give better ranking for businesses with a ‘real’ address over ones with a residential or home office address.

Virtual office space in Orlando also comes at a fraction of the cost of regular office space leases. CoLab offers those the ability to rent an office, a cubicle, or even just a desk — which ever fits your needs.

Being able to work remotely is a valuable money and time saving option. Renting a space at CoLab allows you to do that while still providing you with the amenities that regular office spaces have: a real conference room and not just your living room, a real downtown address and not just your house with kids toys strewn in the yard and of course, a ping pong table.

Need more than just the address and occasional use of confernece rooms? All coworking memberships come with free use of the conference rooms, free high speed internet, free printing and free coffee.

If you’re interested in moving your virtual office out of your dining room and into downtown, give us a call and take a tour. You won’t be sorry you did and we even offer free work passes to try our space out for a day.