Check out the latest article about Saint Louis Coworking in the St. Louis Beacon- Offbeat office culture develops at downtown coworking space

Wanna read the first report back in July 27th, 2010?  Coworking spaces: traditional office, low overhead

Have you hugged an entrepreneur, today?

Entrepreneurs now have their own holiday in the United States! Resulting from a petition that began in May of 2010 per a couple of guys at Grasshopper Group, President Obama has officially declared November 19th, the Friday during Global Entrepreneurship Week, to be the first National Entrepreneurs Day!

Simply, an entrepreneur is defined as “a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome.” Every single person at Saint Louis Coworking, right down to the Space Mangers, fits this definition. Whether it’s in relation to their “day job” that sources the bulk of their income or a significant side project they are developing, each of our members has assumed a great responsibility for directing their own futures.

We are excited to celebrate this day together and appreciate professional independents working hard to live their passions!

See how our community has grown:

There are several different kinds of social media sites where you can help get your product or service to the right people. Here are just a few of our favorites:

Facebook

This site allows you to post images, videos and rich content to share with fans of your business. They can then comment on updates, share them with friends and give you real-time feedback. With over 500 million users, it is definitely the top ranking social media platform right now!

Twitter

I describe this site as being like a big party with a lot of great people, but you have to walk around and figure out which conversations to jump in on. Using the many tools and tricks available you can effectively meet people, share information and build real relationships on this site.

Yelp

Yelp is a business review site that anyone can browse, but in order to post a your own you must be a member. This way reviews are regulated by local communities and moderated overall by the Community Managers within major cities. This is a great place for all types of businesses to begin interacting by claiming their business, posting specials and responding to reviewers.

Foursquare

Foursquare is what is called a geolocation app. You can interact with it by using a smartphone to check in when you are physically present somewhere like a restaurant or movie theater. Foursquare allows you to tell your friends where you are on Facebook or Twitter if you’d like and then leave tips about the business. They also make a game out if by awarding you badges for activities and letting you earn specials that companies can post themselves–and right now businesses can post specials for FREE.

We have our own special for Saint Louis Coworking on Foursquare and would like to invite you to come check it out!

What are some of your favorite social media sites to use for business? Do you have one that has been particularly effective or fun for you to use?

We may all have different bosses but we have found each other as coworkers.

Coworking isn’t your dad’s corporate office

Punching a time clock, sitting in a psychologically numbing cube close enough to your boss that you can smell his coffee breath, having to wear a tie that’s not a clip on…if these are your thoughts about traditional office settings, then you work for yourself for a reason: to be your own boss, call your own shots and do things the way you want them done. Coworking environments aren’t sterile and contrived, they’re open and exploratory which allows you to continue to work for yourself, but alongside others doing the same!

Coworking isn’t a coffeehouse

In a coffee house setting, you have a mixture of all sorts of patrons around you.Parents with children, groups of girlfriends catching up, businessmen on their way to a client meeting and other independent workers, all of whom you may have little natural reason to communicate with. While the bustle, Internet setup and (expensive!) gourmet coffee might be nice at first, there are many reasons why working in this environment can be tiring after a while. Plus, wouldn’t you rather meet a client in a conference room than at a Bread Co.?

Coworking isn’t just a place for you to work and then leave

The core idea of Coworking is definitely work but the concept moves beyond that to creating a place where work and community start to blur. Most spaces offer events and opportunities to help you get to know your fellow Coworkers better as well as interact with the greater community through networking events, speaker presentations, happy hours and potluck meals!

Coworking isn’t a passing fad

Coworking isn’t a new thing. There have been independent workers, entrepreneurs and startup groups working under the same roof before.

What is new though, is the advancement of technology allowing more and more people to work and even start businesses independently as well as the actual structure for what we now call “Coworking.” It officially began as a business model in 2005 in San Francisco. The idea has spread all over the world to countries including Brazil, Pakistan, Canada, Mexico and Japan!

Here in St. Louis we have 10,000 square feet of office space downtown that allows professionals to come together and work hard, but also to enjoy things like pancake breakfasts on Fridays, events like Speed Networking, parties for local groups and businesses like the Show Me the Blog conference, and happy hours at various downtown St. Louis hotspots.

Coworking certainly isn’t a traditional way of working, but it is a perfect solution for those who love to work for themselves, just not by themselves.

Here are the Top 10 reasons why Speed Networking is a great choice for your business:

1. A comfortable context and timeframe is already provided for you to begin conversations

• You know exactly when you will begin and end and exactly what you’re supposed to be saying. Everyone else is doing it, too!

2. It’s fast and to-the-point

• We know you’re busy. Let’s cut right to it.

3. Clearer ideas about the folks you’d like to keep talking with

• So Bob the Mortician doesn’t really have a compatibility with your brand new preschool opening? Nice to meet you, anyway.

4. No passive presentations, just active involvement

• You sit and listen enough. Let’s spend our time meeting each other instead!

5. Regrouping time is provided between each individual rotation to take notes and remember who’s who

• It’s embarrassing to go in for the follow-up using a great personal detail, but it turns out you had your Graphic Designers mixed up. So yes, Gary just got married but JERRY, whom you emailed, just got divorced. Ouch.

6. Improved “elevator pitch” by the end of the event

• The average person gives you about three seconds to grab their attention. Knowing how to be powerfully concise is crucial!

7. No expensive long-term commitments

• We’re about setting up fun, accessible events that encourage a great community to grow with us. If you like them, let us know! We’ll keep them coming.

8. An interesting cross section of people from all over

• At Saint Louis Coworking, we’re breaking down old ideas about working and networking, so come meet someone new!

9. Participation in one of Saint Louis’ newest, most innovative communities

• What happens when you open a place for ambitious independent workers to constructively gather together? Well, we’re excited to find out!

10. Speed networking is fun!

• There’s a thing that happens when we get out of our regular routine and try something new…oh yeah, fun!

Remember to bring plenty of business cards and your sense of humor. You can register for your ticket on our Eventbrite site http://stlcoworkingspeed.eventbrite.com/ and we’ll see you Thursday!

If you haven’t already, please make sure that you RSVP for Geek Night. Tickets went extremely fast last month and you definitely don’t want to miss out.

For those who are unfamiliar with the event, check out the night’s itinerary below.

6:00p – 6:15p Open mingling, eating food, etc.

6:20p A short introduction to Geek Night, and a word from our sponsors

6:30p Idea presenters from last Geek Night will briefly talk about their ideas, and the progress they’ve made since the last Geek Night.

6:45p Idea presenters will come to the front and present their ideas in 30 seconds or less. As each idea is presented, it will be written on a giant post-it note, and the presenter will take the note to their spot in the room and put it on the wall.

6:55p Everyone forms groups around the ideas they are interested in, roughly 5-10 people per group, and brainstorms for 30 minutes

7:30p Break for food and beer.
7:45p Another round of brainstorming, everyone picks new groups. If anyone wants to surrender their idea spot they can, and new people can step forward with idea pitches to fill the vacant spots.

8:20p Idea presenters will come to the front and each get a few minutes to talk about what they discovered and the ideas that were generated.
8:35p Overflow for anything going long, otherwise free time to continue discussing ideas.
9p Go home!

Special thanks to our sponsors!
Location courtesy of The Shell Building and Scorch Agency
Event courtesy of ITEN: Information Technology Entrepreneur Network, Appistry and Lambda Lounge