In Good Company: Inspired Coworking Environment

Working for yourself can offer many benefits, but can be lonely. Until you start working on your own, it’s hard to realize the camaraderie that comes with working in an office environment. And you often have a built in kitchen cabinet for getting advice and support, bouncing off new ideas, and learning.

That’s why the new trend of “coworking” –or individual contributors working together in flexible workspaces– is so exciting for many sole proprietors; if you live near a metropolitan area you might have friends who make use of a coworking space- and we would love to hear about your experiences. To learn more, you can visit the Coworking blog or wiki website to learn more about coworking facilities around the world.

I spoke with Amy Abrams, who is co-founder of In Good Company, a collaborative workspace for women entrepreneurs in New York City. In Good Company (IGC) takes coworking one step further: it offers classes and a collaborative community for women starting or running their own businesses. IGC, says Abrams, “offers our members the three essential elements every successful business needs: productive workspace, powerful connections and effective ideas. Our programs are as flexible as your needs – whether it’s a conference room for a day or an office everyday – an Internet marketing class or a strategy session – a strong referral or a strong shoulder to lean on…”

Abrams told me “One of the real drivers behind [IGC was] to elevate the status of women business owners – do we talk about it all the time, no, but that is our mission. [And] our particular vision was to become a critical resource for women to have their own businesses.”

She adds, “Many of our members don’t even need the space. The majority of our women come to programming and learning labs. We have a class that’s like a case study- it’s a counseling psych model where if you have an issue [you present in front of a] peer review board…I think people learn a lot when they present, and I think they learn even more when other people present. Even if we have a speaker come in, there is still the opportunity to continue the conversation.”

I asked Abrams what happens when a business takes off and an entrepreneur needs more space. She laughed and said, “Outgrowing is a good problem to have.” It means a woman is ready to expand or take on the next steps. IGC, Abrams stressed, is “not as formal as an incubator. I think people come here and they like to find people like them…in that we informally help people to build the business they want.”