Group Forming To Establish CoWorking Environment For Small Business

Smokey Row Coffee

Oskaloosa, Iowa – For small business owners there are many concerns and responsibilities, and for those business owners who may need a place to continue growing their business there may be a new option on the horizon.

On Friday morning, a group of small business owners, many of whom operate from home offices, joined in discussion about how a coop working environment may work and be beneficial for them and in growing their company.

Questions asked of the entrepreneur was if a coworking space would be beneficial, and what needs may it address? Could coworking help introduce you to new needs in the community, or services that may help your business grow? Those are some of the questions being asked and explored.

For now, the group is going to be building from the core that attended on Friday, utilizing the resources of Smokey Row to create that sense of community. Coop working spaces achieve this through being essentially co-workers with other small business owners. It gives an opportunity for an idea to be shared, and evaluated by a group of peers.

Eventually, it’s planned to move into a traditional building, like the Iowa Building. There, desks could be placed, and users can come and go as needed for them and their business. Users would pay a monthly fee based upon their expected usage. That usage fee could be as little as $20 a month.

Beth Danowsky, a local businessperson who is helping to facilitate the discussion said, “According to INC Magazine, the number of coworking locations grew by 83 percent from 2012-13 and membership grew by 117 percent during that time. Why? Because many people like the flexibility of working independently, but also enjoy the creativity, learning, efficiencies and camaraderie of working side-by-side with other entrepreneurs. We plan to spend the next 2-3 months talking with independent entrepreneurs to see if there is interest in starting up a coworking community in the Oskaloosa/Mahaska Community.”

The idea of a coworking space has been successful in other communities like Fairfield, Grinnell, Cedar Rapids and Pella.

Pella’s location is called Veel Hoeden or Where Many Hats Meet. According to the coop website, ” it’s a place where business nomads, entrepreneurs, and home office refugees call home.”

The group will once again meet for coffee at Smokey Row on Friday at 7:30 am, to continue the process of growing ideas and the coop.

If you want to know more about coworking and your small business, look for them on Facebook at ‘The Exchange Oskaloosa CoWorking’