Over the years, we have heard many work-from-home stories from folks who come through our coworking space.  Many start with “I love working from home, but…” followed by a long pause.  It seems everyone has something that makes working from home not work for them.  For some it’s the isolation of being alone all day without enough human interaction. For others it’s being a work-at-home parent with a child who doesn’t understand that “mommy’s working right now.”  And others got tired of waiting for their cat to come up with their next great business idea.

For whatever the reason, many work-from-homers need a break from time to time and that’s where we’re excited to come in and help out. Whether you need to escape the drudgery of the home office once a week or full-time, Office Nomads has some great options you can mix and match to fit into your schedule and budget.  Take a look at our updated membership & pricing page, and then switch back here for an example of what we are talking about.

A real world example

So, you’ve finally got your consulting business up and running, and things are going well.  You’ve got several clients, but are still looking for more.  You started up out of your living room, and occasionally head out to the coffee shop when you want to shake things up.  You are still excited to be your own boss and yet also feel like you’ve plateaued.  While seeking something to break the stalemate you look into coworking.

You don’t need a full-time office, but dropping in a few days a month would really help revive your productivity.  You decide to give things a try and sign up for a Basic membership at Office Nomads ($50/month).  While chatting with Alexandra at the front desk, you learn about Biznik, a Seattle-based networking group for indies just like you.  You whip up your free profile, go to a few events, and soon realize the value of upgrading to a Biznik Pro membership ($10/month).  Now you are gathering clients faster than ever, and more and more people know who you are and what you’re all about.  Realizing that you might want to register your consulting business someplace other than your home, you add a Business Identity Plan to your membership at Office Nomads ($35/month).

One month later, you’ve got an impressive new office to bring your clients to, a vibrant community of coworkers to collaborate with, a wider network of independent entrepreneurs to learn from, and a professional address associated with your business, all for less than $100/month.

Sounds pretty awesome, eh?

Again, check out our updated membership and pricing page, and then mosey on over to our list of friends & partners to see what other opportunities membership at Office Nomads might bring!

Thanks to Flickr user Fayez for use of the beautiful photo above under the Creative Commons license.

Jacob Sayles

Member Since: Inception

Type of Member: Co-Owner

Website: http://www.officenomads.com

We’ve started seeing Jacob at Office Nomads a lot more.  In the past he had perfected the juggling act of a full time job elsewhere in the city and being a co-owner of Office Nomads.  It was all fairly impressive.  But January saw an end to the back and forth and he has taken up at Office Nomads full time.  “How cool is it that I can walk away from 15 years in software and have this community around me?  I didn’t even bat an eye about it,” he said.  When Office Nomads started in 2007, building a community he could count on was not the plan.  “[Starting Office Nomads] seemed like the right thing to do.  I just wanted to jump into a big project I believed in.”

Jacob is all about big projects, and that is one of the reasons we love having him around. Big ideas come to him and he strolls to the front and informs us he wants to build a Wall of Achievement, tear down the wall in the Green Room, install new lighting, make a Big Idea Board, or make a trebuchet out of office supplies.  His great energy inspires the rest of us and, just maybe, we’ll harness all of it and take down that big green wall.

Jacob is a bit of a Swiss Army Knife of talents.  No tech problem is too big for him.  Every construction or maintenance project is something he can easily tackle, as is evidence by his awesome house.  Apparently he has ‘mad yo-yo skills’ and holds Steve Brown up as his hero.   At the same time, he has mastered the title of Nomad.  Starting at the age of 17 with a trip to Japan, he has hopped around to all different parts of the world.  Most recently he found himself in Brazil for two weeks enjoy sun and paradise while the rest of us put on our rain jackets and galoshes to fight the Seattle rain.

Come on by the space and see if you can notice the positive changes that have occurred since Jacob came back full time.  If you can find them all, you get a free cup of coffee!  Wait, coffee is always free?  Eh…

The next time you come into Office Nomads, make sure you make a beeline to Susan’s desk.  You lift an eyebrow and ask me why.  Well, it’s not her wit or her thoughtful commentary (although those are pretty great, too) that makes me suggest you stop by there, but more for Buckley.

Buckley is Susan’s 5-month-old black lab.  He is a solid 35 pounds of cuteness.  Now, don’t think of a stereotypical bouncing black lab when you picture this guy. Mellow is an excellent way to describe him.  ‘Adorable’ works, too.  He likes to laze about the office, taking full advantage of Office Nomad’s open napping policy. Usually he happily wanders up when called, plops down on his bottom and shows off his big brown eyes until people give in and scratch his head.  He’s a pro and will reduce you in no time into one of those people whose voice jumps a couple octaves and makes funny faces as you pet him.  Great entertainment is tossing a tennis ball for him and watching him prance and pounce his way to the ball until he scoops it up and trots back.  A true lab, this one.

It’s easy to see that this is a budding puppy food model we have here.  If that job doesn’t pan out then he is open to being a food tester, mainly for the meat industry.  Young Buckley, or Buck if you’re comfortable, is a major outdoor enthusiast.  He enjoys long walks along the waterfront and weekends at his country home in the North Cascades.  This young stud is single but isn’t looking for anything serious.  If you want to stop by and shower him with love for only a short period of time, he would be thrilled.

And that, everyone, is our new adorably fantastic Nomad.  His full name is Sir Buckley Danger Dog, but you can call him Buckley.

After receiving helpful feedback from our members and wider community, Office Nomads is proud to introduce some new membership levels! You can see full descriptions on our updated Memberships and Pricing page! Quickly, here’s what monthly membership now looks like at ON:

• Basic: 3 days/month – $50
• Part-Time: 5-15 days/month – $75-225
• Resident: 24/7 access – $475 + deposit

We hope that these new levels allow even more flexibility to potential members who are looking to be in the office on a regular basis.  As always, we know there is incredible value in a space that keeps its focus on the people, not on the pricing plans. We try to keep our membership plans simple, and designed to keep you focused on getting work done, not on whether you can afford to have another cup of coffee.

If you’ve been meaning to swing by and check out the office, now’s a great time!  Come on in for a tour of the space and we can chat you up about the new price points!

Wow! The January Open House was a great time!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by.  It was great to see everyone and catch up.

For those of you who missed out, I understand the weather was rather terrible that evening.  But, you missed out on some pretty spectacular fun.  Josh, from Bluebird Ice Cream, scooped out some incredible ice cream for everyone to try.  He very quickly ran out of the vegan coconut mint chocolate chip and there was a good reason why.  I had no idea vegan ice cream could be so fantastic!  The Stumptown ice cream and the snickerdoodle were also really delicious and it was all finished off by the time the night came to a close.    Mychal Richardson’s photography was a great conversation piece and had many people quietly going from one photo to the next reading about how each individual pictured fought for their rights.  I think we all came away inspired.  See more of his work on his website or stop by and check them out!

A big thanks must also go to Andy Aupperlee of Explosion 5000.  He took over the Green Room and shot portraits of our Open House attendees and their New Years Resolutions.  The results are rather amazing and you should make sure to read about it on his website and look at his Flickr page.

A big thanks to all of you who could come out.  Hopefully see you all at our next Open House!

Thanks to Flickr user Sukanto Debnath for use of the above photo through the Creative Commons License

It’s January so that means it’s time for our January Open House!  Fitting, right?  Well, we are really excited for this month’s open house on January 14th from 6 PM to 9 PM when we’ll open our doors to the wholecommunity to celebrate art, coworking and each other.

What: January Open House

When: Thursday, January 14th from 6 PM-9 PM

Where: Office Nomads- 1617 Boylston Ave, Second Floor

Food and Drink: We’ve got the goods, just bring your pint glass!

We are proud to be part of Capitol Hill Art Walk again this month and are featuring the beautiful photography of Mychal Richardson of Lost Photography.  His show, “Faces of Washington” was created for the ACLU and includes seventeen 36″ by 36″ black and white portraits of courageous individuals from all across Washington State who fought for their rights and the rights of others.  It is an inspiring show and one not to be missed.

Something we are very excited about is the opportunity to be part of the art!  Andy Aupperlee of Explosion 5000 will be here taking photos of you and your New Years Resolutions.  Andy is really excited to have some fun with these photography so bring a big smile and your creativity to be expressed in the photobooth.  At the same time, we have partnered with a couple local businesses in an effort to tempt you away from some of those New Years Resolutions. Ice cream from Bluebird Ice Cream and beer from Elysian Brewing always are incredibly delicious and will both be here.  Make sure your bring a sweet tooth and your pint glass!

The only thing that could make the Open House any greater would be you!  We hope you can join us and bring along your great friends and family.  What better way to celebrate winter, photography and the neighborhood than with our community?  We look forward to seeing you!

Ron Theis

Website: http://www.ridic.com

Member Since: April 2008

Type of Member: Resident

Ron felt as if working from home was working for him although it also felt like it was pulling him in two directions.  His work as Lead Game Designer for Ridiculous Software, Inc. had him focused on the creation of new applications for Sidekick phones and IPhones.  It had him at his computer designing and then writing code for different applications.  At the same time he was always aware of his wife working as a stay-at-home mom with their one-year-old daughter, Addison, who was also in the house.  His fingers would be typing but his mind was aware of laughter floating in from the other room and he wanted to be there to play.  If she cried, he wanted to be there to comfort her.  Working at home was not working at all.

Ron found Office Nomads and, with it, a place where he could work with less distraction.  Before, he said, “…my one-year-old daughter did not understand why Daddy could not play right now.”  Now, he goes home in the evening and can focus on his family.

An additional perk to spending 9-5 at Office Nomads is that Ron has found a great mix of people who can be fantastic resources.  He sits in a cluster with two other Nomads in a similar industry.  Also, when he has questions about topics such as web development, there is usually somebody in the space who can help him.  “These are committed people,” Ron explained.  “They have everything together.”  He finds that that helps him and makes him love this space even more.

His wife and daughter love Office Nomads, too.  Addison loves to run around and play with Cortez, one of the resident pooches, when they come in to check on Ron.  The whole family comes out to the open houses to catch up with the other Nomads and just have fun.  As a whole, the Theis family loves Office Nomads which is fine by us because we love them, too!

Greg Wyckoff

http://www.gregwyckoff.com

Member Since: October 2009

Type of Member: Resident

Greg makes the longest trek every day to come to Office Nomads.  He makes the journey from Edmonds to Seattle on the the Sounder train, followed by a  ride through Seattle in the Metro Bus Tunnel. After about an hour of reading, thinking, working and a little exercise, he arrives at ON ready for the day.  Greg sought out Office Nomads to transition from being a stay-at-home dad and part-time web developer to a being a full-time Software Requirements Analyst. It was very difficult to separate his personal time from his professional time, and he knew he needed to move the work elsewhere.  Greg found Office Nomads and found somewhere he can “be productive without being part of the machine.”  His fondness for the space and the collection of people here are what get him out the door in the morning to start the commute.

Greg lights up when you ask him about Office Nomads. “Office Nomads provides the ‘missing pieces’ for independent professionals. The perceived opportunity of working independently motivates many to break out of the traditional 9-5 office job. There are many benefits to working “on your own,” but it seems that the impact of the energy that comes from interacting with other interesting, lateral thinking, motivated individuals is often overlooked or underestimated. Office Nomads is a unique space that provides an inspiring blend of independence and interaction.”

When he does finally make it to Office Nomads, he settles in and gets down to business.  With more than 10 years of IT experience, Greg recently started working as an independent consultant for organizations looking to  improve their operations through the use of software.  He systematically analyzes  business objectives and maps processes, looking for opportunities to apply software to increase efficiency and capacity.  Greg offers recommendations for software solutions and also manages the execution of projects.

Greg’s path to his current job is a unique, starting with working on his family’s farm in the Yakima Valley.  He says he has always been geek at heart.  Working on the farm, was involved with several data collection projects: Yield projections, pest monitoring pesticide application tracking, horticultural activity tracking, etc.  After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Geology at Whitman College, he spent some time in Germany working for a hop grower/processor where his inner geek and farming roots really melded together. Listening to his story of his time in Germany and work history, it’s interesting how those summers working on the family farm really were the foundation for the work he does today.

Outside of Office Nomads, Greg makes sure to spend quality time with his wife and two kids.  Weekends often include trips to the pumpkin patch, adventures to the zoo or maybe a father-daughter outing to the climbing gym. It’s fun talking with Greg because there is more than meets the eye: He always seems to have an interest or story you wouldn’t expect.  To say the least, he’s a great addition to Office Nomads.

December is here and you know what that means… It’s the season for giving. This year, Office Nomads is in such a giving mood that we want to give you presents and maybe even help make your holiday shopping a bit easier.

For the month of December, come check out Office Nomads and if you like what you experience, take your pick of one of two great specials:

• Now through the end of the year, new members who sign up at the Regular or Resident level can choose to pay just $100 for the first month or enjoy the third month for free!
• OR if you’re feeling like getting in on the giving too, anyone who signs up for a Basic membership in December gets a free month of basic membership to give to a friend or colleague.

Remember, everyone who works at Office Nomads gets

• High-speed 10Mbps internet access
• Wireless (wifi) or wired networking
• Use of three conference rooms
• Basic print/fax/scan
• Coffee/tea
• Free notary services
• Great company!

And membership at any one of our levels brings even more benefits including access to exclusive members-only events at Office Nomads.

So if you’ve been thinking that working at home just isn’t working for you, this is a great time of year to try out coworking at Office Nomads!

For more information, drop on by the office or send us an e-mail at info@officenomads.com.

(Thanks to flickr user fazen for use of this photo under the Creative Commons license.)

It seems to be a hot week for community input here in Seattle.  Throughout the week, we’ve seen community input being gathered at venues such as design review sessions on Capitol Hill, the open-source transition process for Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn, and even here at Office Nomads with Tuesday’s “State of the Nomads” meeting.

What each of these opportunities provides is a chance for members of a community to weigh in and help guide the direction of the community they are a part of.  As opposed to more traditional business models which try to anticipate the needs or desires of a market, community input enables a business, a nonprofit, a governmental body, or any other organization to truly map their offerings to what the community desires.

This was the second time we held a State of the Nomads gathering at Office Nomads, and it was another success for our community.  Members had a chance to hear how Office Nomads was doing as a business, what initiatives we were currently working on, and then weigh in their opinions and concerns on all aspects of Nomadic life.  This is a critical aspect to how we want Office Nomads to continue growing and thriving – with the community instead of in front of it.

Community input is more than just watching activity on a blog or a Facebook page.  It requires time.  Patience.  Solid listening skills. It is, as Tara Hunt would say, about turning the bullhorn around.  Community input is the cornerstone of building anything that is meant to serve a community need.  Whether for a building, a service, or an entire government office, community input allows for the voices of the community to be heard.  But as Steve, one of our Office Nomads members said at State of the Nomads, “you have to participate in what is made available to you.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Steve.

So get out there in your community and start letting your voice be heard.  You might be surprised at how receptive those your speaking to are to your needs.

(Thanks to Flickr User Audin for providing this photo “Holy Feedback!” as part of the Creative Commons license.)