Susan Cope Evans

Website: http://www.officenomads.com

Member Since: The Start of Time

Type of Member: She wears the pants.

Tacked up to the wall by the phone booth, there are two large pieces of paper covered pen and pencils scribbles.  Together the smattering of sentences and half thoughts are the foundations of Office Nomads.  The headings are “Who We Are”, “What We Do”, and “What We Stand For”.  Susan and Jacob put that together over two years ago and, following our 2^nd Birthday Party, it’s still there and ringing true.

Susan spends her days at Office Nomads encouraging the space to grow into what she and Jacob had hoped it could become. Sitting there, she enjoys watching how ideas tossed out by members then get feedback from others, including diverse points of view from an urban planner, a couple of web designers, a publisher and others.  “The way we view things is very different, unique.  I don’t think I knew how powerful that could be or how rewarding.”

She set out to create a “platform on which a coworking community could grow” and can’t believe how well it has taken off, especially in the personal relationships people have grown.  “I hoped we would all get along and members would like each other.  I didn’t expect them to go to each other’s weddings and help each other move. “

“It just knocks me over sometimes,” Susan admits. “Holy crap! It’s buzzing way more than it used to.  [The atmosphere] has gotten warmer.”  From here she has her sights set on encouraging other coworking spaces in Seattle. She wants to help them get off the ground and be a support system for whomever is creating a new collaborative space, be it offices, kitchens, workshops, etc.  “I want to see more of these spaces around the city.  They are vital to urban sustainability, as far as I’m concerned.”

Susan loves to curl up on the couch with a good book.

One other quick note of excitement we wanted to share with you. Office Nomads has published its first book! Unbeknown to us all, or at least to me, Jacob put together a bunch of shots from the Office Nomads Flickr gallery and had them printed in a really sweet little book to celebrate Office Nomad’s first year of business! Next time you come in, check it out at the front desk, or take a look when you’re here for our next Open House on Oct. 16. More info to come on the blog next week, but you can RSVP at Facebook now and while you’re there, join the Office Nomads Group and be our friend.

It’s a good day when you get listed as the best of anything. It’s a great day when you get listed with great companies and resources such as Biznik and The Village in Bellevue. That’s what happened here at Office Nomads yesterday when Betsy Talbot over at Examiner.com listed us as one of the best coworking spaces in the Seattle area for women.

As a man, I don’t think of Office Nomads as a resource for just women, since, obviously, it serves people of both sexes. But I think it’s pretty cool to be called out for that kind of recognition. I think it means that we have a supportive and welcoming atmosphere for all business people and that women running their own businesses can feel comfortable here. I also think the recognition on Examiner.com highlights the overall awesomeness of Susan, her visibility and activity in the larger community. She’s an amazing businesswoman who inspires me everyday so I can imagine that her success also inspires women involved in all sorts of businesses.

As for the other companies on the list, I think Dan McComb from Biznik explained very well why it feels so good to be listed with them: “We share a common interest in supporting small business people.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned to the resources at Biznik, that have made me a better writer, reporter and business person. And it’s no secret that working in this space saved my sanity and made me more productive. Without a place to network like Biznik or spaces like The Village and Office Nomads, running an independent business wouldn’t be half as rewarding.

I’ve been terribly remiss in posting this and for that, I’m sorry, but it’s worth the wait, I promise.

Awhile back, the Not An MBA blog started working on a book about coworking. The fodder for that book is a series on the blog called Your Story where they are collecting and posting the stories of many coworking pioneers (and coworkers). The first installment on the site was Susan’s story about the start of Office Nomads. It’s a really nice read because Susan’s writing sounds just like she is: authentic, excited and ready for the next thing that comes at her.

The second installment was Jacob’s story about the start of Office Nomads. Like Susan, his telling of the tale gives you a taste of what it’s like to know Jacob. He is excited, willing to try new things and also ready for the next thing to come at him.

Since I am posting about Not An MBA (a great site, by the way), they have a newer post up there right now about the impact of coworking spaces on the design of in-house offices. According to the original article on Business Week:

As part of the project, between 25% and 50% of Intel’s 1,150 lawyers, marketers, and engineers working in these buildings will give up their assigned cubes. Instead, they will store their personal belongings in lockers and grab desks, whiteboards, and overstuffed armchairs in more colorful, Starbucks-like common areas on a first-come-first-gets-the-space basis.

It’s really interesting to think that these disparate, independent coworking spaces are infiltrating the minds designing spaces for corporate behemoths. Who wants to bet it’s because those designers are probably contractors who work in coworking spaces?