Whether you’re a one-man-band or a small, agile team of tech entrepreneurs, co-working spaces provide the one thing that nearly every successful person touts as important: a network. No, not a social network. A real live, face-to-face network — like with human beings.

First, a little crash course in coworking. Coworking is the concept of individual organizations working together in shared office space on unique, individual projects and goals, but sharing common offices, meeting rooms, Internet and other typical office amenities.

That sounds cool, but what does coworking mean for the typical small business owner in Indiana? It means you can say “good-bye” to the days of dropping big dollars every month for a small office spot on the far side of town that’s outdated and lacks the proper amenities to serve your customers, and say “hello” to like-minded individuals with different points-of-view, resources and ideas.

Entrepreneurs can co-work at locations across the state — from Bloomington to Fort Wayne, Muncie to West Lafayette and everywhere in between —  and all for one low monthly rate with Indiana’s Coworking Passport.

Recent reports show more than 700 active coworking spaces across the United States and proudly, Indiana is well represented in that number. Launch Fishers, spearheaded by the energetic John Wechsler, is 16,000 square feet of innovation space located in the heart of the Nickel Plate District in downtown Fishers.

What’s great for small businesses across the state: Wechsler’s passion extends far beyond the (new) city limits of Fishers. Just last month, Wechsler and other local small business advocates set off on a coworking tour across the state.

As part of that tour, John Wechsler, Mike Langellier of TechPoint, and Jacob Schpok of OSBE sat down with Fort Wayne’s Mayor Tom Henry to discuss the path to Launch Fisher’s success. Mike and John spoke to the benefits of coworking spaces — from community building efforts that support the success of new small businesses to the job creation that fuels the local economy and prevents brain drain.

By the coworking tour’s end, the can-do attitude and local success stories of Indy’s coworking trailblazers had spread across the state. The reality is that coworking is about building community and networks.

I work, you work, we all (NET)work together.

 

More of The Matchbox #coworking facility in West Lafayette, IN #INRoadTrip

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The slide at The Matchbox #coworking #INRoadTrip

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