One of the most important questions any freelancer will ask themselves in the early days of embarking upon a life of being one’s own boss, is do I work at home or do I pay rent and get my own office? The decision should not be exclusively based on cost, there is also an overhead of efficiency. Can you be trusted to work diligently and efficiently in your own home or is the temptation of distraction too much?



It can be hard to get work done at home, where you face such normal distractions as children and laundry; or to work at a cafe, where people and music compete for your attention.

The ritual of leaving the house and going to an office mentally prepares us to begin working. Once we’re there, a silent undercurrent of positive peer pressure encourages us to work efficiently. Without the distractions of home or cafes, we get things done!



OURSpace, the next generation in the way we do business.

OURSpace is a business model and a social mission dedicated to cultivating a dynamic, creative and productive community office for San Francisco’s nomadic, virtual, independents workers, artists, freelance designers, home/small business workforce and a great place as a satellite office for a large organizations telecommuters. This will be a working, educational and social complex. The idea is to take the best elements of a coffee shop (social, energetic, creative) and the best elements of a workspace (productive, functional) and combine them to give independent workers and start up entrepreneurs the chance to have their own, affordable place to work, collaborate on ideas and engage in a social network of like minds for support and inspiration.

Working from home can feel very isolating and can lack the motivation to be productive. A coffee shop seems social but, it’s actually unlikely to make many new friends, keeping your laptop charged can be a challenge and buying coffee drinks all day just to keep your seat becomes costly. By providing an affordable shared space via a membership system, entrepreneurs can not only take their dreams to the next level, but be surrounded by like-minded individuals. We believe there is a tremendous value in the synergies that can be created by getting people together in a collaborative environment. By sharing a common vision, purpose and even resources, this may lead to a new model of doing business in these most challenging of times.

Coworking in a Shared studio collective can be like an “intentional community,” where people choose to live together for the purpose, working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values. There is great value in the depth of conversations that occur when you go for lunches, breaks, or drinks with people that you see every day working alongside you.

Attracting a diverse degree of creative and professional types brings an open forum and greater set of innovative resources to each conversation. Of these groups, we will focus our efforts on attracting green/clean technologies and other environmental services. It is our goal that OURSpace evolves into a place for green innovation, products and services. With its founder as a LEEP Accredited Professional, sustainability is considered a standard. OURSpace anticipates playing an important role furthering San Francisco’s position as a center for clean-tech, water conservation, green building, and other sectors.

OURSpace will offer a focused, open-source collaborative environment that is feasible, offers cost sharing amenities and benefits, host social activities, educational forums and entertainment events. We will feature high speed Wi-Fi, intranet; a private computer network for member communications, audio/video equipment with a large screen film viewing library lounge. There will be secure office storage, an enclosed bike area, full kitchen facilities and showers.

Simply becoming a member of OURSpace means discounts to events and space rentals. All members are featured on the Resources page of the main web site and their latest projects showcased on displays throughout the facility. As an OURSpace coworker, individuals can stop by on a drop-in basis during regular business hours, commit to a part or full time shared desk space with 24/7 access. As members and coworkers find the need to expand, they can move into one of the private studios spaces. Discounts and incentives will be given for referrals.

As an OURSpace Studio Resident, those who lease private studio and office space, the benefits become much greater. Becoming a Resident means having more a voice in how OURSpace evolves. Many actions and decision will be made by a majority agreement based on what is best for the most amount of people involved.

OURSpace Residents also have the advantage of getting to know and taking advantage of the neighboring resident’s skills and knowledge on a daily basis. Residents will be featured on the front page of OURSpaceSF.com with product information and updates of their latest endeavors. Residents are also given a monthly allotment of gallery and event space time. By renting studio space in a community environment, as a group, cost-sharing becomes a vital way to bring down overhead on office supplies, administration duties, bookkeeping services, legal counseling and group health insurance.

Community outreach is an integral part of OURSpace. Sustainably applies to the quality of life today and tomorrow. By encouraging fair and environmentally friendly working practices, within all aspects that our trades encounter, we set livable standards for all it affects. Members and residents are encouraged to share their green business skills with others and aid each other in achieving their best practices. And by reaching out to our immediate neighboring communities we can improve the lives of many and enrich our experience of what it is to live and work.

Co-working is certainly not the only form of shared work space. Salon style gatherings to discuss social, political, and cultural ideas to inspire each other and increase their knowledge through conversation began as our country did. Painters and other cash-strapped artists have shared studios for as long as anyone held a brush. Writers have clustered in shared offices such as San Francisco's Grotto. The inspiration for OURSpace comes from a desire to change the way we view and conduct daily business practices, the desire to elevate creativity in work place, the possibilities that can come

from working alongside other smaller operations for greater knowledge and diverse view points, to quote, “…ancient wisdom in a modern world.” This is not a new idea; it is an idea that is resurfacing due to a change in our working habits. It is a lifestyle change that responds to our needs to reconnect and find value in how we make money and invest our time and energy.

Working in a dynamic creative environment activates the senses allowing for new ideas to flourish. Forming a collective of assorted business types opens new potential for accomplishing individual and group goals. This mission may come across with an air of wild eyed optimism. Though, it is years of being unfulfilled by working environments even though there was great passion for the type of work, the support and inspiration lacked a great deal and hearing this same feeling time and time again from numerous others.