How this rising sentiment amongst remote and hybrid suburban workers inspired a NJ-based neighborhood workspace concept.
By Sneh Kadakia
In honor of Small Business Week, I wanted to share my story as a new small business owner at the start of the pandemic. It all started after another failed attempt to be productive from a coffee shop. I was desperately Googling “coworking space near me”. The search results were disappointing because every coworking establishment was pushing a monthly commitment, which did not align with my ever-changing work needs, budget, or personal priorities.
What I needed was a local internet cafe, with the amenities of a coworking space. A flexible option that I can access hourly or daily without any recurring fees or membership dues. Somewhere I could reserve a work spot or walk in whenever I need a place to work or connect. Too good to be true? For those of you with makeshift work setups in your kitchens, closets, and even bathrooms, that answer is a resounding, “Yes!”.
I founded From Here in May 2020 to provide this very solution. In October 2021, we opened the doors to our first neighborhood workspace in the city of Plainfield. The start of this business came on the heels of the failure of another. The pilot for my first start-up was indefinitely placed on hold when New York City shut down in March 2020.
A few months into trying to figure out my next career move, I noted a few things while working from home: (1) keeping a toddler out of sight during a virtual meeting is impractical, (2) trying to schedule a work call around my neighbors’ lawn service is laughable, and (3) attempting to create boundaries between work and life is impossible. In conversations with family, friends, and colleagues, I quickly realized that these were universal challenges.
We all appreciate the flexibility remote and hybrid work afforded us. However, working-from-home comes with unforeseen and mounting burdens: the cost of minimal social interaction, no change in scenery, and lack of self-care. Furthermore, we are surrounded by distractions at home that drag down our productivity and creativity. The desire for a place near home where you can plug-in, get connected, and just work is greater than ever.
Inspired, I put together an initial business plan and started the search for locally available commercial real estate spaces that could be outfitted into a small, but well-designed, street-level workspace. With no experience in opening a brick-and-mortar business, I was on a mission to find property managers willing to hear my pitch and take a calculated risk. In the process, I was introduced to my business partner, Scott Sussman, who is now the Head of Operations and Business Development. His background in hotel operations and coworking management perfectly complimented my human resources and start-up experience.
Together, we created a service model on the principles of accessibility, affordability, and hospitality. We truly want anyone and everyone to be able to take advantage of our neighborhood workspace no matter their profession, income level, or geographic location. With some seed money, we managed to secure two commercial real estate leases and a handful of incredible marketing partnerships by the end of 2021.
It became apparent to us early on that we are going to need more funding as we preserved through the pandemic with no end in sight. That is when we discovered critical state-level financial support through the New Jersey Economic Development Agency (NJEDA). Governor Murphy’s administration had made a commitment to helping small businesses flourish, and we gladly took them up on the offer. The NJEDA grants we received and continue to apply for have been a lifeline. They make it possible for us to serve our guests while we all grapple with this new normal and start construction on our second workspace in Princeton, NJ.
On the surface, you can easily mistake our business simply as a transactional one; a person walks in, books a private office for a few hours, and then continues with their day. However, if you take the opportunity to meet us, tour our workspace, and speak with our guests, you will realize that we are in the business of individual and community empowerment.
Your personal experience here is better and more productive than your home; you will be catching up on your inbox quicker than ever before, taking virtual calls without distractions, conversing around the coffee bar, engaging in evening networking events, laughing with locals during happy hour, participating in community drives and causes, and maybe even hosting the launch of your own small business.
