happy. productive. loosecubes.

work should be fun

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Dear Loosecubers, Friends, and Fans,

We are deeply saddened to announce that on November 16, 2012, Loosecubes will be closing its doors and shutting down. The past two and a half years have been such an incredible journey. From a team of two to an incredible company of 16. From a big idea to a community of 25,000+ Loosecubers in over 60 countries around the world. And from a single coworking space to thousands of hosts, from Stockholm to San Diego, who have opened their work environments and minds to a better way of working. We’ve been amazed to see how the Loosecubes community has grown and embraced a new attitude toward the workplace and the people they work around. We’ve watched Loosecubers launch organic food companies together, hire each other, and attend each others’ weddings. It has been incredible to see just how many partnerships, businesses, and friendships have been formed in our midst. We’ve learned so much along the way, and are so appreciative of all who have lent their time, feedback, and expertise to making Loosecubes a success. We’re humbled to have had even a small impact on peoples’ ability to do great work. What this means for our members and hosts:

Friday, November 16th will be the last day that we will honor reservations booked through Loosecubes.

Loosecubes reservations booked for any date after November 16th have been cancelled.

After November 16th, members and hosts will no longer be able to log-in and access our site.

Member confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us. Rest assured that we would never share or sell your information without your permission.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] and we’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you to all of our members, hosts, colleagues and friends who have spent their workdays with us and supported us along the way. Keep work loose, Campbell, Anna and the Loosecubes Team

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The Perks of Creative Play

Jeff Wirth, President of the Wirth Creative, is an expert on developing interactive story experiences for simulation, research, and entertainment. He has consulted for Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group, and Disney Imagineering. His latest project is Whispers in the Dark,in which a non-actor participant becomes the lead character in a story that plays out over 24 hours in various settings in New York City. 

What was your inspiration behind Whispers in the Dark?

For the past 30 years I have been creating interactive story experiences in which non-actors become the central character in a story in which they have no idea what is going to happen. When I was invited by Matt Bolish at the Film Society of Lincoln Center to create an experience for the Convergence Weekend of the New York Film Festival, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce this work to New York City. 

What do participants usually get from being involved with interactive story experiences?

There is a great power in being given permission to play fictionally.  Children play by nature, but as adults, we often become constrained by our perceptions of who we are and who we are supposed to be.  When participants play in an interactive story, they discover the potential that lies within them, outside the realm of their everyday lives.  They discover new power and realize new potential through the process of fictional play.

What's your favorite story from loosecubing?

When we were scouting locations for Whispers in the Dark, we were looking for a cool office space.  As a Loosecubes member, I contacted Kevin Swett, who connected me with Marissa Feinberg, the owner of Green Spaces which is a Loosecubes host location.  When I met with her, I discovered that Marissa is not only a creative business owner, but also a talented actress, so we wound up casting her in a role in the project.  You never know whom you're going to connect with when you're 'cubing! 

If you're in NYC, you won't want to miss Whispers in the Dark at the New York Film Festival on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 PM. 

[cubeblog]

Wise Wednesday: Make Time for Everything Else

Long gone are the 40-hour work weeks and, chances are, you love what's keeping you so busy! But for the times that we feel overtaxed, here's 3 quick tips on how to deal: 

Set aside time to exercise.  Working out is a goal for most of us, but it also gives you the energy boost that can help you get your last bit of work done. 

Commit to small investments in your relationships.  Want to spend more time with the people you care about? Start now with an low-key attitude change, suggests Nigel Marsh's Ted Talk on work-life balance. 

Schedule non-work activities for the end of the day.  If you often say to yourself "one last email," plan a dinner or a gym date for the end of the day. Your commitment to your friend might just force you out of the office!

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The Search for Work-Life Happiness

  Angel is the Founder of Cohere, an awesome coworking community in Fort Collins, Colorado, and advises entrepreneurs looking to start their own coworking spaces. She is also a new mom searching for the right way to balance work and life. 

Tell us a bit about yourself, your role at Cohere, and your work as a coworking consultant.

Up until recently, my bio would read, "As the Founder and 'Madame' of Cohere, it’s my job to run the day-to-day of the business whilst helping the members connect with one another via personal introductions, educational events and social parties. After coworking for several months, I was bit by the freelance bug and now do consulting for space catalysts who want to start coworking spaces in their communities." 

Now my bio would read, "Tries desperately to go into Cohere for 2 hours a week while being a wife to my traveling husband and mother to our 6-month old daughter. In between sleep deprivation and making up songs with non-nonsensical lyric,s I spend a good chunk of my day breastfeeding and asking questions online about cloth diapering, teething or let's be honest, poop."

How have you been balancing work and personal life with a new baby? 

If I may be completely honest, I absolutely was not managing well with a new baby and running Cohere. The members rarely saw me at all for almost 3 months. Luckily some fantastic members and my intern held everything together until I realized that I couldn't be a full-time mom and a full-time entrepreneur. Coworking is my blood, but my daughter is my heart and I wasn't doing a particularly good job at either in those early months of motherhood. One morning (during naptime) I decided to ask for help. I hated writing the email. I admitted to my dearest friends and frankly, myself, that I had indeed been seized by the clammy hands of postpartum depression and that I needed help. In that email I asked them to help me find a community manager to take over Cohere for me. I hit "send" and 15 minutes later a long time member and mother Kristin stepped up. It's been an absolutely perfect fit. I'm kicking myself for not asking for help sooner!

How do you see the work culture changing so that more people are able to better balance their work and personal lives? 

There is no business as usual anymore. People without children are deliciously independent. I would strongly encourage them to be as independent as possible and to work from wherever makes them the most joyful and productive. Now that I have a child, I wish desperately that I had opened a coworking/daycare center. I would fill it with the brightest freelancers, entrepreneurs and nannies. Loads and loads of kind and loving nannies. If I had the ability to work, read, concentrate for 4-6 hours per day, AND be able to pop over to breastfeed every 2-3 hours, I'd be in heaven -- coworking and nanny heaven.

Any suggestions for workaholics? 

If you truly love your work and that work makes you joyful and fulfills you as the person you are and the person you want to become, then GO FOR IT. Tear it up out there. If your work isn't doing that for you, figure out why and make a change sooner than later. If there are any other mommy entrepreneurs out there reading this please reach out to me and during nap time, let's chat! 

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Your New Office is a Shipping Container

There's a first time for everything & working out of a refurbished shipping container is no exception. Every Friday this month, you can find us loosecubing here at Dekalb Market in Brooklyn. 

Want to get in on the action?  Join us next Friday by booking a spot on our site.

P.S. Thanks @AmandaMcCormick for the bottom-right pic (and for being the first Loosecuber here this morning!).

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Maintaining Focus on the Go

If you're always on the move, these tips can help you find your focus even when you're without a permanent work base: 

Work in intervals of 60-90 minutes.  According to Inc., your brain uses up most of your body's glucose in this time, so take a break and recharge before you burn out. If you're getting on a flight, avoid thinking about work while going through the airport and refocus once the plane's in the air. 

Learn to control frenzy.  You can train your brain to focus in times of frenzy, which has long-lasting impacts on the quality of your work, even after the source of the distraction has been removed. 

Use a full-screen app, like Ommwriter and Instapaper.  Zen Habits recommends simplifying your computer screen to create a distraction-free work environment that allows you to fully concentrate on the task at hand.

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Everyday is Saturday: Building a Digital Marketing Firm On the Go

"Everyday is Saturday!" That's the best thing about working for yourself, according to Erica and Clara, the brains behind the supremely awesome digital marketing firm, ClearHart Digital. Just a little over a year ago, they found themselves frustrated with the traditional agency model and decided it was "time to be a cowboy and start something on [their] own." Since then, they've been true adventurers and working from all over the world -- from bicoastal loosecubing to plugging away for a few months in Peru. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to start ClearHart Digital?

We’re both just a couple of tech nerds with a mind for marketing. After 5 years getting frustrated with the traditional agency model, we decided now was the time to be a cowboy and start something on our own. What began as moonlighting consulting work, turned into a new breed of agency, identifying a niche with start-ups and organizations new to the digital and social space. We’ve worked with a range of companies from the Institute for Liberty and Democracy to the Manhattan Cocktail Classic to Milyoni, always wielding emergent tech for creative marketing solutions. We love working with start-ups because they’re the most willing to push limits, innovate, and take risks. More importantly, there’s always a new challenge, a new technology, a new...secret handshake. 

How do you see digital marketing strategies changing in the next couple of years?

Well, with the proliferation of social, the relationship between brand and consumer is now a two-sided conversation. More importantly, brands are going to start realizing they have followings equivalent to some of the biggest media properties out there, so we see the opportunity for a shift in strategy to create entertainment and utility for their fans, and less about paying for those experiences on other sites. 

What's your favorite part about Loosecubes? 

There’s such a great energy with Loosecubes--no matter where you’re working, you know there’s something remarkable going on. Everyone is creating, no one is there because they have to, but because they genuinely want to. 

What's your favorite dinosaur?

The Claradactyl!

For the freelancers and entrepreneurs out there, what's your favorite part about working for yourself? 

[cubeblog]

SeizeTheCrowd Rethinks Crowdfunding Campaigns

  Most people have heard of Kickstarter and crowdfunding, but running a successful campaign isn't quite as easy as it appears. That's where SeizeTheCrowd comes in: it connects crowdfundraisers with the right types of professionals -- PR, videographers, and others --  to run more effective campaigns. Jeremy Schwartz, SeizeTheCrowd Founder and frequent Loosecuber, shares some of his insights on taking the startup plunge. 

You can follow Jeremy's business on his blog, The Early Stage, or via @SeizeTheCrowd.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work at SeizeTheCrowd?

I'm a lawyer by training and have always had an entrepreneurial itch. My first company, which I ran at night and on the weekends while I was practicing, was a designer paper goods company. My current company, SeizeTheCrowd, connects would-be crowdfundraisers with professionals -- PR, video, et cetera -- so that they can run more effective campaigns.  My guess is that the crowdfunding industry is going to quickly consist of much more than just the platforms (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, et cetera) and my goal is to be there as the evolution occurs.

How did you decide to start SeizeTheCrowd? 

My fiancee and I returned to New York earlier this year after living abroad and I spent a lot of time getting to know the (amazing) local startup scene. Crowdfunding presented itself as a great opportunity since it sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology and law and is an industry that I think is going to grow and change wildly over the next couple years. It's an area with tons of unchartered territory but one where the skills I've learned earlier in my career come into play. 

What kind of advice would you recommend to an entrepreneur trying to get an idea off the ground (and working with a tight budget)?

If your idea does not fundamentally rely on technology then you should be able to produce an MVP (minimum viable product) more or less on your own and for close to free (assuming your time is worth $0). While SeizeTheCrowd will be able to scale because of technology, it is fundamentally a relationship-building and strategy company and I realized that in these early days I can serve as the "back end." So, I built a simple informational website using Squarespace; it didn't take too much time and I think it lends a legitimacy to the company. That said, I am planning on upgrading the website and will put some money into that.

What's your favorite part about Loosecubes? 

My favorite part is the people I meet almost every time I loosecube. In fact, a neighbor of mine at the Loosecubes Outpost has become a SeizeTheCrowd client! I also like getting to change up my commute.

What are some of your early-stage cost-saving tactics? 

[cubeblog]

Crowdsource Your Next Water Cooler Chat

By Peter A. Bacevice

Just in time for Labor Day weekend, we're celebrating work with a guest post by Peter A. Bacevice, Senior Consultant at DEGW.  Pete is an expert on how people work and learn, and the kinds of environment that support these pursuits. 

Fascinated and want to learn more? Book a day at DEGW's 'cube to check out the workplace consultancy in action and to ask Pete your questions in-person.

I just finished reading a fascinating new book called Networked: The New Social Operating System. In exploring the profound changes in social architecture stemming from the rapid rise of social media, the authors identify a concept they label networked individualism. The hallmark of this concept – they write – is that “people function more as connected individuals and less as embedded group members.” To understand what this means, think about how many of our daily routines are characterized by participation in a variety of social domains – different groups of friends, work, school, other creative projects, and family. Our participation across multiple intersecting and diverging domains enriches us, but the flurry of rapidly changing activity can also be fatiguing and, paradoxically, isolating. That is, people are increasingly shirking traditional strong tie, close-knit networks and organizational relationships in favor of more fluid loose-tie communities.

Many creative and entrepreneurial workers are abandoning traditional organizations and embracing the flexibility of networked individualism by immersing themselves in a variety of projects and endeavours across similarly crosscutting domains. In doing so, they are leveraging a new sort of professional support community – one that essentially crowdsources the traditional water cooler conversation and co-worker support.

Speaking from experience as a Loosecubes host, it is fascinating to see this new paradigm unfold in my office. I work as a senior consultant at DEGW in New York’s burgeoning NoMad neighborhood where my colleagues and I have regularly hosted Loosecubers since April 2012 – welcoming them to our coffee counter and water cooler for quick chats or lunch time project shares. We have met an array of interesting people pursuing a wide range of activities – writing screenplays, writing code, managing corporate real estate, designing fashion, launching Africa’s largest film company, and marketing products to raise money for marriage equality and human rights.  

This network of talented and creative individuals is self-organizing into a real community that is nurtured through openness and mutual trust. In doing so, Loosecubers and hosts are redefining the norms around how work happens and what it means to be supported across professional and social boundaries. People are no longer defined by where they work. Their passions and the communities through which they pursue those passions are increasingly defining our professional lives. Communities like Loosecubes are giving networked individuals a shared identity and signalling a level of mutual commitment and support around work and professional pursuits.

As Labor Day approaches, recommit yourself to discovering meaning in your work and join a fellow Loosecuber to share in that discovery.

[cubeblog]

Cafés, Currywurst, and Coworking

...That's What Berlin Does.

As a fellow Loosecuber once so eloquently put it, Berlin is not so much “hipster” as it is “hippie.” The people are relaxed, the cafés are plentiful, and the graffiti (read: street art) is ubiquitous. Not so surprisingly then, coworking is widely embraced by the communal Berliners and the folks at MobileSuite, Agora, and Co.up are fine examples of the strong and diverse coworking movement there. If you’re planning a workation anytime soon, Berlin is an absolute must.

I’ll spare you the stories of currywurst binges, ridiculous beer festivals, and public karaoke in the park (500 people singing Lady Gaga? Yup) because you honestly need to experience those yourself. What I can help with, however, is making your next workation as fun and productive as mine. Here are some handy tips from my first solo workation:

1.) Work closer to U.S. hours.

Being 6 hours ahead in Berlin, I worked from around 11 AM to 7 PM local time. That allowed me to wake up early and complete a morning full of touristic glory before heading into the office. I then had even more overlap with my colleagues stateside. Depending on the time difference at your workation destination, I'd suggest a variation of those working hours. Just be sure to check the business hours of your Loosecube first!

 2.) Chat up the host and some fellow coworkers.

Locals know the lay of the land. They also know where to drink and eat. Ask them for some recommendations and you may even find yourself with a new drinking buddy for the night. The best night I had in Berlin was based off of the recommendations of a host.

3.) Buy a Macbook Air.

Seriously.

4.) Download the Gmail Offline app in Chrome.

You will inevitably find yourself without WiFi at some point during the trip but don’t let it slow you down. Gmail Offline downloads your current mailbox and then lets you read and respond to emails while you’re offline.  It then sends those emails once you’re reconnected. Ahhh, technology.

5.) Work on the airplane.

You will have plenty of time to kill when you're cruising at 35,000 feet. Save some work for the plane and spend some more time exploring the city.

Workations are awesome. Try it.

Prost!

Kevin

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Meet a Host: Bryan Talks Tech!

Meet Bryan Koch, Loosecubes host and Product Manager at Sparqlight in Santa Monica. Coworking Extraordinaire (he runs JellyLA) and UX master designer, he shares some of his thoughts on the blossoming tech scene in LA. 

Loosecubes: What's one piece of advice you'd give to an entrepreneur?

Bryan: If you have a great idea, don't wait on a developer or designer to create a demo. Grab a pen and paper; take a free html/css course online; use prebuilt systems. Do what's within your skill set to create a visual walkthrough of your product. It may be ugly. It probably won't be very functional. But… a demo will make investors, developers and designers much more willing to help you out.

LC: What do you see in the near future for the Santa Monica tech scene?

Bryan: In the past year, we've seen a wealth of incubators and accelerators spring up backed by a strong Angel community. Also, Google, Microsoft and Facebook are investing significant resources in the area. All this means startups in Santa Monica—and Los Angeles at large—have the infrastructure, the access talent, and no excuses not to build the next "how could we live without…" companies in media, entertainment AND B2B!

LC: What's the point of sharing space with total strangers? 

Bryan: People always wonder why we offer free coworking at Sparqlight. Yes, it's a slight distraction to share workspace with new people everyday. However, everyone visiting us through Loosecubes is doing something impressive. Their passion, positive energy and dedication keeps us energized and constantly inspired.

Sparqlight is the world's leading cloud-based Enterprise Social Workflow Application. Learn more about what they do or loosecube it at Sparqlight for the day!

[cubeblog]

We're going invite only, starting...now!

We’ve always dreamed that you would find in the Loosecubes community a whole new set of "work friends." Through unstructured conversations during the workday -- over coffee, at the water cooler or on the walk to lunch -- you'd meet new and interesting colleagues willing to lend an ear on a new business idea or offer a joke to lighten up the workday.

We've built a strong base of 'cubers: People we meet in our HQ and now in the "Outpost" in Manhattan, or those we see when we loosecube it elsewhere around the city (or around the world).  Now it’s time for our network to grow, and we believe the best way to do this is for our current members to bring in new respectful and productive coworkers and hosts. We will become a community of professional "friends of friends."  We can only do this with your help. Each person you invite will become a critical node of our network: they’ll also be given three invites. Each host you invite will be given invites for their team. These new members will set the culture of the community we are building, so think hard about who you'd like to join. We hope you will take your invitations as seriously as we do and use them to help us realize our dream of a world where there is always a friendly office close by. 

Currently, all cubes are bookable for free by our members. We will be introducing pricing tiers soon and would love for you to participate in focus groups as we hammer out the plan. Please get in touch with our team if you're interested, by emailing us at hi@loosecubes.

Wishing you a happy and productive #loosesummer, Campbell and the rest of Team Loosecubes

[cubeblog]

Co-founders of Ronik Design, Roberto Gonzalez and Nicole Barth, talk with us about how working in Loosecubes has exposed them to new collaborators and pals. 

LC: Why do you love what you do?

RG: I love what I do because I have always millions of creative ideas running around in my brain and I can make a living with them.

NB: It's my passion, so it doesn't feel like work.

LC: What's your work theme song?

RG: She works hard for the money!!!!

NB: Whatever Roberto is currently singing.

LC: Coffee or tea?

RG: Café con leche por favor.

NB: Cold coffee constantly.

LC: What does work freedom mean to you?

RG: Work freedom means that I can be myself and be opinionated and not be afraid I won't be heard. Work freedom also means not having any kind of limit or rules to execute my ideas.

NB: It means being open to go wherever my work takes me.

[cubeblog]

Stockholm Workation Part 1: Nicki Minaj, the Baltic Sea, and Bikes

When we set-off to Stockholm for our first ever team workation, we weren't really sure what to expect. Sure, we all love to travel, but the thought of a 13-person caravan gave us pause. Would our individual wish lists of what we wanted to see/do/eat, etc. align? Would we all get along? Could we all work productively 4,000 miles (and several time zones) away from home? Having just launched the Summer Coworking Challenge, we felt both exhausted yet energized for the adventure ahead. 

Friday

Ten hours and one Nicki Minaj sighting after takeoff, we landed at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport. Anticipating our sleep deprivation, we decided to spend our first day exploring the nearby Archipelago by boat -- a recommendation made by nearly everyone we met who had lived in or traveled to the area. The route wove through hundreds of picturesque islands dotted with summer cottages before docking nearly three hours later in the city harbor. Refreshed by the crisp air and traditional fish soup lunch, we cruised around Ostermalm before retiring to our hotel for a quick adirondack chair nap. Seeking a less traditional restaurant option for dinner, we ended day one with a group outing to a restaurant accessible only by ferry. 

Saturday

Finding that our sleep schedules weren't in sync, we spent Saturday broken up into small groups. Some went hunting for "the Williamsburg of Stockholm" (later discovered to be SoFo), others to museums, and others opted to explore the city by bike. At the suggestion of our waiter, we all later rendezvoused at Trädgården, an outdoor club situated under a highway overpass. The impossible coolness of the place was trumped only by a run-in with two exuberant Loosecubes fans from France. Later that night, as the sun set and rose, we watched the colors change on the Baltic Sea and nearly pinched ourselves in disbelief -- "one of the best days ever," someone noted. 

Sunday

Sunday began a bit slower, with many of us setting alarms with the sole purpose of waking in time to snag the incredible hotel breakfast buffet (and then go back to sleep). Later, we walked along the water to check out Stockholm City Hall where the Nobel Prizes are awarded each December. Despite ominous clouds, we heeded the advice of the NY Times and trudged on to Malarpaviljongen, an open air bar built on floating decks. Equipped with blankets and strawberry basil cocktails, we cheersed to our successful weekend and the coworking days ahead.

Next up: Part 2 of our Stockholm Workation -- the work part.

[cubeblog]

Gloribell Taveras and Susana Columna, BFFs and Co-founders of Chulita's Famous, sat down with us to share their story and talk about how Loosecubes provides them with the structure and resources needed to support their growing business.

LC: Why do you love what you do?

SC: Because we make something out of nothing.  From dream to reality.  Sounds hokey, but it's a big deal.

GT: Because I get to call the shots, and I am lucky to do it with my best friend too.

LC: What's your work theme song?

SC: Andy Grammer's Keep Your Head Up.  Corny, I know, but sometimes you need a reminder to stop sweating the small stuff and let your hair loose.

GT: Right now Adele's Daydreamer - because life should be about always daydreaming of what life can be and making those dreams come true everyday. 

LC: Coffee or tea?

SC: Um, coffee...at least a few times a day.  Black with white refined sugar.  Tea is for chumps.

GT: Coffee and it cant be any cup of joe either.  With milk and no sugar. 

LC: What does work freedom mean to you?

SC: Everything.

GT: Living...for the first time in my life I am following my passion and not doing what others think I should do.

[cubeblog]

Self-proclaimed nomad and Etsy Community Manager Morgan Evans talks about how Loosecubes gives her the opportunity to work like a local and be productive when traveling the globe.

LC: Why do you love what you do?

ME: I love what I do because of the people I get to interact with and be inspired by everyday, whether in the office or when traveling to new places around the world. In my experience, Etsy attracts people who believe in the power of community and our collective ability to change the way the global economy works. That movement is where my heart lies.

LC: What's your work theme song?

ME: "All Of Me" by Tanlines.

LC: Coffee or tea?

ME: Coffee

LC: What does work freedom mean to you?

ME: Work freedom means changing up routines and meeting a variety of people in a variety of places. Diversity in my environment and personal interactions keep me connected to the real world, and that reminds me why I do what I do. I think that constantly navigating new places enables me to focus on clear, overarching goals. When working on projects, themes emerge as constant factors that pop out of the changing landscape.

[cubeblog]

Menachem Kaiser, writer and journalist by vocation, coworker by choice, chats with us about how Loosecubes helps him achieve a happy and sustainable work lifestyle.

LC: Why do you love what you do?

MK: Because I don't have to wear a shirt if I don't want to.

LC: What's your work theme song?

MK: Easy, by the Commodores.

LC: Coffee or tea?

MK: Coffee, or spiked tea.

LC: What does work freedom mean to you?

MK: The occasional nap.