Reflected, reset, & raring to go…
About 2022. (Meagan)
There was a lot to love about 2022.
To be specific, last year was a particularly red-letter year for team spirit and taking risks/making moves. To me, it’s a show of just how devoted the team is to our communities, our mission, and our “special sauce.”
Let’s recap:
First, I had an opportunity to watch Mara take the stage in May of 2022 at the GCUC conference with an incisive take on one of her self-professed favorite topics: workspace design and the hybrid workforce. You can find her other thought-leadership contributions from the year here, here, and here.
Then, Sari Lash–Director of Brand & Culture–did us proud when she made her speaking debut at the GWA conference to share expertise on the importance of healthy company culture as a driver of member experience. Do you know about the inexorable link between a company’s forward-facing brand and their internal culture?
Most importantly, we counted– nearly 50% of our behind-the-scenes team and Community-facing team members made some sort of big move connected to company growth this year. Let me help you visualize it:
Money Moves.
Mecca moved from Virginia -> Waco to launch our newest Texas location in March
Andrés moved from Virginia -> Chicago to launch our Schaumburg Area location just this past month
And plenty of other team members stepped up to support these huge moves. Stephanie, our former Geneva Community Manager stepped into a dual role in Arlington Heights to manage and tackle our facilities upkeep in-house. Ce’Nedra, our former Geneva Hospitality Coordinator is stepping into leadership as their new Community Manager. Katie, our Director of Operations, and Stephanie L., our Senior Staff Accountant, both lived into our values of Resilience and Balance in cross-country moves to Austin and Indy, respectively.
Cheesin’ with Noelle, Andrés, Christine, Sari, Mara, Brittany, & Ce’Nedra at the Rolling Meadows First Look Party (Dec. 2022)
Now let’s go get 2023.
Speaking of 2023,
Taking this momentum into the new year. (Mara)
I’ve spent countless hours over the course of my career strategizing around the question “what do working people want?” More than any other year, 2023 is the year our members and guests are coming to our spaces with two distinct needs: space to focus, and opportunities to connect. My resolution is to offer these gifts to even more suburban communities across the country this year.
The 2023 workforce is looking for space where they can gather and get real work done. It’s innate to human nature to want to be with people–extroverted or not. There’s something that lights up your day when you’re greeted by name when you walk in the door; it enables you to feel present. I don’t know about you, but, in 2023, I want to be more present–to feel fully THERE wherever I am. I want all of us to be at home when we’re at home, and be at work when we’re at work.
To that end, expect us to announce more coworking locations this year, grow our team, and welcome more small business owners, solopreneurs, larger companies and enterprises into a working experience with more choice and presence than before. I predict that 2023 is the year where enterprise clients say “yes” to 25N Coworking. Employers realize that their teams DO need a place to go to, but somewhere that’s easier for their people to access; less of a commute, but still with the opportunities to gather. For this, and many other reasons, our suburban coworking model is poised for massive growth — powered by a sense of togetherness.
Together at the GWA Flex Forward Conference in September. I didn’t make this photo— likely due to being caught somewhere in a great conversation with a LExC friend.
Last week, someone asked me what I envision for the member or guest who walks into our spaces. I envision seeing the member wall of all your pets, professional headshots, and family holiday cards as soon as you walk in, the earnest greeting from Community Manager Brittany, and stepping into a place that feels, right away, like somewhere you’ve belonged for a long time. I see a wide-open year of opportunities for us all to live out 25N’s values in fresh ways–to be people-first, growth-minded, purposeful, resilient, and balanced. Maybe it’s at a Friendsgiving dinner in the Hub, maybe in a Slack channel, or over a serendipitous lunch connection at the Dam Bar (IYKYK).
25N Frisco member Friendsgiving
Speaking of togetherness, I’d be remiss not to send a massive thank you to those who have been part of our larger network of growth in the past year: to our LExC-partnered coworking spaces, our development partners across the country, the GWA and GCUC boards, the Flex Uncensored and Everything Coworking teams–thank you. It’s exhilarating to head into the year alongside a cohort who truly believes flexible work is going to change the world.
Can’t wait to be together this year.
Sincerely,
- Mara and Meagan
And last but never least, to our devoted team:
Launching 3 new locations in under a calendar year was a tremendous and exciting challenge, and you dug in with heart and grit and, dare we say, made it look easy. Christine, Erin, Sakinah, Darcelle, Andrés, Brittany, Emily, Ce’Nedra, Stephanie K, Mecca, Honor, Teyha, Tamika, Sari, Katie, Noelle, Stephanie E, and Stephanie G–we couldn’t be prouder of each of your contributions this year. They mattered.