Creating the place that I needed

“What I wouldn’t give for a real office!”

It was 2005 and I had just moved ProScape Lawn & Landscape Services, LLC , my little landscaping business with one full time employee, to Marion from Mt. Gilead, where I started the business in Junior High. I was excited about my new space, a couple thousand square feet of an old cattle barn (that still smelled as such), and the only “office” was an oversized closet with old cabinets that had the doors barely hanging old hinges.? And old a hand-me-down metal desk was shoe-horned over the only floor space, a tight squeeze to actually sit down without knocking my knees on something. Flies buzzed around my head constantly, and I didn’t dare leave any food or paperwork in there, or the mice would get it. If I was desperate, I would clean up that “office” to do an interview for a new team member (who literally had to sit in the doorway because the room was so small), but otherwise, my office was the cab of my truck for the first 4 years in that location. Eventually, we built our first “real offices” (which were still extremely modest) to house our expanding office team and give me somewhere to have client, vendor, and team meetings and interviews. If only I had something better during that growth stage.

Fast forward to March 2018, ProScape had just acquired another company in Columbus and took over the shop location, but it didn’t have an actual office. Once again, in what felt like a time portal back to 2005, we were conducting interviews in the middle of a dusty shop or having people commute to Marion for meetings and interviews. If only there was a way to have professional office space without having to spend tens of thousands of dollars building it, or a place to lease it that didn’t smell like mildew and mothballs.

It was around that time that I discovered coworking for the first time when I went to visit a friend, a startup entrepreneur who had their first office in a space in Upper Arlington. I was instantly intrigued, connecting with the idea because I saw the need from my own business journey and the need for affordable, professional, expandable office and meeting space.

Since 2018, I have visited, toured, and studied dozens of coworking spaces in small towns, suburbs, and big cities, filling my notes and camera roll with ideas, inspirations, and best practices. At first I was just intrigued with the brilliant concept, but once we started reimagining downtown buildings, I dreamed about one day bring a similar concept to Marion, Ohio.

And here we are, Connect Coworx is signing up new members and just a couple weeks away from officially opening to be the hub of small business activity in Downtown Marion.

You see, like a lot of entrepreneurs, my brain works in a weird way. I see problems. Some might see that as pessimism, but unlike the pessimist, my brain is hard wired to search for solutions to fix problems and create opportunities, not just for me, but for others. Sometimes businesses are simply creating something you wish you had, whether that’s you in the present, or you in the past, and you believe that there are enough other people who need it too. So…you step out, take a risk, and with some luck, skill, and prayer, it helps enough people that you can make more than it cost you…and hopefully more over time.

If you, or someone you know, could benefit from this new place, Connect Coworx (more on where the name came from later), I want you to know that our team has poured a lot of love into this project because we believe this little corner of the world needs it. And if it’s worth doing, it’s worth giving our very best to make it a special place. Please share with someone who could benefit - someone starting or expanding a business, a freelancer, someone looking to add an additional location, or a remote worker.

If you reach out, we’d be happy to show and tell during a no-pressure tour to see if it’s the right solution for you! Shoot us a message at [email protected].