361. Creating Spaces for Working Parents: Alison Rogers on Blush Cowork’s Unique Approach
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Everything Coworking Featured Resources:
Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space
TRANSCRIPTION
361. Creating Spaces for Working Parents: Alison Rogers on Blush Cowork’s Unique Approach
00:00:00,"Welcome to the Everything Coworking podcast, where every week I keep you updated on the latest trends and how tos in co working. I owned and operated coworking spaces for eight years, and then served as the executive director of the Global Workspace association for five years. And today I work with hundreds of operators and community managers every month, allowing me to bring you thought provoking operator case studies and inspirational interviews with industry thought leaders to help you confidently stay on top of what's important and what you can apply to your own role in the co working industry."
00:00:43,"Welcome. I am here with Alison Rogers, founder at Blush Cowork, and she offers childcare. Alison, we get so excited when we have folks who are doing this because we love to tell these stories and talk about, like, what's working, what's really hard, because we get a lot of mamas who want to do co working in childcare. So I totally get it. I started my first co working space when my daughter was like ten weeks old."
00:01:10,"People have probably heard this story before, but yes, I actually broke my hand doing at CrossFit, and I was like, how am I going to unpack the furniture? This is a real problem because I had all the boxes of, like, the pop in, you know, filing cabinet sitting out on my, the floor and all the chairs. Somehow I had not arranged for, you know, whatever I was doing the install."
00:01:37,"But doesn't something like that always happen? I feel like that's such a, like, every founder has that story, the small business. Okay, we're gonna figure this out. Yes. Yeah. Okay, so speaking of. Yeah, I want to hear about your background and, you know, a little bit of your professional background, personal background. And then when was the, like, here's what I'm gonna do. Momentous. Well, I worked in advertising marketing for 25 years, and I have two boys who at the beginning of the pandemic were very small."
00:02:11,"So I had one in like, virtual school in second grade, I think, and then one who was three years old. Oh, no. And you were about ready to lose your mind. I really was. And I, you know, there were periods of time when I had worked from home, but I, being at home with both kids there, trying to do virtual and trying to work, trying to maintain your."
00:02:33,"Yeah, it was impossible. And I think that I did not have a meeting where my three year old wasn't in my lap. And it didn't matter that my, my spouse was also home working. Like, they, they left him alone. They did not leave me alone. So they knew who had the weakness. They knew whose lap was actually open for business. Exactly. And in my, you know, the company I was working for, they."
00:02:56,"They really expected, like, once the pandemic started and they let people. Let people work from home, they really expected us to be even more productive. And I was like, I don't. I can't do this. I'm not a teacher. That's not real life. No. I'm not a preschool teacher. I'm not a second grade teacher. I, you know, I cannot work 12 hours a day plus take care of all the childcare needs of my house."
00:03:22,"And you have boys who are not sitting generalizing here. But, no, I mean, you're totally spot on like, that. That was real. So they're not chilling in front of the zoom screen or whatever, watching teacher, you know. Well, I mean, it turns out my older son was just like, he was over playing Minecraft. He did not watch teacher. Totally. No. My daughter was third grade. I can't remember."
00:03:46,"She still will give me little confessions about what she was actually doing while she was. I know. I'm like, okay, honey, I don't want to talk about it. So I was just, you know, I was beside myself and just so, like, the pandemic was stressful in and of itself, and then I felt like I was being a bad parent and a bad employee. And I also had another business, like a consulting business."
00:04:10,"And I like a side hustle. Yes. I fired my largest client. I was just like, we're not. We're not doing this. We cannot handle all these things. And I thought very seriously about leaving the workforce altogether just to take care of my family. Right. I mean, that's the travesty of the pandemic. Yeah, it really. It was really devastating for women and their. Their careers as far as having to put their, you know, their ambitions on pause."
00:04:37,"And. But I. Yeah, I almost did that, but then it was decided for me, and I got laid off, so. Yes. And then I was doing each of trying to interview from home, and it's not like that went any better than working from home. Right. And job search again while your kids are like, yeah. Yes. And so I, you know, I just. I was thinking about everything that I had experienced over the years of always searching for reliable childcare and looking for spaces to work."
00:05:08,"Because there was a time, you know, like ten years ago, where I worked from home. And even though the childcare component didn't come in, I was just lonely. I'm a social person. Like, I like to collaborate with other people. So just all kinds of crystallized for me. During that time, and I started working on blush. Okay, so how did you know about co working? How did you know this was a thing and that you're like, okay, and I'm going to make this and I'm going to do childcare, you know, like co working in the greater, like, Raleigh area."
00:05:39,"Co working is something that's been here, been established in Cary, where I live and where I opened blush, there was a space I'd looked at years and years ago, but I would go peek in the windows. I would call, I would email. No one ever answered me. It went away. So there wasn't really anything here. But I'd been to other spaces in Raleigh and Durham and was familiar with the concept."
00:06:04,"Yeah, I wonder. Raleigh and Durham are pretty tech startup, like health, you know, healthcare. I mean, there's a lot of industry in general. And I remember having. I had my space in Palo Alto was pretty tech focused. I remember we had a group who I loved. They were actually my first members, and they came in while I was doing construction, and they were like, we want that office."
00:06:26,"And I was like, well, it's not done yet. And they're like, well, we just want to put our names on it. And I was like, okay, great, you know? And they moved to. They went to american underground, which I think was. Yes. I mean, it was early, and I remember looking at it online and being like, like, oh, it's not that great. But it was very, like, tech founder."
00:06:44,"You know, they were gonna be right at home, but they moved, left California and went. And that's where they. Yeah. Ended up. Yeah, funny. Okay. Okay, but tell me what you were thinking when you were like, and I'm gonna do childcare. I mean, that was just. It was so top of mind because I was like, that's what I need. Your pain point. You're just solving your pain point."
00:07:04,"Yeah. And I was thinking, I was like, well, I'm probably not the only one. Carrie is such a, you know, vibrant community for families, especially families with young kids. And it was so hard to get my children into childcare. I mean, you know, everyone I know goes through, like, they do all the tours when they are, like, just pregnant and are on waiting lists forever. And, you know, the Raleigh market really is one of the highest cost for childcare."
00:07:35,"Yeah. So it was just, you know, it's hard to get, and it's expensive when you get it, and there's just all the. I know our area is like that as well. Okay, so had you seen this concept or were you like, yeah. Yes. I mean, I did some research, and I was looking at especially places like the coven in Minneapolis and St. Paul and, you know, just looking at a couple of other models, and, you know, there was one in Durham and not quite the same because it was more of a co op space that I looked at before when my older son was a little bit younger, but I was not interested in taking my turn to look after the children."
00:08:16,"So I was like, that's not for me. Interesting. I see. Yeah. Right. And also just not really. I mean, it's an interesting model and probably not as relevant for people who are working full time or. Yep, exactly. So, I mean, I think that that model is great. It just. It wasn't what I was looking for and what would solve my problem. So I was looking at other places in the country where they did this and just kind of what made sense to me."
00:08:45,"And what year was this? What year? It was 20. So I started working on it in 2021. Okay. Yes. Pandemic. Laid off. Okay. What did your husband say? You know, he was supportive. He's been supportive, but I think he also is just kind of used to me, kind of, you know, doing what I get into my head, so he's just like, yeah, sounds like a great idea to me."
00:09:11,"And. Yep, go ahead. I know you can do it. Did he have any reservations? Did he have any reservations about signing a commercial lease? You know, he wasn't that involved. Okay. You were like. And you'd like. What do they say? Like, what? You don't know. You know, whatever. Yeah, exactly. He was. You know, he. He has his. Yeah, I. He just kind of does his thing and, you know, he."
00:09:37,"He trusts me and. Yeah. And he lets you kind of. Chase. Yeah. Is he. Is he a corporate guy? Does he have, like, a typical. Yes. So. And he's. He's been kind of doing the same thing and doing really well at what he does for years and years and years. So he. He's just had, like, a very different kind of career path, and now he works fully from home, and he loves it."
00:09:57,"And I'm like, how do. I don't understand that at all. Totally. No, because I was going for a similar. Similar husband, and he was same way, like, not, you know, supportive, not that involved until I went to sign a lease. And he was like, okay, back up. What are we doing here? What happens if this doesn't work? Where are we? Are we living there? Like, what's happening? Yeah."
00:10:17,"And he's. I talk about the enneagram a lot. He actually just did. He also loves working from home, which is very. Right. We're like, totally different. He's so happy working from home. And he's a good reminder, though, you know, you have a very specific audience. But when people talk about, like, luring people out of their homes, I'm like, yeah, there's a segment of people, like this guy down the hall for me, who's not."
00:10:42,"Yeah, no matter what you say, not happening. So, yeah, I. I'm interrupting for a second. Are you working on starting a coworking space? I often emphasize how important the planning stage is. You've heard me say most unrecoverable issues happen well before you open your doors and they are related to the size of your space, your real estate deal, and a few other things. If you think you are going to pick your favorite co working space and reverse engineer what you think you see happening in there, and then pick your own paint colors and your favorite furniture, you are in for a surprise."
00:11:26,"This business is really about making the right fundamental decisions that align with your individual, personal and financial goals. So we want to help you avoid the mistakes that a lot of operators make in planning and launching that can really set you back in terms of time and finances. So we have got your back. We have created a free training to help you really get behind the three key decisions that we think are the most critical for you to get right when you're designing your co working business."
00:12:04,"The model, not the colors. The model. And these insights come from years of operating, designing the model for two different locations, and then my work with hundreds of operators as they work on their businesses. So grab your spot in our training class. You can watch it anytime, it's totally on demand. And start your co working journey with confidence and the right strategies in place. You can grab that training at everythingco working.com"
00:12:34,"forward slash masterclass. Yeah. Okay, so, okay, tell, how does the, how does it work? What is, what are you offered? Who runs the childcare? Kind of walk us through what it looks like. Well, so right now, like, we have kind of pivoted after we open for a year. So first we started out with a partner who ran the childcare. And it was, it was a, a fantastic kind of sitter service that we partnered with."
00:13:06,"And that was great as far as getting these amazing sitters in who are reliable, and then when they were out sick or on vacation, we automatically had people that were substituted in. So that was a great start. But it just didn't make sense as we went along. It didn't totally make sense money wise. And then it wasn't as sticky for people. So we had people who would kind of, like, use it a little bit, but they just wanted more."
00:13:36,"So we then partnered with hopscotch lab because one of the founders was a member here, and she came to me and she's like, what if we did this and kind of moved it? And so they came in and kind of revamped the program and set the curriculum, and it's much more of a curriculum based, like, Montessori style now. And immediately, like, when that changeover happened, immediately it was like, okay, so this is sustainable now."
00:14:02,"So we have people who are blush employees who are childcare providers who work in the space. And so the first iteration was, like, more of a drop in, like, kind of on demand kind of thing. It was. Well, and it's still, you know, still very flexible, but it was more of a. There's a difference to me between, like, babysitter, like, someone who will watch your child and make sure your child is looked after and cared for."
00:14:28,"And that, obviously, that's a huge part of it. But then there is parents who are just looking for something a little bit more robust as far as, like, what are the activities and a schedule and today's high maintenance parents who want to make sure. Totally. Yes. Yeah. I love it. So what ages I can you accommodate? It's six months to six years. Okay. Yeah. And once you get past, like, two, parents are like, okay, what are they?"
00:14:55,"Right. What are they learning? What's the social development look like? All those things. Yeah, they're very interested in that. Yeah. Okay, so they're on your payroll. It's not an outsourced. They are blush employees. Okay, so what role. So what's the relationship with hopscotch, then? So, basically, for the first year, they came in and they were helping to find and vet the employees that were coming in, and they rearranged the room and just set it up and got the curriculum in place and did all the training for the employees."
00:15:33,"So it was kind of more of like managing partner. Yes. And then they transferred all those things, you know, in this past year, starting this march, it kind of, like, transferred everything. Transferred all the. The running of the program and everything has transferred to me. Okay, but you don't have a background in child anything. You're just the. You're the business owner. Yeah. Yes. I mean, I feel like I got a quick study in it and those, like, you know, that leading up."
00:16:04,"I certainly know a lot about regulations and. But, yeah, they really helped as far as coming in and, like, making sure I had a good employee handbook and, you know, making sure all the employees were trained on everything that they needed to be trained on. So, yeah, they kind of trained me a lot, too. I mean, it seems kind of like an ideal way to do it because now it's yours, but you got this, like, real baseline of how to run it."
00:16:33,"Yes. Yeah. So you get heavy support in the beginning, and then you ease out of that and I run it yourself. Right. I think this is not for everyone, but. No, no. And space like this in, in Boston, actually, they had a physical space, and now they're really doing this kind of thing where they're. They're consulting with people and helping them set up their programs, but they. They were like, Alison."
00:16:55,"So we did super. Like, we did so well at the childcare portion, and they were like, we were nothing great at the co working part. And they were like, we think that you, you know, we could help you with this part. Yep. To support the co working part. Yes. Okay, so you. So what are the childcare options you mentioned? There's still, like, a decent amount of flexibility, which to me seems very hard."
00:17:23,"How do you, you know what I mean? In terms of managing, like, okay, my payroll with. I need to cover payroll. So. Yeah. How do you, what does that look like from the user side and how do you sort of make that work on the backend? So we have written into all the details. You don't have to answer all my questions if you feel like I'm. No, these are good."
00:17:42,"The hard things in terms of how to make this work. Right? Yes. I mean, that it is hard, and it was a hard kind of, like, setup and getting there. But I think for the parents that are using the system, I think we've made it very simple for them on the front end and. But there's a whole lot of work on the back end. Right. So it's still not perfect as far as everything I have to do manually to keep the childcare being able to be flexible where parents can, you know, they just go on our app and they can see the childcare slots and they can say, you know, they can schedule up to three months in advance or they can see, oh, there's a spot available today and I have a meeting, so I'll take that spot and, you know, I'll just slot in right now."
00:18:27,"So. But, I mean, we kind of stay pretty consistently, like, you know, we stay in a good range to where that the childcare is self sustaining and it's not ever, I don't see it ever being like this huge, like this huge money maker for me. But I think that overall, I can't see the space without it. And as long as it's kind of, it's self sustaining and then, you know, it covers the cost and we're able to, you know, create well paying childcare jobs."
00:19:00,"Yeah. Or for people here, because that's, you know, huge priority as well, is making sure that, you know, we extend our values to our employees. So, yeah, we do pay more than any other childcare job would enjoy the challenge with this model I've talked to. There's a group local to the Bay Area who helps people launch daycare. And they're like, it's so hard. You have to. Right. Labor is a major factor, and they actually look for access to lower cost labor."
00:19:32,"And you're saying, well, but it's important for us to pay a living wage and rent. And so you're probably in a reasonably high rent area, high labor. But also, I think this is so important. Like, when we talk about the co working model, you have a very specific why for that part of the business. And you're like, no, that's not going to be the way I make money."
00:19:52,"But it's really important. It's what you want to offer. And you're adding this impact layer to the community and employing. So, yeah, I think that's. So do you have options that are full time? Yes. I mean, we have people who will use it five days a week for 8 hours a day. Yeah. But they're also free to kind of use it, you know, an hour here and there if they need it that way."
00:20:16,"Okay. Most people do a pretty regular schedule. Like, we'll see the same kids, like, you know, all Monday through Friday mornings or, you know, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday all day or something like that. So we've had a lot of those folks who do use it as their full time option, but then it also leaves the option for people who just need it once in a while, like when their regular childcare is closed for two weeks unexpectedly."
00:20:42,"Okay. Or they can have a couple of development days or something like that. So that that option remains there for folks as well. Regulations. So parents can leave the site or they have to stay on site. They stay on site. But we can't actually, like, have. We can. It's just for anybody in the building. So we don't just offer the service to folks that are co working members, but we, there are other businesses that are in our building that can actually use the childcare as well under those regulations."
00:21:17,"Yeah. Okay, so what if I want to run out and grab lunch? If you are within a certain radius and you like, check out and, you know, let the person know and you are able to be back in the space within two minutes. I mean, and we're right across the street from like 15 restaurants, so it's an easier. Yeah. Yes. So, like that. That is fine. But, yeah, we do."
00:21:42,"And also Doordash. Yes. I mean, we get silly, but I do feel like people who used to try this model, it's like, right. You can't be on an island so that if people can't leave and they have to be totally self sustaining and before, you know, Doordash and, you know, all the, you know, you could get stuff brought to you when you needed to. Yeah, we get multiple deliveries every single day."
00:22:04,"Like, there's not a day that goes by where we don't get a food delivery. But, you know, parents are also, like, they're able to take their child and go, like, during that because we do have a provider break in the middle of the day from twelve to one and that helps us stay compliant with the regulations for North Carolina as well. But, you know, and it gives our providers a much needed break in the middle of the day."
00:22:25,"But, yeah, so they. A lot of parents will run out then too, but a lot of deliveries taking place. But do parents grab their kids and go get lunch during that hour or. Yes, they do. So some parents will stay, like, they'll stay in the child care area and, like, they'll bring lunch and have lunch with their child. Yeah, yeah. Do a little playdate. Some parents who might have private offices might take their child into their private office to, like, start a nap or whatever, depending on their child's nap preferences."
00:22:53,"Or they might go for a walk or right next to it, like greenway access and so, you know, lots of options. Wow, it sounds kind of dreamy. Okay, tell me about, let's talk about the overall. How big is the total space in square footage? It's 11,000 sqft. So it's big, medium size space. Yeah. And then how many square feet is the childcare area? It's a thousand square feet."
00:23:20,"Oh, so small. Okay. Yes. Okay, perfect. Did you start with that size space? Yes. So that. Yeah, this is. It's the same footprint and everything as we, we started out with in 2022. Okay. And then what does your mix look like in terms of private offices, hot desks? We have a lot of open co working space. We have lots of hot desk, and then we have 15 private offices and four conference rooms."
00:23:49,"Okay, got it. So do you have members who don't use the childcare? Okay, absolutely. So we have lots of folks who don't use the childcare, or they might use it occasionally as a backup. We have. My favorite thing is we have members that, you know, they started out as members and then they had children and are able to use the same. Oh, my gosh. Right. And can you imagine being pregnant and being like, yep."
00:24:16,"And that's where they're gonna, you know, that'll be my resource. Yeah, that's been one of my favorite stories. Somebody was like, oh, well, you know, I use the space. And it made me think, oh, I could actually do this. I could become a parent and know what I'm gonna do with my child and stay close to them while they're little and, you know, maybe even, like, while we still have a nursing relationship and I don't have to drop them off for 9 hours a day."
00:24:41,"And I could have something that's flexible and affordable and be able to make this work. So you have a mother's room, I assume? Yes. Yeah, yeah. Is it bookable? Actually? People just share it? Yeah. Yes. Yeah, yeah, I. What app do you use for the childcare? Reservations. So we use coworks, and they are local to us. So my priority. Okay. Yes. I met the founders a couple times at conferences."
00:25:08,"I forget. So I love working with, obviously women owned businesses. I love working with local folks. And so when I was looking into different software we can use coworks is what I went with. And I think I. I've talked to everyone on their team many, many times, but, you know, and they've been really great about kind of adapting their tools to be able to work with us. And, you know, there's lots of times when I go to them and say, hey, this."
00:25:39,"This part isn't totally working for me because I use it a little bit differently from a lot of the other spaces. Well, I mean, unfortunately, it's so does everyone. It's so funny, you know, I'm always like, you're going to have to just roll with it a little bit. Like, you know, everybody has, like, their own slightly unique way of. Yeah. Of managing its space, but the software cannot change for everyone."
00:26:00,"But it sounds like you're. They made it work, especially, like, in the app where people. So people will book the childcare and it's like, on a. There are tabs, so, like, you can go into booking and you can see like the conference rooms, the phone booths, but then you have a tab for childcare and you can see all the slots and see it and say like, hey, I want to book the childcare for 4 hours, you know, Friday morning and you could just book your slot there."
00:26:25,"So, yeah, I really like their interface. I was actually, I'm not sure I've seen it in action and I was poking around your website and I looked at your meeting room and the interface is really nice. It's just really, it feels very sort of just user friendly, nice buttons. You know, your photos are very pretty, your space is very pretty. Yeah. And just, you know, click book, put in your."
00:26:50,"I didn't go through the whole, you know, but, but I like the interface. It seems very simple. That is so great because it is so easy. And when someone like books a conference room, like a non member books conference room, I'm just like, that was amazing. I did nothing right and they showed up and paid me. Yes. Yeah, this is great. It's the best thing ever. Yep. Hey there, I'm jumping in again."
00:27:15,"This time I'm speaking to those of you that are either getting ready to hire a community manager or who have a community manager and you would like to support their training and development. We know how challenging it can be for co working space operators to create their own training and development material to support their community managers. And this is so important in terms of onboarding new community managers and supporting the growth of your existing community managers."
00:27:48,"And we're getting towards the end of the year, what a great holiday gift, end of year gift to give to your community manager. So the platform is really around a couple of things. One is access to a community of like minded folks. We have a very active slack group with really wonderful questions that are posed every single day and we find that's one of the biggest values. We have community managers from all over the world, and this is an excellent group of community managers that have invested time and effort into getting better at that role."
00:28:24,"And they are the kind of folks that you want your community manager to be by and hanging out with and they know their stuff or sometimes they don't and they ask questions and we help them out. So I'm in the group. We have coaches that are in the group to support them. So we love when they ask questions for things they need help with because the other aspect of the program is really around helping them get resources they need to make their jobs easier and to learn things that they can use in their role to be better at their job."
00:28:54,"So we provide some done for you resources like Google business posts, detailed event ideas, et cetera, that they can just kind of grab and go and use. And we also provide monthly resources that add to our training library so they can do our certification. And then we have a lot of electives that help them kind of get better at all the things that, that go with the role."
00:29:21,"So the our community managers wear a lot of hats. So we break our content into industry knowledge for new community managers, community building operations, sales and marketing and leadership. So the leadership bucket is great for our more advanced community managers. We also have virtual office and digital mail training and coffee training for anybody who needs to know how to use commercial coffee brewers. So we have some of the I'm just going to give you kind of a sampling of content that we have."
00:29:56,"So in our community building modules, we have hosting your first member events, building community with budget friendly events, member event swipe files, our sales and marketing modules. We have tour training. We have the training on the full co working sales funnel so they understand what that looks like. We have social media planning frameworks. We have. What else do we have? Three simple steps to an effective marketing newsletter."
00:30:26,"These are just some of our samples. Ooh. These are some of our best utilized topics. Demystifying the process of letting your co working members use your address for their Google Business listing, how to close a tour operations modules, how to set up automations, how to do a new member onboarding audit, simple ways to use AI to boost your productivity. We have over 40 courses in the program, so we cover kind of higher level topics."
00:30:55,"And then we also cover things that are timely, like the CMRA updates, Google Business updates, etcetera. So we get together monthly to do official training and we also host a best practice sharing call, which is one of the fan favorites of the group and the Slack group. So if you have any questions at all about the program, don't hesitate to reach out. You can learn more and register at everythingco working.com"
00:31:24,"communitymanager now back to our episode. Okay, do you have male members? Yes, absolutely. So the space is inclusive. You know, obviously we are targeted at women because that was one of the things I really wanted to level the playing field post Covid and give women a little bit of advantage. But we're inclusive and we have a lot of, we have male members. We have lots of dads that come to the space as well."
00:31:52,"Okay. I love it. And they love your blush color. Yes. Well, if someone comes in and they like, are like, I don't like the pink. Then I'm like, well, then it's not. That's fine for you, right? That's easy. You know, we'll send you down the street. Yep. Totally. So, speaking of your area, was there. How did you know that this concept would work in Carrie? Well, when I was thinking about it, it was really because it was so personal to me, and I was, you know, I was thinking about my particular problems."
00:32:23,"Carrie has the largest, the highest percentage of remote workers in the country. Over 41% of people work remotely that live and carry. Wow. So, like, for me, I was just like, oh, yeah. Like, slam dunk, you know? Like, there are so many people here and there are so many businesses with, like, large office spaces locally that during the pandemic, they kind of gave up that office space, too."
00:32:50,"And I think that's still something I'm trying to tap into more and more. But, you know, as everyone is, I was like, you're not alone on that one. Yeah. Yeah. I think I googled Carrie comes up on, like, best places to live lists. Yeah. Right outside of Raleigh. I mean. And so. And you're suburban. Yeah. Which was still. I mean, by 2022, people were talking more about suburban, but, yeah, you."
00:33:16,"That is definitely something that's baked into my business model because it just, to me, that was where there was an opportunity, because there are, like, really great spaces that are just, like, beautiful and decked out in the more urban areas. But I'm like, they weren't friendly for someone like me. Like a parent, especially. Like, if you're thinking about being a parent with a stroller and thinking about trying to parallel park downtown."
00:33:43,"Totally. Or no, the stroller is so funny. Like. Right. It's just, like, such a basic logistical thing, but it's like. Well, yeah, obviously. Yeah. Yes. So I'm like, no, we're in Cary. We have a huge parking lot. It's right outside the door. You just bring your stroller right in and you're at 14 bags and. Yeah, right. Exactly. Exactly. And here you go. Yep. I love that. The. Okay."
00:34:10,"An 11,000ft female focused. A lot of space for women. Yes. Are you, like, you're being more inclusive? Is that partly to fill the space? How do you think about. In the suburbs? Yeah. I mean, the inclusive thing, that's just. Again, it's part of our values and just baked in from the original idea. I wanted it to be about inclusivity and access and making a space where everyone would feel comfortable."
00:34:45,"You know, I definitely wanted to attract women, but I wanted a space where anybody who kind of shares those values would feel comfortable. And so, yeah, I think I knew from the, from the get go that it would be a space where, you know, there would be, I think the first person, the first people who came and looked in office before I opened was a group of software developers, like six guys who came."
00:35:10,"You're like, so, I mean, yeah, I knew it was going to go that way. And we have such a, you know, like we were talking about before, there is such a big kind of tech focus. And, you know, I came from a tech company that was, I mean, it was like, it had to be 85% to 90% men. So, you know, I. You wanted to flip that. But, yeah, men who are."
00:35:33,"Right. Sort of supportive of your value, men who get it and are like, you know, yes, thank you. They're welcome. Okay, so I'm curious about your women's work program. Can you talk about that? Yes. So, I mean, that's another thing. It came up. We did an iframe women campaign in the fall of 2022. Space. Yes, for the space. So it was after we were open, but I had gotten to a point."
00:35:59,"It was, I bootstrapped this. So I just gotten to a point where I was like, I need something to keep us going. So I did this campaign, and I had a lot of the people that supported were not in the local area. So I have a pretty, I have a sizable following on some personal social media that has been going for a few years, and those are the people who really supported it, but theyre all over the country or all over the world."
00:36:31,"One of the. You're going to reward them with space use. Yeah. Right, right. So they were able to donate their day passes that were part of their rewards back into this program. Establish this program. And it's been really cool to see so many women using it who are, you know, because there have been so many rounds of layoffs in the past couple of years and things like that."
00:36:56,"Lots of women just, you know, out there and getting back into the workforce or who have suffered a job loss. And I've seen so many of those women come in here and have, you know, a nice, quiet space to focus and interview and get those jobs. Yeah. So that's been really rewarding, especially coming from a place where I experienced layoff during the pandemic, and it was devastating. And."
00:37:22,"Yeah, like, you've lost your mojo a little bit. Right? You're at home now. I'm not working, and I'm. Where's my network? And to go into a space where everybody's working in that mindset and encouraging. I think that's such a big deal. Yeah. Yes. Okay. And that program is really why, when we won the Lenovo and Panthers like, empower the Carolinas, that was part, that was somebody who kind of used that program, the women's work program, to get a new job after a layoff."
00:37:54,"And she wrote in basically a testimonial and nominated me. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. And that's on your website. If anybody wants to check that out, we'll put your website in the, in the show notes. Okay. I love that idea for the funding campaign because I've been, I've had, you know, folks who do campaigns and then, you know, I don't really want a mug or a t shirt."
00:38:17,"I would love to donate a day pass or meeting groups, anything like that to somebody who needs it. It's brilliant. Yeah. In hindsight, are you glad that you waited to do that campaign versus doing it before you open? If you were going to give that advice for somebody thinking about it, what were your learnings on that? I think so because I think that people are more likely to buy in if it's like, this is a visible space that you can see it."
00:38:50,"You can see, I'm already, you know, I am already here. I'm already working hard on it. It's already happened. And you can help support the, you know, the continued mission. I think that was more impactful than saying, hey, I have this idea and I want to do this thing, and saying, I'm doing this thing. I would love. Your support is a little bit stronger, I think. Yeah. Yep."
00:39:12,"No, I think that may be true for co working spaces. I think also I always caution people, if you don't have a big network, it's hard. And I love that you found a way to excite your network that wasn't local. So you have one, which is great. Wait, why, why do you have a big following? Do you have a secret that we're not aware of? Occasionally I post funny things on Twitter, so I."
00:39:38,"Yes, you're funny. Well, now, xdev, you're sticking with this? Yeah, I can't comment. Move. Yeah. Okay. Got it. Okay. Well, now I'm interested. I'll have to check it out. Okay, that's funny. Okay. So I'm going to look at my little list of questions here that we know what we're. Okay. So I guess just to talk a little bit more about the business, it feels like you've kind of figured out some things that work, like, tell us, you know, something that's been hard that you overcame that might be helpful to somebody else who's thinking about doing childcare and co working."
00:40:19,"I mean, if I'm being totally honest, like, the whole thing is hard. It's a hard model, and anybody being a business owner is hard. And then you're, I mean, you decided to open two businesses at once. Like, do you feel like. That's exactly what I tell people? Yeah. Because, you know, even if the, like, on the surface, other people, the childcare just looks like this fantastic amenity. Yeah."
00:40:41,"Behind the scenes, it is just as much, if not a lot more work than the co working side. So it is like having two different businesses, and it's a business where you're dealing with people's children, so it requires a lot of care and sensitivity. Right. And luckily, I'm, you know, like, I, I think that my, my nature allows for that. Like, I just, I do care deeply, automatically about every, you know, every little face that's coming in and all the kids that are here, and I get to see them, you know, kind of like grow and learn, and that's, that's something that drives me."
00:41:16,"But it is like running two different businesses and you have to be prepared for that. Yeah. Which is why I think it's really smart. I mean, it sounds like. Right, you started with a partner and then you started with this group that kind of helped you launch. And really, because even figuring out the regulations, I mean, can be very, it seems to me very overwhelming in the startup phase and making sure you get the right space that meets regulations depending on what kind of model you're going to run and making sure okay, if you change the model, your space still, you know, works for whatever the regulations might be."
00:41:53,"I mean, I just, I think most people who try childcare go through a couple of iterations in figuring it out. So also, like, just this mindset of, like, okay, we think it's going to work this way and we're going to do our best and see. Yeah. Right. Feel like you've landed on model that will, like, this is kind of it for a while, at least. I think so."
00:42:16,"I mean, I think that the, you know, the people who use it are happy with it and I'm, you know, I'm happy with it at this point, so I think that it's, it's working. Yeah. And, yeah, so I'm looking forward to growing it because I do think that this, I figured out a way after a little trial and error to make it work. Yeah. Okay. What does it look like?"
00:42:43,"What are the kids in the space policy for the co working space? Well, that has been tough because I think that most of our members are, and even guests are very mindful and respectful of other people working in the space. Like, they're coming here and they have their child being looked after because they don't want a child sitting next to them, especially somebody else's, basically. But there are children passing through the space."
00:43:13,"I think everyone gives a little grace, but people know that it's not like children aren't running around in the co working space. It is there so that the children are supervised and cared for, and, you know, you have access to that. So it's not like, well, this person's paying for childcare, and this person just has their child, like, sitting next to them. Yeah. So, and so it's not a open bring your kid to work approach."
00:43:42,"Now, there are, there are some exceptions. So we have somebody who, we've done a couple people who, they have older children, like, you know, 1112 who are doing some sort of homeschool, like, online curriculum. And so they're like, well, I have my younger child in the child care, and I want my older child to be able to come and, like, sit and work on their, you know, and in that case, we do a, we do kind of like a trial to see and see if there's any sort of disruption or anything like that."
00:44:15,"And then we do have kind of. They can do like an add on minor day pass so their older child can be there as long as they can kind of be mindful and respectful of the other members, just like the adults would be. Yeah, okay. I love that. How old is your oldest now? Twelve. Yeah, I have a twelve year old also. And I'm like, yeah, I could totally."
00:44:37,"I mean, a. She wouldn't. She's getting to the point where she's not that interested in hanging out with me or being seen with me, I should say, but. Right. I could see, like, okay, I got some work to do. I need to make some, you know, phone calls, but you can hang out here and do your homework in between all the after school stuff, which I'm sure your kids."
00:44:56,"Yes. Yeah. And also, like, a cool environment to expose them to. Yeah, that's really neat. Do you do any after, like, after school programs or, like, schools closed? Kids can hang out here. That is something I've been working on. I had a really great, a really great provider who was interested in that. We were kind of developing that but she was also a children's librarian, and she had an opportunity to get a full time librarian job, so I, of course, supported her in that."
00:45:27,"And so I kind of put that on the back burner. But that is something I'm thinking about because we. We do have a great space for it as far as doing that kind of, like, after school program. And I think it would help a lot of the parents in the space be able to kind of, like, squeeze in a few extra work hours. Yeah, totally. At the end of the day."
00:45:46,"Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Okay. Where do most of your members come from? Is it. I'm guessing you're smaller, suburban. Not ads. Referrals. Yeah, I mean, definitely a lot of referrals. We've had. I've had a good social media presence on Instagram, especially since before we opened. So a lot of people were kind of following our, you know, the journey as we ramped up to opening. And we actually also, I worked with a local influencer who is super popular on Instagram."
00:46:20,"She kind of does family activities in this area specifically. So she. A couple years ago, she filmed a reel and she posted it, and not much happened. And then back in April, and this was now two years old, she reposted it. It went viral. There were so many phone calls coming in, so it got so much exposure. And because her following is local, which is. It's hard to find somebody who has that great local base."
00:46:48,"Yeah. So, like, that was fantastic. And not something I could have naturally, you know, could have actually predicted, but that worked in my favor a lot. But, you know, my background in advertising, I did a lot of Google Ad campaigns in my previous campaign. Yep. So, yeah, so I do run that. But we get such good organic traffic as well from Google because people, you know, when they say, like, co working childcare, North Carolina, you show up."
00:47:18,"Yeah, yep. Got it. Yeah. So you. But you also run ads? You run your own Google Ads? Yes, when I can, I will run Google Ads, especially for things like conference rooms, things that I will, I know, can get kind of like an odd, like, immediate response and where if somebody clicks on it and I pay for it, they, you know, I usually, you know, there's an ROI."
00:47:40,"You know, you'll show up and. Yeah, I think so. Meeting rooms are. I think you have to know what you're doing. Will you please tell people, don't try this at home if you're not a trained professional. Yes. Okay. Yeah. She's nodding her head. Anytime I see somebody in a Facebook group being, like, on Google Ads. I'm like, oh, God, please stop. Don't do that. You can spend a lot of money without knowing."
00:48:04,"I mean, even Facebook is really like that. I take Facebook ad courses. I'm doing another one right now and just learning. I mean, there's a lot to know and you have to test and you have to be willing to lose some money and figure it out. It is not a set it and forget it kind of thing. And there was, I had a friend who said that they started a company and a previous person had done a Google Ads campaign and they'd spent a million dollars on it without realizing that it was still running."
00:48:32,"So that's the other thing. People out there who tell you they are ad experts and they are not. Yes. That makes me so nervous. Yes. No. I get approached all the time for people trying to help me out with my advertising marketing. And I was like, I just have to say, I gotta stop you right there. It is harder for me to do it for myself than for me to do it for other people."
00:48:56,"But at the same time, I know that anybody can come to me and say, like, oh, I'm a social media expert and, and not have the background to really make it worth your while. Yeah, they've taken a class and somebody said, now go sell yourself as like a social media agency or whatever. And they're. Yep. They don't actually playing with other people's money. That makes me crazy. I love that you're doing meeting room ads."
00:49:21,"I do. I'm curious about, I mean, you beautiful meeting rooms. Have you, you opened post pandemic? Is meeting room business a frame or growing? I think it is. I think that people are, you know, they're still kind of coming back together and they're, they're like, well, when I want to get the team together and we no longer have an office space, like, where are we going to go?"
00:49:46,"And there are, there are lots of options around here, but we just make it really easy for them and we make it like a, it's a welcoming place to come and have a meeting. And we've even had people who were kind of like splitting out. They were like, okay, well, today we're meeting at blush and, you know, tomorrow we're meeting at this hotel or whatever, and then they'll call me and say, hey, can we come back in today?"
00:50:13,"We like your coffee better. No. Or we were more comfortable. Yeah. One of our members posted hotel meeting room versus co working meeting room like comparison, which I loved. It was Kim Lee at Forge. I'll give her a little shout out we posted in our community manager group. I think that's such an important conversation because a lot of folks don't know. They don't understand what it means to me to co working space."
00:50:39,"They understand hotels, but they're so expensive. They're usually just blah. Meeting rooms, especially smaller rooms. Right. That's not their bread and butter. They want to sell ballrooms, so. Right. Yeah, no, we have, like, the one I'm in right now is it's a four person meeting room, so. And it has a fabulous zoom background. Anybody watching on YouTube, she's a great background, which, honestly, is another, I think, like, under looked aspect of meeting rooms today."
00:51:07,"I see a lot of blank walls. And yours is like, so you got the plant, you got the sound proofing or mitigating tiles, and then the beautiful. Is that. What would you call that? Is that artwork? I can't even tell. Yeah. So it's kind of. A lot of these panels are in my space, and it's kind of our panel, one of our signature brand elements. Yeah, yeah. And you've got your matching pink vest on your blush, of course."
00:51:32,"Yes. I have to be branded from head to toe. Yeah, no, I love it. And you've got this cute. It's worth watching the YouTube version. She's got her. I honestly kind of love the button. It's a great idea. It's way better than a name tag. Yeah. Right. And then you don't need, like, the branded polo. You've got your cute outfit on, but you've got your button that says, like, this is, you know, I'm in charge today."
00:51:56,"I started out with name tags, and then I had them because I do have some people, some members that will help me out in the space and, like, you know, man, the front desk. Cause we're, you know, we're always staffed. But I found, like, the buttons just work so much better and just very easy to identify. Yeah. Yep. They're super cute. Okay, we're almost out of time. We're."
00:52:18,"We're technically out of time here. Anything else that you would share about your experience, something that surprised you or a piece of advice that you want to leave we folks with who are thinking about doing co working in childcare? I would say so the thing that surprised me, you know, especially given, you know, how I talked about, there's so many remote workers here. The thing that's really surprised me is how much having the space and bringing people together has fueled entrepreneurship among my community."
00:52:50,"And so that's been like, the best surprise ever because we've had people who have kind of stepped back from their corporate roles, started their own businesses. We have somebody who has been, she's been here for, like, two and a half years, and she's been every level of member you can imagine. And she has a pretty nice c level corporate role, but she was like, I have been so inspired by this space."
00:53:19,"I'm going to pursue my passion. So she's kind of like, like ramping down on that and ramping up her creative business. And she's like, it's because of the space that I met so many people and I knew I could do this and I could pursue that instead. And then we've had lots of great women owned businesses that have grown a ton since they've been here. So just seeing the women who have started and grown their businesses has been the best surprise."
00:53:49,"Instead of opting out. Yes, exactly. Yeah. Awesome. Congrats. Well, thank you. I so much appreciate you taking the time and sharing all of your nuggets of wisdom because there are people listening who will hit replay on this a couple of times because they want to do what you're doing. So I love that. Well, we'll link to your socials and website and all that good stuff. And, yeah, keep us posted on your journey."
00:54:16,"Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you like what you heard, tell a friend, hit that subscribe button and leave us a rating and review. If you'd like to learn more about our education and coaching programs, head over to everythingcoworking.com. we'll see you next week."
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