What is Social Workplace and how does it work?

Thanks for your interest in Social Workplace. We’re super excited about the support and enthusiasm from our local community for our new space.

I created Social Workplace to solve a problem I had as an entrepreneur. In 2010, I took an “early retirement” from corporate at 37. Working from my home, I launched three online businesses, wrote multiple books and produced business workshops and conferences. The problem was that now I needed to get out of my home and make live connections in the real world – so I started networking.

I poured myself into my local community. I joined multiple Chambers of Commerce, attended business networking groups, and volunteered a LOT. It was fun. It helped me build relationships. And I got some decent business from it. But it was exhausting and I was finding that the social aspect and fun of hanging out with people started to be the real reason why I was spending so much of my time “networking,” not necessarily growing my business.

Even with all of these amazing people I got to know, I was still feeling pretty isolated in my business. As disciplined as I was working from home, my business wasn’t growing. I needed to connect with like-minded and like-motivated people. I needed a place to go where I knew I could find someone to bounce ideas off of and not be so – lonely at work.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A DIGITAL NOMAD, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR OR CONSULTANT TO COWORK.

Maybe you’re looking to grow a side hustle, or you own a small business or need a reason to get out of the house to get some work done without distractions. Or (like me) need a more professional place to meet clients and grow your business outside of your home.

AT SOCIAL WORKPLACE YOU CAN GRAB A DESK AND GET TO WORK.

It’s also a place to connect with others who are looking to grow their business and help others do the same. And if you’re not into being social at the moment because you have a project to focus on, you can work out of one of our private or semi-private offices to get some work done.

Another huge need we still see in the community is professional meeting space. We’re located in the heart of the South Bay near freeways and local airports.  We have several options to host your next meeting with two dedicated conference rooms, a 25-person classroom, smart TVs, projector, whiteboard, and anything else you’d need for success.

WHY SHOULD I BECOME A MEMBER OF SOCIAL WORKPLACE?

A monthly membership structure is common in the coworking industry. Think of it like gym membership for your business.

Membership plans are month-to-month and you can cancel anytime. It’s not our goal to lock people in to year-long commitments unless they need a longer-term option. Coworking is all about flexibility, and our memberships reflect that.

With any level of membership, you receive all the perks our memberships offer. That includes up to 40% off our rental rates (this is for meeting rooms, classroom and podcast studio), as well as access to printing/copying/scanning, complimentary member events, and free coffee/tea!

When you sign up, you become a valued member of Social Workplace and our members are everything to us! We want you to make this your home base for business. And we even offer a professional business mailing address at the space so you have someone here to receive mail and we notify you when you’ve got mail.

WHAT IF I NEED 24/7 ACCESS?

No problem. We have membership plans that give you access to the space if you work better after sunset or are an early riser. You’ll just need to be sure you follow the same ground rules as during normal business hours.  

WHAT IF I’M NOT READY TO MAKE THE COMMITMENT?

No worries. You can also pay as you go, month by month (but you do get a deeper discount if you pay for multiple months upfront). Plus, we have day passes if you just want to dip your toe in the water. You don’t get access to all the member perks but if you happen to drop-in on a day when we are having a complimentary event, you are most certainly invited!

CAN I MEET CLIENTS AT SOCIAL WORKPLACE?

Yes! As a member, this is YOUR space. That means business as usual. Meeting clients in a welcoming, accessible and comfortable space is so important to forging that relationship. Don’t forget to offer your client coffee, tea, water or snacks that come complimentary with your membership. We do ask that you are respectful to your neighbors and that might mean that you reserve one of our Meeting Rooms (it’s free to members to use for one hour per month), or find a quiet spot maybe outdoors in our lounge area.

I PREFER WORKING ALONE IN A QUIET OFFICE.

We get it. Some work requires your full attention without interruptions. In that case, we have one fully private office and one semi-private (there’s room for eight people to work).

But…don’t forget to try our social desks. Social desks are workspaces anyone can grab anytime and they are in our common area. There is a certain energy or buzz that comes with working alongside other people. This energy can be inspiring and can lead to great business connections. Our social desks are free to members and are always available during our business hours.

I WANT TO HOST A WORKSHOP AT SOCIAL WORKPLACE.

Fantastic! We have space for that too. Social Workplace is your space to create. Workshops and lunch-n-learns are incredible ways to share your expertise, engage with clients and make some money sharing your wisdom doing what you love. We have a lots of options when it comes to hosting your workshop.

Your first step is getting in touch with us. Drop by or send an email to hi@socialworkplace.com and we can start determining your needs. It’s our goal to make our space as accessible as possible to everyone. Our location is super central and our pricing is very reasonable.

Also, did you know that our members get 1 FREE hosted workshop per quarter? If you’ve been a member for a minimum of 3 months you are able to host up to 4 workshops per year at no cost to you. This is our way of supporting our members while providing amazing workshops and education to the community.

SO, CAN WE COUNT YOU IN?

Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer.

— Heidi 
Owner & Co-Captain