I’ve spent the last few weeks coworking. Every single day. In a shared space. With a variety of different people. And this week, I’ve been popping in to familiar haunts where I used to work before this whole pandemic set in.
And I’ve been able to do that without putting myself or anyone else in danger. Not because I wear a mask to the space. (I don’t.) But because the space was designed by one of the only companies in the world so intimately familiar with both coworking and remote work that they could pull this sort of thing off during a worldwide pandemic: Portland startup Workfrom.
Am I being completely reckless? No. I’m simply coworking in a Workfrom virtual cafe. Not just that but a completely reimagined version of the initial cafe concept they launched earlier this year. And the weirdest part? It actually feels like I’m coworking. Familiar faces show up every day. Random people pop by. Folks come and go. They engage in quick conversations. Long story short, it’s got that random serendipity of working out of a cafe or coworking space.
Best of all, when I need a change of scenery, it’s there. When I need different music, it’s there. When I need it to be quiet, it can be. Instantaneously. And everyone else has that same exact control over the environment.
We can communicate. We can sit quietly. We can space off while staring at other people working. It’s coworking. Through and through.
Honestly, It’s the closest I’ve come to working out of Caffe Umbria, Cup and Bar, or Tilt in months. And I’m doing it all while I’m just sitting here at home.
It may be hard for you to believe. I mean, I still find it hard to believe. But it just works. And the thoughtfulness that the Workfrom crew has used to architect the experience is commendable.
If you’re intrigued and want to try it for yourself, make sure to get on the waitlist for when these cafes become publicly available. (PIE managed to get in on a private beta.) Because even in beta? It’s really really good to be coworking among startup founders and community members, again. Even for an introvert like me.
For more information or sign up for the waitlist, visit Workfrom.
[Full disclosure: Workfrom is a PIE alum. I am the cofounder and general manager of PIE.]
