Coworking Week is coming up, and here at coLab, we’re asking members what coworking means to them.
Today, we’re talking with coLabber Mike Straus about the meaning of coworking and how coworking has impacted his life. Mike is a freelance copywriter and longtime coLab member with a lot to say about coworking.
COLAB: If you had to explain what coworking is to someone who has never heard that term, what would you say?
MIKE: coLab’s founder Shane Austin likens coworking to a party where work happens, and I think that’s probably the best description of it that anyone is ever going to come up with. Coworking is all about a whole bunch of massively talented and diverse people getting into the same space, the same community, and working on awesome things side by side. It’s about community.
COLAB: How has coworking impacted your life?
MIKE: Before I joined coLab, I worked from home for about a year. By the end of that year, I was a wreck. I was sleeping all day and working all night. Shane says that you can tell when someone has been working from home for too long because they have a ‘feral’ look about them, and that was me.
But after joining coLab, it’s like I was reborn. I learned
how to be a person again. I learned how to separate my work life and my
personal life. I started feeling happier, I started sleeping better, I started
having more fun, and I started making more money. Coworking is the reason why
I’ve been able to make freelancing work long-term.
COLAB: What’s your favourite part of
coworking?
MIKE: The people. I love the people.
I love the community. Everyone has a story about how they got to where they
are, and I want to hear them all. And I especially love getting to collaborate
on projects with insanely talented professionals who can achieve things that I
can’t even imagine. We have some real geniuses in the coLab – experts in design
and programming and business processes and user experience and more – and I
love getting to see them do their best work.
COLAB: What’s something about
coworking that surprised you when you first joined coLab?
MIKE: How fast people drink the
coffee! I swear, I’ll brew a pot, go sit down at my desk, and come back 5
minutes later to an empty pot. All of the coLabbers know that you don’t stand
between me and the coffee unless you have a death wish. LOL just kidding. In
all seriousness, I was actually very surprised by how fun coworking can be. At
first, I thought I was just getting a desk and a WiFi connection. But I
actually got a community.
COLAB: Ok, now for the fun stuff.
coLab’s obligatory 5 Random Nonsense Questions. You ready?
MIKE: Shoot.
COLAB: If you
could be any vacation, what vacation would you be?
MIKE: Cabin in the woods. But not that cabin, and not in those woods.
COLAB: What’s a controversial opinion you have about a classic movie?
MIKE: Inception was just okay.
COLAB: What is
the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
MIKE: What do you mean, an African
or European swallow?
COLAB: Very good question. I don’t
actually know. Please don’t throw me off a bridge.
MIKE: I promise I won’t.
COLAB: In your
opinion, what would be the worst superpower to have?
MIKE: Super sneezing. Useful if you
need to repel a foe, but incredibly dangerous during allergy season.
COLAB: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
MIKE: Horse-sized duck, all the way. Yeah, the duck-sized horses are smaller, but there’s 100 of them and only 1 of me. All it takes is one slip-up for 30 of them to blindside me, and it’s game over. With the horse-sized duck, I only have one enemy that I need to pay attention to. Tactically, that’s a much easier fight, even if the opponent weighs 1,100 pounds.
Coworking Week is coming up, from August 6 to 9, and coLab is celebrating in style. Our community of fun-loving professionals is ready to work hard and play hard, and we want you to be a part of it! Come check out our awesome events & learn how you can get 1 FREE day of coworking here.
