I dag har vi sørger vi. Vore tanker går til ofrer og pårørende for det seneste døgns terror i Danmark. I morgen står vi op og – vær helt vis på det – tegner alle de tegninger og møder alle de forskelligheder, der skal til for, at ingen, ingen (freelance) jihadist får skovlen under modet til at ytre sig frit i Danmark og resten af verden – og nej, dette er IKKE en kamp mellem den vestlige verden og islam. Dette er alles kamp mod dødsens farlige tosser.
COIN will become an important and unavoidable dot on the Europe coworking map
We have come to the next story about other coworking spaces that you can visit and be a part of for a longer or shorter period. This one is told by Iva Kosović and is about a new initiative in Zadar in Croatia. I met Iva during a coworking tour in Lisbon. We quickly got into a conversation about COIN, which is the project she's passionate about. Iva is a member of the project team who's task is to successfully implement the project and to ensure further development of the Zadar coworking community even after the project ends.
Q: Tell me about the coworking space you are creating – when/how did it all begin?
A: From January 2012 until June 2013, the Association of Trades and Crafts Zadar, in partnership with 12 European organisations, has implemented an EU project called Coworking under the Leonardo da Vinci programme. The aim of the project was to produce a comprehensive toolkit of documents/means to serve as propellants for all European contexts considering the coworking option. As one of the partners, ATC Zadar gained appropriate insight and perspective of the coworking concept and implemented many different activities in cooperation with European, national, and regional partners in order to promote it and empower the coworking initiative at a regional level. At that point, the new local partnership started to build, and project partners were included in a new EU project conceptualization. On 14 July 2014, a grant contract was signed, and the project "Coworking Zadar – Innovation through Collaboration" has begun. The project will enable us to create a new coworking space in 2015.
Q: Why are you creating a coworking space – what do you expect to get out of it?
A: The main objectives of the project are to increase the competitiveness of the micro SME-s and create jobs through self-employment. The project intends to assist and support the development and expansion of the micro enterprises into the small-sized enterprise category. These things will be done by offering lower costs related to infrastructure and other support services (such as education and social events) that would help with their financial sustainability.
Q: What is your main value proposition (i.e. why is your space awesome)?
A: The coworking space will be called COIN – coworking industries. It will be a place tailored to its users' needs. Also, we could say that our extra plus is our city's geographical location. Considering the direction Zadar tourism is headed in and the fact that COIN will be the first coworking space in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Coast, we are planning to become a ''base'' for everyone coming to town who is in need of a space in which to (net)work.
Q: Who is your primary user?
A: Our target groups are micro enterprises (existing and potential micro enterprises providing intellectual services, job seekers, freelancers, etc.), the local coworking community, coworking space hosts, SME support providers, and European coworking champions (subjects championing a coworking cause – initiators, developers, promoters, providers). Our final beneficiaries are resident and non-resident micro enterprises, business travellers, the global coworking community, the local community, project partners, and business incubators.
Q: How is the space different from other coworking spaces?
A: Our biggest difference is more technical and relates to the very beginning of the founding of the space. Since the "Coworking Zadar" project team consists of people from partner institutions (the City of Zadar, the Association of Crafts and Trades, the Development Agency of Zadar County, Zadar County, and the Croatian Chamber of Economy), what could be the difference from other (mostly private) coworking spaces (especially whose owners we've met in Lisbon) is our institutional background. However, this is not a bad situation. In fact, so far we have experienced more advantages than disadvantages from this "difference."
Q: In your mind, what is your biggest challenge?
A: In Croatia, there are only a few coworking spaces (in the capital, Zagreb and Osijek), but lately, coworking initiatives all across the country have arisen. Informing and raising awareness about the coworking concept is one of our biggest challenges. In that sense, we maintain a high level of communication with our experienced "coworking colleagues," and we have included them in various activities foreseen in the project.
Q: What's your take on a solution (if you have one)?
A: Since the beginning of the project in June 2014, we have had many different events (jelly, coworking breakfast, and education) in order to spread the word about the project, to get close to our potential users, and to create our coworking community. In a few days, we plan to visit coworking spaces in Zagreb and Osijek with our future hosts and users so they too can see directly what coworking is all about.
Q: Where do you see your space in 5 - 10 years?
A: We are doing our best to make COIN "The place" for networking in Zadar, enabling all freelancers, entrepreneurs, tourists, and other users to come and work (or have have a meeting or a conversation). Also, our goal is for COIN to be a space that will be self-sustainable through memberships and sponsorships. EU project ''Coworking Zadar'' ends with the end of 2015, but, nevertheless, we are hoping COIN will become an important and unavoidable dot on the Europe coworking map in the future.
Q: Bonus: How do you envision coworking (in Croatia) in 10 - 20 years?
A: We envision COIN becoming the central place for fostering SMEs in the region and a meeting place of different professions and creative persons.
Thanks Iva – next stop Croatia :-)!
Mutinerie: sharing values is the most important part
Coworking as a concept is only 10 years old. This post is one in a series of posts where I interview people I have met. They belong to coworking spaces in Denmark as well as in the rest of Europe and the world. Hopefully, the series will teach us something about the coworking movement.
The first interview is with William Van Den Broek. I got in touch with William via Morgane Parma, whom I met when I participated in the Coworking Europe Conference 2014 in Lisbon. Morgane is a visual communication designer and a member of Mutinerie. William is the cofounder of Mutinerie in Paris. Here are his answers:
A: What is Mutinerie?
Q: Mutinerie is a community of independent workers: entrepreneurs, start-ups, and freelancers based in Paris. The headquarters of Mutinerie is a coworking space of 400 square meters in the northeast of the city. We have about 200 active members. Some of them work nearly every day from the place, and others come only a few days per month. Mutinerie hosts and organises events, workshops, and celebrations. Mutinerie has various goals and no limits!
Q: When/how did it all begin?
A: Mutinerie was initiated by three brothers and a playground friend who decided, one day in September 2010, to gather independent workers in a place where it would be nice to work, think, and live. After four months of hard work, Mutinerie opened its doors in early March 2012.
Q: What is a ‘Mutin’?
A: A mutin means a mutineer. A mutin is a member of our community—a guy or a girl who decided, one fine day, to become self-employed and chose what he or she wanted to do with his or her life. He or she is a developer, designer, architect, journalist, translator, consultant, artist, or whatever he or she wants to be. Mutinerie is glad to have a huge diversity of skills. Sharing values is the most important part. Being able to share common goods with others and to trust and respect fellow coworkers is key to building a micro-society in which good things can bloom.
Q. How is Mutinerie different from other coworking spaces?
A: We don't try so hard to be different; we just try to be good! The first thing was to find good people and to work hard to deliver a good quality of service. At the same time, we have high expectations of what is a community of coworkers. Coworkers are not in Mutinerie to show off or promote their stuff. There is an authentic atmosphere with authentic people who are able to trust each other. We managed to find a good balance between core coworkers, others who come here more rarely, and travellers. Doing so, Mutinerie remains an open community with strong relations between members. At Mutinerie, you will always have someone to welcome you and explain how things work in the community. The result is that ideas and relationships can grow strong quickly.
Q: What is Coworking Rural (Mutinerie Village)?
A: It is a coworking/co-living space lost in the middle of Le Perche, a French region located 140 km west of Paris. The farmhouse stands alone in a little valley surrounded by forests, grasslands, and a little river. As many coworkers can often work remotely, we thought it could be nice to offer a place where you can mix work and nature! The Village was born last summer after a major renovation of the old farmhouse. It includes a hostel, a coworking space, a maker space, and a permacultural kitchen garden.
Q: How are the rural and urban locations of Mutinerie connected?
A: Mutinerie Village is a kind of countryside house for our coworkers and for the freelancers of Paris. Our little maker space in the Village creates another reason for you to go to our urban Mutinerie and craft things you need. We also organise workshops, parties, and celebrations at Mutinerie Village with our community from Paris.
Q: Where will Mutinerie be in 5-10 years?
A: We have always said that Mutinerie is more a movement than a facility. Our motto means "Free Together" and sums up our main goal: connecting independent people and free minds. In terms of coworking spaces, a new Mutinerie is brewing in the south of Paris, and another space will open in June! If we prove our ability to develop new spaces, we will continue to open spaces in Paris. That said, operating in the heart of a serendipity machine like Mutinerie also means that a lot of unexpected things will cross our path and change it…
Q: Bonus: How do you envision coworking in 10-20 years?
A: Ten-twenty years is really far away, and considering the rapid changes in our societies, predictions are a bit dangerous! Yet, some figures are still pretty explicit. When Mutinerie was launched three years ago, there were about 1,000 spaces all over the world, and, today, we are reaching 6,000! The number of coworking spaces has nearly doubled every year for the past six years, and we don't really see why the pace would slow down in the coming years.
Some studies have predicted that the number of self-employed people will exceed the number of office employees in a decade or so in most western countries. It is the beginning of a revolution in the ways in which we work and organize societies! Yet, I'm not describing a shining future where everyone is free, wealthy, and happy. Being independent is an exciting but dangerous adventure. Big companies are still able to offer protection, security in terms of revenue, and social interactions. Coworking mitigates the dangers facing a society of self-employed individuals. It enables people to be independent and free without being isolated.
Thank you William and Morgane – #JeSuisCharlie
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! Egon – the storm – is here with gusts reaching 35 m/s. You probably know how it is when you're out here on the edge under those conditions:
Grains of sand bang on your skin. The sea looks like Armageddon. There is no order, only chaos moving like wildfire along the coast. Houses creak and squeak, and cars wobble down the street. Stuff tumble through the air ...
It's all over the place. It's nature moving in – as a reminder of everything from climate change to the things you have to tie to the trees that aren't here. You can run, but you can't hide. We love it!
The year 2014 was a good one for us. We had plenty of waves and decent wind conditions. Each of us did good business, and we all learned a lot about what it means to live in Klitmøller. Through our cooperation with the Foundation Realdania, we are, as you know, on our way towards establishing what we hope will be the perfect retreat for you, your friends, and/or your family.
We are not quite there yet. Right now, we are focusing on finding the rest of the funding needed to begin construction and on determining where the house should be located. Once this has been determined, we will carry out a design contest, find a winner, finish the construction of the building, and then all move in. The year 2015 will be a crazy one.
Until then, we are staying in a place on Ørhagevej 84. Lunch is at 12 o’clock, and you are welcome to join in. If you have time, we would like to hear your story and share waves, experiences, and, who knows, maybe even fame and fortune with you. ;) See you soon in Klitmøller.
Vi sagde aldrig - aldrig mere Poul og Nulle i hullet
Det er utroligt. Den første Cowork Klitmøller julefest er over en uge gammel. Det bliver helt sikkert ikke den sidste. Hvis du ikke var der, kan du godt spidse spyddet. Næste års fest bliver lørdag d. 12/12, 2015, kl. 21.00. Adressen, opgaver og tema følger.
Det blev intet mindre end et brag af en fest. Det er svært – vitterligt svært – at huske alles bidrag, én ting ligger dog fast, I bidrog, og det er vi fantastisk glade for. I kan sige, hvad I vil, men sammen sagde vi altså aldrig, aldrig mere Poul og Nulle i hullet.
Først og fremmest tak til Glæde og det seks (eller var det syv) mand store band, I kom med. I satte virkelig gang i festen. Mellem tredje og fjerde sæt var der én af jer, der sagde: “jeg kan ik forstå, at I synes, det er så fedt, det lyder jo ad h****** til”.
Dét gjorde det ikke, I var for fede og sprængfyldte af glæde. Det var Christine - aka farmaceuten - også. Du sørgende for drinks og kan det der med kemi. Det sætter vi stor pris på. Aldrig har vi sakset så meget.
Tak til Nikolaj fordi du var den første, der meldte dig til festen. Tak til Nilüfer som i dagens anledning havde rejst sig fra barselssengen og hang ud med os til over midnat. Tak til Mia fordi du blev hængende og var virkelig, virkelig glad til absolut sidste sekund. Tak til Simon, fordi du startede den der rundkreds på dansegulvet, tak til Dorthe fordi du lignede Rene Russo, tak til Hans fordi du talte så pænt til alle i baren. Tak til Martin fordi du viste os, at der rent faktisk gemmer sig en rigtig festabe i dig, og tak for rejsen rundt i tung metal sidst på natten. Tak til Christian og Belinda fordi I kom alligevel. Tak til Claus fordi du bare så, du ved, så håndklæde-agtig ud, og tak til Marie Louise fordi du havde den der kjole på uden ærmer. De arme ér bare pæne. Tak for Jakob, Therese, Rebecca og Martin fordi I kom og så så Københavner-lækre ud og til Rebecca og Martin fordi I overvejer at flytte til Klitmøller. Uanset hvad I beslutter jer for, har vi en plads til jer. Tak til André fordi du kom, selvom du først fik invitationen 90 min før vi gik i gang. Tak til Preben fordi du viste os, at man sagtens kan feste selv om man er tæt på de 60. Tak til Signe fordi du valgte vores fest. Tak for Lea og Sarah fordi I (også) trak gennemsnitsalderen ned. Tak til Linda, Flemming og Lou fordi I kom med hele familien og var super glade sammen med os. Tak fra alle os til alle jer, der ikke er nævnt.
Rigtig god jul til jer alle sammen, både jer, der kom, og jer, der ikke kom, og jer, der ikke aner, hvad vi taler om.
Cowork Klitmøller julefrokost 2014 - tema: Glæde
Julefrokost med livemusik
På lørdag holder vi julefrokost, og det bliver selvfølgelig med LIVE MUSIK!!
Præsenterer: Christian med band!!
How to cultivate a international network of peers and business partners?
In October, as part of a hunt for inspiration, I made a three-day visit to the Makeshift Society. During my stay I had the privilege of spending a few hours with the founder of Makeshift, Rena Tom. I asked a lot of questions and she generously shared her experiences creating a successful coworking space with me.
I gained insight into the basic ideas behind the venture, got a taste of daily life at 235 Gough Street, and dug deeper into the business model of her place. It was exciting and inspiring.
My most important takeaway from my stay at Makeshift is Rena’s idea of what she calls “friction”. To her, friction is the points here and there where things could be more streamlined, but aren't, because the goal is to create interaction between people.
One small example at Makeshift is payment. As a day-to-day user, you can’t pay online at Makeshift. It's not that Rena hasn’t thought about offering online payment or can’t figure out how to set up a system that makes it possible. She has deliberately left it out because she wants in-person interaction.
At Cowork Klitmøller, we’re going to do payment differently. But the idea of building in friction to promote interaction and maybe even a certain culture in a coworking space is worth remembering.
Viewed from that perspective, a coworking space is to a large extent about creating a place that contains the right friction – the right kind and the right amount. It got me thinking.
We’re creating what we call a matchmaking zone in Klitmøller to meet the challenges of residents and beta-residents. The starting point is a shared interest in surfing.
Ultimately the aim is to create business relationships among likeminded people, primarily from micro and small enterprises, regardless of whether they live in an area where a matchmaking zone exists or not.
It’s obvious that you can’t create a matchmaking zone in any (rural) area. You have to have a special thing that generates the critical flow of recurrent visitors, a flow that feeds the network and allows relationships to develop and grow.
The “thing” however doesn’t have to be surfing — it could be skiing, climbing, mountain biking, SCUBA diving, or any other activity that requires proximity to areas particularly suited for that activity.
It could also be locations that are loved for their history and architecture — for example, Florence— music (Vienna), a vibrant arts community (Santa Fe), other lifestyle features (Tahiti, the desert, the mountains, etc.), or even a religious community. It could be San Francisco.
Now, I'm a business owner. I have a ton of ideas and a lot of heart. I would like to go to a city like San Francisco where I could visit a coworking space knowing I would meet people with whom I could share knowledge and ideas and maybe even business projects. It is possible, but I find it too hard. In fact, I felt that even during my stay at Makeshift.
I’m also a windsurfer and a SUPer. If I could visit a coworking space in San Francisco where I knew I could find people with this same interest, I would go there — simply because it would initially help me to connect. The place would be my gateway to both local surf and new business opportunities. It’s just easier to get started if you share a passion.
Which brings me to my conclusion. What really interests me is how we can make it more desirable for creative people outside big corporations to meet and cultivate a large, international network of peers and business partners.
To make that possible, we need to create places that’ll work as magnets for micro and small businesses, because the right type and amount of friction makes it (much) easier for people to meet, connect, share knowledge, and—ultimately—do business together.
I believe that linking a special interest — like surfing — and coworking might be one of the possible solutions to this challenge. I am not suggesting that I’ve found the (only) philosopher's stone, but I hope that we’ve found a niche that can make globalizing micro and small businesses easier and more attractive.
Cold Hawaii nominated for the Danish The Sport Award
All Cowork Klitmøller residents have to a greater or lesser extent been involved in the development of Cold Hawaii. We’re stocked to learn that the "phenomenon" has been nominated for the Danish The Sport Award.
If you vote for Cold Hawaii, we get one step closer to 100,000 kr. for a NEW sports initiative in Thy. VOTE NOW! The voting stops already on Friday 14th, at 09.00!!
The background:
Cold Hawaii, along with a number of other projects across the country, have been nominated to receive the Danish Sport Award. If the our project wins, the local council, Thy, receives 100,000 kr!! This money goes towards a NEW sports initiative in the municipality.
The first step is to vote. The projects receiving the most votes will enter the BIG FINALE, on January 10, 2015 in Herning.
For us along with the NASA surf club, Friends of Cold Hawaii and a lot of volunteers, who over the years have worked hard to establish Cold Hawaii, it will be a great pleasure if all the work could now also contribute to other good initiatives, in the area, so they could get some financial backing, to start THEIR project.
Therefore, we hope that you will help us spread the message and the link to vote, to your friends, family and pets. Together, we can come one step closer to 100,000 kr for a NEW sports project in Thy
Cowork Klitmøller vært for landsindsamling til Dansk Flygtningehjælp
I år var Cowork værter for landsindsamlerne til Dansk Flygtningehjælp. Der var rigtig godt fremmøde, og vi takker alle - 10 voksne og 4 børn - for hygge, snak og god indsats! Og især dejligt at møde op til flere spritnye mølboer! Vejret var fint, og folk var gavmilde, så vi satte rekord i år! Tak for hjælpen! Håber, vi ses igen til næste år!
Carsten Ingemann
På en mørk novemberdag -præcis som han allerbedst kan li dem- kiggede Carsten Ingemann forbi Cowork. Det blev til en lang og hyggelig snak om fascinationen af mørke ... og af lys. Om mørkeruter, stilhed og storm. Om at bruge skumringen og om at Danmark først rigtig starter nord for Struer.
Carsten kan bare rigtig godt li den her del af Danmark, og han har derfor lovet at afholde et kursus her i Klitmøller i starten af 2015. Dato og program er næsten på plads, og jeg kan løfte sløret for, at det bliver et intenst, udfordrende kursus iblandet en god del rødvin og røverhistorier...
Jeg GLÆDER mig!!!!