Co-working with Industrious Portland
I recently partnered with Industrious Portland to give you all a sneak peak of their new space located in the center of Downtown Portland. Industrious is a co-work company with offices in many major cities across the country. They just had the grand opening of their Portland office in mid-September and are set to have two more floors become available soon. Industrious takes pride in offering co-working redefined. They focus on stunning and aesthetically pleasing office spaces, inviting hospitality and creating an inspiring community
What is Co-working?
Co-working is a work approach where an office space is shared among individuals who are usually self-employed or employed by different companies. The idea is to give individuals who normally work at home the opportunity to be a part of a working community. Co-working offers the best elements of working in an office! You get to be a part of a community and have “coworkers” but since everyone is from a range of different fields, there is less competition. There is also the option to work in a communal space or your own office depending on how social of an environment you want to work in that day.
How does it work?
Industrious offers all-inclusive, super flexible memberships. This includes high-speed wifi, daily breakfast, 12 member events a month, conference room time, and unlimited black and white and colored printing. They offer on-boarding for 30-day, 60-day, or 12-month term. The Portland location offers a limited number of co-working memberships ($430/month) and dedicated desks ($610), but the private offices ($740 and up) are the biggest value for the cost. Members can also host their own complimentary events in the space.
Who is it for?
This set-up is great for bloggers, photographers, influencers, start-up companies, freelancers and anyone who works from home. Anyone in any field who needs a quiet place to work or needs an office for meetings with clients. Some offices are larger and have multiple desks which would be great for a smaller company that does not have their own office building yet but still wants to give their employees a place to work together.
These past few weekends I got to spend some time at the Industrious office getting some much needed work done. Getting to use the office spaces has already been so helpful for my workflow! Back in College I quickly realized that I am absolutely terrible at getting work done at home. As much as I love the idea of not leaving the house, my focus quickly dwindles and I get distracted by anything and everything. Getting dressed, packing up my laptop and going to a new environment definitely helps. I’ve even found that after a few hours of work in one spot, moving to new scenery can help me refocus.
I used to try to get out of the house by heading to one of the many coffee shops in Portland. Unfortunately there are a few flaws with using coffee shops as your office. First of all, you have to spend money or at least you really SHOULD buy something if you are planning on setting up camp in a business. I’ve never not bought a drink or a snack so I don’t know if they would kick you out if you didn’t but I also don’t plan on testing that out. Although one coffee isn’t too expensive, that is quite the price to pay every time you want to get some work done. Trust me, over time those croissants and lattes add up!
The other issue I have with coffee shops is how unpredictable they are! I have definitely had times where I lugged all of my work stuff to a coffee shop only to find out that there was no room or no wifi or the internet connection was terrible. On days when you really need to get work done, you don’t want to be wasting precious minutes jumping from coffee shop to coffee shop. Thankfully there is a coffee maker in the kitchen of Industrious so I can still have my caffeine but without the hassle.
I also have trouble writing when there is background noise. Although I can easily listen to music while editing photos and formatting posts, when it comes to writing, I can’t have discernible words in the background. Not only is it distracting, but I often will find myself subconsciously typing what I am hearing! When I want absolute silence, the office spaces are the best! Most of them include great natural light and there are so many office spaces, it is easy to move to another one for a change in scenery after awhile.
For the times when I don’t mind some background noise, I like to move out into the main area. Near the back window is a lounge area that includes several chairs and a couch. Another favorite spot was near the kitchen where there are tables and booths. Perfect for continuing your work while also have a table to eat lunch or a snack at.
I would have to say my overall favorite part of the space though is the view! The office has one of the best 270 degree views of Downtown Portland! Most of the offices as well as the main communal space include lots of natural light and great views of the nearby buildings. When taking a break from working, I love getting to look out across my city as well as people watch the tiny moving figures in Pioneer Square.
More Views of the Office:
If you have the chance, I definitely recommend checking out! By co-working rather than working at home, you get to work in a beautiful space while also being surrounded by other motivated individuals. Industrious also offers breakfast every weekday for its members as well as a weekly happy hour which is a great way to start and end your day as well as meet other members.