We've Moved! Don't Miss Out!

Please visit our fabulous new site with integrated blog.

www.ingoodcompany.com

You can find more of the same great content and conversations there!

Stay Tuned...!!!

Holy Toledo. It has been a very long time since we have posted. But there is a good explanation for our delinquency!

We've been busy concluding our interviews (snippets of which will be posted through October), opening a new space in our existing building, AND...we are launching a whole new website and blog in the next week or so!

We are going to be able to share lots more information on our new platform and better yet, we will be able to interact with you more.

In the meantime, sit tight and hang in there with us...new and improved is on its way.

-Adelaide & Amy

IGC is Expanding! A new space offers full-time desks & offices

(picture of the 4th floor since the new space isn't quite ready yet!)



We are so thrilled to announce that we are growing and will now be offering FULL TIME monthly membership options starting June 1st! Better yet, the new space is on the 3rd floor of our existing building!

These FULL-TIME memberships include access to either a permanent personal work space or furnished office. Both options have unlimited 24/7 access and all-inclusive pricing and offer everything you need to get your work done without the hassle of setting up your own office or making a long term commitment.

Our DEDICATED DESK membership provides you with a personal work space within an open, curated office, while the PRIVATE OFFICE membership offers a beautiful, furnished office in a great city location and in the company of other women entrepreneurs.

Click here for further details and a list of all the cushy amenities. A floor plan is available upon request.

Please email Amy if you are interested in either of these offerings: amy@ingoodcompany.com

More Introversion / Extroversion Conversation

(artwork courtesy of Karen Mowrey of Beelieve)






A couple weeks ago Nancy Ancowitz led a great discussion on her new book Self-Promotion for Introverts ®at In Good Company.

Both Amy and I attended and used it as an opportunity not only to learn but to reflect on our own partnership! We have been talking and writing about it a lot since, and I think you’ll find from the articles below that there is something for everyone…regardless of your style!

Amy shared some of her reflections from the event in this post

An Extrovert in the Midst of Introverts: What I learned from Nancy Ancowitz


Also, Nancy interviewed us about our partnership and how we manage our introversion/extroversion differences

Our reflections and solutions appear in her PsychologyToday blog in an article called Secrets to a Successful Introvert-Extrovert Partnership

Additionally, Adelaide Lancaster was also interviewed by Howard Greenstein for Inc Magazine about being an Introverted Entrepreneur. In this article, Introverts as Entrepreneurs, she shares tips for other kindred spirits.


Curious about whether you are a introvert or extrovert? Here are a few resources...

Nancy Ancowitz's blog

Overview from the MBTI Foundation

Wikipedia on Extroversion & Introversion

Exciting News from IGC! Coming Soon to a bookstore near you…

We are thrilled to announce that we have confirmed a book deal with Portfolio, which is Penguin’s business imprint! We couldn’t be more excited about this new direction and to be in the company of so many other great books at Portfolio!

Our launch into this new stage was made official by this clip in Publishers Weekly this morning, listed under "Machinist Closes Two". (Thank YOU, Alexandra!)

Our book, tentatively titled, GOOD COMPANY: Entrepreneurship for the rest of us, offers women new thinking and sound advice about what’s really important when building a sustainable, rewarding and enjoyable business – by their own definition.

As we do in our consulting practice and through the In Good Company Workplaces, the book will focus on helping you determine what decisions and business direction is best for YOU based on your goals and needs.

There are so many reasons that we are totally pumped to be writing this book.

We have learned so much from the all women we have worked with over the last 5 years, and it is thrilling to have a vehicle that can share so many of those lessons.

And just as the workspace was one solution to pool resources, share knowledge, and create community, the book is another exciting avenue to accomplish these three goals with a larger group of women entrepreneurs.

We are also really looking forward to complementing the many startup resources out there by engaging in meaningful conversation about what’s important to think about as entrepreneurs after you’ve gotten launched. What are the keys to success in year 1, 2, or 10?

We, ourselves, have been hungering for a book that not only addresses the building business stage but that also highlights a wide range of ventures that are diverse in industry, size, goal, and location and that exhibit a variety of models of entrepreneurship.

GOOD COMPANY is scheduled to come out at the beginning of 2012. But in the meantime, we will be engaged in active conversation on this blog and twitter! We want your input and can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

We will be asking questions about your experiences, solicit feedback on our ideas, and updating you on the interviews and conversations that we are having!

Thank you again for your support!

image courtesy of one woman studio

Not too together; Not too alone: The best of both working worlds

We have been reading with great interest about the Inc magazine ‘going virtual’ experiment. We even solicited our members to share some advice with them about working virtually or from home. Now, of course, some things are quite different given that each of us here at In Good Company work for ourselves (Inc staffers have to worry more about virtual communication and collaboration; IGCers have to worry more about other business responsibilities like taxes, billing, marketing, sales, etc.), but there are many challenges and factors that are the same or at least similar.

Primarily the similarities reside in the isolation factor: working along all day often in the confines of your own personal space, sans the on-hand tech support of a larger organization, left to your own scheduling devices, and devoid of face-to-face co-worker interaction.

Last week, Inc Magazine enlisted expert Kate Lister (@workfromhomekate) author of Undress for Success, to talk about the pros of telecommuting. It was in reading this that I was really struck by home much I value my hybrid professional experience and my ability have what I consider the best of both worlds.

Kate talks about the vast ways in which our social landscape would change if all the people that could work at home did so. For example,

* Productivity increases up to $200 billion per year!

* Companies would save almost $200 billion as well!

* 150,000 fewer people would die in car accidents each year

* 84 million tons of greenhouse gases would be eliminated.

Those numbers are hard to argue with and I totally agree that these would be good things! Selfishly, I can’t imagine being confined to a traditional office schedule, structure, or environment. I love my flexibility, although I probably end up working more and perhaps making less.

YET…I also think about all these millions of newly-freed employees who may excitedly embracing tele-commuting only to find out that exclusively working from home is not all it is cracked up to be.

We started In Good Company for all those folks who could no longer stand working from home all the time. Who felt lonely and isolated. Who spent too much time reinventing the wheel because they didn’t have colleagues close on hand. Who missed brainstorming in person and the random opportunities that can arise from being in the same right place at the same right time.

I wouldn’t and couldn’t give that up. I know that I am happier and more productive because the ability to both work from home AND from an office, to spend days alone uninterrupted AND in the company of my peers. We designed In Good Company differently and built it on a flexible and shared model because when we did have a private office elsewhere, we found that trekking there only to shut the door and be alone again really didn’t solve our problems. I like having it both ways and think that other should be able to do that too.

I know that tele-commuting doesn’t have to represent one extreme. Kate and others like Cali Yost (@caliyost) write a lot about work life fit and how to give people the choices they want. I offer up myself and our community of women as examples of people who could decide what they want and how and decide to have both.

Maybe after Inc Magazine completes this one month experiment, they could do another where people had the option to both work from home AND from the office. In my opinion it is what I enjoy the most and what works the best.

For the rest of us, is it time you rethought where you work and how you work?

Are you getting the best of both worlds?

posted by Adelaide Lancaster

image courtesy of trulyvera

Advice on working virtually to Inc. Magazine staffers from In Good Company Workplaces

Starting this week the staff of Inc. magazine started an experiment. For the month of February, they will all be working virtually and then writing about their experiences.

We love this initiative! We asked some of the ladies of In Good Company to share their advice and tips with these newly untethered writers.

Posted below is what some had to say . Do YOU have advice for the Inc staffers? You can tell them here.

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1. I've converted all of my email to be accessed entirely electronically on any computer. I run my work email through gmail which sends it via my work email's pop server so that recipients can't tell that I'm sending it through gmail but I have the web accessibility (and endless storage!) that gmail provides.

On a personal and non-technological level, a key benefit of virtual working is minimalism. It made me recognize how few of the office supplies, papers and the other mountains of activity that used to accumulate on my desk I actually need. Now, the contents of my office are pared down to a couple of well-organized file boxes, a laptop, a moleskine notebook and a little nerd-sac filled with the bare bones of requisite clips, post-its and pens. I also have a redweld folder of stationery, folders and envelopes for sending packages. All of this fits into the equivalent of a small gym locker. And I can't remember a time in the last months where I needed something that wasn't contained in that tiny space.

Alexandra Machinist
Linda Chester Literary Agency

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2. I find that the best way to be productive working at home is to create an area at home that’s specifically for “work” only and block out a chunk of hours to devote to a specific project etc – so you’re not constantly distracted by the laundry you need to do or your sink full of dishes. Turn off email alerts if possible and get situated to crank out a few solid hours of whatever it is you’re working on. Creating a daily schedule for myself (coffee — and sometimes laundry breaks included), even when I’m at home, is beyond helpful!

I have also found that working virtually has definitely allowed me to be much more “green” without necessarily realizing it. I print less paper, have fewer file folders and am able to stay organized more effectively.

Working virtually and not being in an office or corporate environment with a computer guru on-hand can be a little daunting and often frustrating. One of the most helpful additions I’ve done with my business is to have immediate access to great computer assistance over the phone and/or online with Help with a Smile, a virtual or in person computer service. The guys are always available when you call and can jump into your computer virtually to solve any minor (and some major) problems quickly. Having a similar service is peace of mind if nothing else (and that means a lot when you’re working on your own!).

Marissa Lippert, Founder of Nourish Nutrition Counseling & author of The Cheater’s Diet (April 15th)

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3. If you've always worked in an office setting, having easy access to co-workers may be something you take for granted - until they're not there!
Think about your preferred ways of breaking up solitary work time throughout the day. If you are someone who enjoys and gets energy from socializing, brainstorming or grabbing a quick coffee with colleagues, working on your own can be a major adjustment.

If that's the case, make sure to build time into your schedule, whenever possible, to engage in some of these activities.
If you are working from home, experiment with whether virtual contact via email, phone or Skype does the trick. If so, great. If not, try to find a public space with WiFi where other solo workers congregate and where you can go if you start to feel as though you're working in solitary confinement. You never know who you might meet! Or coordinate breaks with friends / neighbors who also work from home.

If you live in an area where coworking opportunities exist, consider checking them out to see whether they appeal to you. Depending on the types of packages available and the community of people who congregate there, you could wind up satisfying your need for interacting with others AND building your network at a price that doesn't break the bank.

Eden Abrahams
Clear Path Executive Coaching

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4. Aside from setting a schedule, I think it is really important for you to get out of the house at least once each day. It could be for coffee, a walk around the block, a trip to the post office, a meeting, whatever. Sitting in front of your computer all day is a sure way to kill your motivation and creativity. Not only should you break up your day , but it is important for you clear your head and get a change of scenery. I find that it is during these “down” times that my best ideas can come to me.

Amy Abrams
Co-founder, In Good Company Workplaces

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5. I find that I need to be very careful about defining “working” and “non-working” times. It is hard when you work from home or virtually to separate your work day from a regular evening at home. Where I have run into trouble is times that I have finished up work for the day and will be enjoying my evening and then somehow find myself looking at my blinking red blackberry, reading emails that have come in and thinking about issues that need attention and adding up to-do list items. Since I am not really “working” I can’t take action on anything, but I am distracted and un-relaxed. When this pattern is repeated I start to feel as though I am never off and never have any downtime. This doesn’t mean that I can’t choose to work late some nights, or take a break and then return to work after dinner, but I try to be clear with myself about what time is what. Non-work time is spent far from the blackberry and with my outlook closed.

Also, what works best for me is to schedule like tasks together. I try to put phone calls back to back, and group accounting and detail work, and then carve out time for more thoughtful work like writing. I don’t work well when I do 15 minutes of one thing, followed up by a phone call, followed by 30 minutes of writing, and then back to another phone call.

Adelaide Lancaster
Co-founder, In Good Company Workplaces

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6. As a business owner I often feel like there are dozens of things I need to be doing at any given moment. This often leads me into super over drive mode which can only last for so long before my brain waves get jammed and short circuit leaving me with little fuel in my tank for business projects and tasks. I have luckily discovered the perfect solution for getting my creativity, focus, motivation and inspiration flowing again. And living in NYC definitely helps. I just go on a little adventure. That’s right… sometimes in the middle of the work day! Over and over, I find it’s the best thing I could ever do for myself and my business. When I take an hour or two out of my day for these little field trips, I get it back ten fold. Just last month, I turned off the laptop and went directly to the Museum of Art and Design for a 2 hour field trip. The Slash exhibit there features paper cutting artist unlike anything I’ve ever seen! Another favorite is Papabubble candy shop… I find their creativity very stimulating! Or take a tour at the Tenement Museum, it really puts things in perspective. A mid morning stroll at the Highline is down right exhilarating! Immersing myself in these experiences is just what my brain needs to reboot itself and the positive side effects on my business are tremendous.

Erica Ecker, The Spacialist

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7. Schedule time for fun and breaks, not just time for “work” I often block out time to be in “writing” mode, or “blogging” mode or “client service” mode, but then if I spend ten minutes on HuffPo or shopping on gilt.com I feel, well, guilty. So now I actually schedule short 15 minute breaks for guilty pleasures (snacks, online browsing, phone calls to friends) so I don’t feel so indulgent about doing them and then I’m more diligent about getting back to work. Building in breaks winds up being more efficient /productive / effective then having them creep up on me—in my world, three minutes on YouTube often turns into thirty minutes online, ten minutes on the phone and twenty minutes in the kitchen and next thing I know I’ve lost an hour.

Jodi Glickman Brown, Great on the Job


Share you thoughts & advice!!

The value of a network specifically for women?

We are often asked: “Why women only?” “Don't male entrepreneurs need a community or a flexible place to work?” “What is the value of connecting to a network of women?”

All very good questions!

We conceived of in good company workplaces based on a need that we had identified among our consulting practice clients (women entrepreneurs). We found that they experienced many degrees of isolation while forming and running a business - physical, mental, emotional, and in some ways spiritual. Truly unable to find an existing solution, we extended our business and sought to offer an answer to this isolation problem by providing a comprehensive place where these women were able to work, meet, and learn together (- hence our tag line "work.meet.learn").

In some ways IGC was born because "necessity is often the mother of invention", but we also did a lot of research to validate our thinking. We continued to focus on women because that was “our niche” and because we knew that all these challenges rang true for them. The truth is, we connected to so many women that shared this experience and validated this need, that we didn't feel it was necessary to expand the concept to men.

So, in short, the answer to all of the very valid questions is that it's entirely possible that men have many or all of these needs too, but we choose to cater to women because they are the customer we know!

Now on to the question of the value of a women only community.... We strongly believe that it is important to connect to communities that are relevant and valuable to you and your business. Some of you may find that means connecting to several communities, while others may find that there is one community that meets all of your needs. Birds of a feather flock together, so our advice is to know what kind of bird you are, and then find your flock!





posted by Amy
image courtesy of the word lily blog

About the In Good Company Workplaces Blog

We love our job. Every day we have the privilege of interacting with smart and talented women who have a diversity of experience and perspective and who are excellent at what they do. These women are entrepreneurs who have chosen to go it on their own.

Driven by a desire for autonomy, flexibility, creativity, higher earnings potential, or finding a better way these women are dedicated to creating or providing something better in the marketplace.

However the experiences of “being your own boss” and “starting your own business” are often quite different than expected. Despite the abundance of information and entrepreneur groups, women find that entrepreneurship is surprisingly isolated and unguided.
Most information outlets wane once the task-oriented items are covered (get insurance!). Many networks are positioned as additional channels for promotion (be my affiliate marketer!) and limited to the virtual world (sign up for my e-newsletter!). While everything has a time and purpose, these venues leave women devoid of the competencies and colleagues needed for the successful care and feeding of a business.

Women entrepreneurs are hungry for real information - the kind that helps them to evaluate their current efforts and strengthen their future prospects - and they are starved for real relationships - ones that involve mentoring, tutelage, and peers who have stood in their shoes.

Frustrated by this reality, we have made it our business to help women learn the business of building a business and to redefine their experience of entrepreneurship. Through our consulting practice and community workspace, In Good Company Work Places, we have taught hundreds of women to think like entrepreneurs and build more successful and sustainable ventures.

In this In Good Company WorkPlaces Blog we aim to share interesting news on small business ideas, models, resources, and innovation. Most often, the content has been chosen because it makes us think differently and critically about entrepreneurship and our business.

Many of the posts that you will find here represent our "A&A 2cents" on business topics. Other posts are pulled from our "Company You Keep" weekly email, which offers the following segments:

* I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING:
highlights a nifty RESOURCE that is interesting or helpful

* BIRDS OF A FEATHER:
highlights an emerging business TREND across companies, industries, markets, practices, or operations

* LOOK BOOK:
highlights a BIZ PROFILE of a specific innovative business

* WELL NOTED:
highlights important BIZ NEWS, facts, or findings

* be-CAUSE:

highlights those doing good in the world

We would love to hear from you your business, and your experiences!

keep thinking,

- Adelaide & Amy