LifeWorking Coworking 2.0 – a new website, 2 years as a company and more to come …

Today, we are announcing the re-launch of the LifeWorking Coworking website – where you can see what our “new-way-to-workplace” looks like, who our members are and what they are doing, our events and how we are engaging with our community and what our Live life. Do More. vision really means.

This is also the 2-year anniversary of the of the company that I started, LifeWorking Enterprise, LLC, in 2015 with nothing more than an idea and a prayer.  I left part of the original title for this blog in place to show my social media intern team that I finally did it!! (told you that I could Hannah!)

Why LifeWorking Enterprise!?

When not selling or preparing to pitch, one of my favorite things is to talk about WHY LifeWorking Enterprise — WHY is that the name of your company, WHY did you jump into the deep water after 50 years on this earth and WHY do you believe that you’ll succeed.  All good questions and, honestly, the second one is an almost daily gut check.

Why LifeWorking Coworking

The first one is easy — our brand, LifeWorking Coworking, reflects our core belief that today, work and life are impossibly integrated – that trying to manage and optimize the silos of work, family, social and you is impossible.  Eyes need to be wide open and your vision must encompass all that is important to you as you make choices and manage their impact across your life priorities.  It is in this context that we established our Mission – “to enable our members best, most productive marginal minute whether working, networking or LifeWorking.

I’m leaving the 2nd Why question for another day and a possible rebuttal from a guest contributor, Melinda Whittington.  I’d like to talk the 3rd.

Why Do I Believe that LifeWorking Enterprise will succeed?

At the 5,000 foot level, the answer is not that surprising — and it is NOT because Steve Whittington is the smartest person in the room — it is because this market is HOT.  You can read about almost $500 million of capital invested in this industry in the last 6 months alone –  supporting global expansion of shared workplace operators like WeWork, Industrious and Convene.

Secondly, as shared by the Wall Street Journal article highlighting coworking’s move beyond the urban core, corporates are beyond “dipping” their toes in this industry. They now view it as a critical component in satisfying how to cost effectively meet their workforce demands for flexibility in time and place of work.

What may not be as obvious, unless you are a talent management professional today, is the rise of the contingent workforce. Post-corporate boomers and gen-xers are joining their millennial counterparts as solopreneurs, freelancers, management consultants and small business owners.  This is a population that can be found in their suburban native habitat – cafe’s, libraries, coffee, shops or pajama-clad at home talking to their pets.  JLL, in there 2016 Shared Office Space Report, share that this population, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, was approximately 30% of the workforce in 2015 and estimates that it will grow to 40% of the workforce by 2020!

Why Do I REALLY Believe …

When you come down from 5,000 feet, to lake-level, to me, the why this will succeed becomes more obvious and very personal.  Check out our members:

• from the buttoned-up Chicago-based wealth management company that offices here to meet North Shore clients here to Alexia, a military physician AND published author that is completing her third mystery novel on evenings and weekends
• from John, our renaissance man, former professional basketball player, lawyer by day and app developer by night, who can be found conversing in Russian, Italian or Spanish to Susan, our renaissance women – former economic business development professional, published author, explorer, women’s aviator clothing startup and, because that is not enough, is now a wealth-management professional
• My go-to story, however, is Tom, Director of Sales and Marketing for a large corporate,  one of my earliest members and a staunch believer in separating where you work from where you live.  His wife vehemently agrees (on video! :)) but can also be seen stopping by for lunch, because that separation of work and life is all of 2 miles!  The best part of the story that he tells, however, at the end, when Tom turns to the camera, with a half smile and a glint in his eye and says, “… yesterday, my dad called me, needed help and I was 5 minutes away.”

Why, Why, Why

This is Why I do it, this is Why I think that we’ll succeed and this is Why I believe that this may be one of the most important things that I have ever embarked on.   So …. come embark with us!!

If you are close by, come check us out at LifeWorking Coworking Lake Forest.  If you’re not, stay tuned.  In 2018, if you’re in Chicagoland, we’re likely going to be coming to you!

Steve “the creaky entrepreneur” Whittington

Founder and CEO, LifeWorking Enterprise LLC

Live life. Do more.