Work on new space in progress

We are excited about work on our Harland Works home ...

Better than socks - Father's Day Fair

Spaceworks is located off the courtyard in www.HarlandWorks.co.uk on John Street in Sheffield. This week is their 1st annual Father's Day Fair 11-3pm.

A Lego lounge, recording studio tours, animation workshop, gift making, face painting, retor games, storytelling etc ...

You can also get a look at our flexible office space too.

More space @spaceworks

We trailed exciting developments @spaceworksheff a while back now and at last they have developed. The Directors of Spaceworks (Sophy and Karl Hallam) now own Clifton Works and Harland Works on John Street where our shared workspace is.

This is very exciting as we now can make it an even better place to work, rest and play with some of the other fantastic other tenants in the buildings. They are an amazing bunch and we will feature them all in the coming months (check out a recent joiner Rebecca Writes for a taste though ...)

Spaceworks is also going to develop new spaces for more sharers and we are very keen to hear from anyone interested as you can have a say in how we best set up new spaces.

So, email/tweet/call ... or best meet us @harlandcafe to see how you could be part of our new community.

Freelance Twitter fun in Sheffield

The freelancers of Sheffield are a lively bunch who are all working hard to find their way n tough times. Spaceworks offers them a physical space to come together to work, which we think is important, but Twitter has undoubtedly provided somewhere to 'meet' and encourage each other. Happily lots of the banter can be quite witty too. Recently, for example, we've enjoyed

@dansumption
@socialmediakym
@stellamedia
@spikycomms

We've met some of them, but not others ... but we know that if did have a coffee with them it would be fun!

So, here is to more 2012 Sheffield Twitter mutual support and fun!

2012 eggciting ...

We are looking forward to 2012 in Spaceworks, with some exciting development in the offiing for us and our location. One thing we would like to do is get some chickens for the courtyard.

We are experimenting at home with our lovely 3 bantams, who are not enjoying the wind and rain ...

They share a coop, come and share an office with us maybe and get the odd egg too. Contact us via twitter/email/phone or just pop in ... ask in the Harland Cafe (ex-Euro Cafe) and they'll send you up.

Have a great 2012!

Baby it's cold outside

Found out today that our Christmas office decoration photo taking skills need some work, but the above give a flavour of what happens when you let your architect office sharers loose with the baubles (thanks www.nortonmayfield.co.uk).

It is toasty warm in here today and if you were to feel the chill, then the Cafe Euro spicy parsnip soup soon sorts you out. The cold weather means the people who cycle here, like Nick (www.pedalnation.co.uk) are a bit more rosy cheeked and blue lipped than usual. But, they are very keen to get the coffee/tea on on arrival, so that is to be welcomed.

We are busy planning our Spaceworks Christmas dinner and drinks and harking back to a previous year when snowballing provided a nice interlude between pub and restaurant ... let it snow, let it snow, let is snow ...

A good mix of Sheffield businesses

One of the nice things about coming into work at Spaceworks is the delightful mix of businesses that we have as neighbours .... this is, of course, in addition to the previous mentioned fab cakes at Cafe Euro and our lovely red chairs and funky curved steel wall.

There are the sign makers, a video production company, a reknowned artist, a recording studio, rehearsal spaces, the climbing wall. Its an interesting mix and that is in addition to our own sharers of Spaceworks.

The courtyard between Harland and Clifton Works is probably a bit underused at the moment, but we are working on that ... any ideas welcome too. A few local groups have used our main area as an evening meeting room too and we are happy to do more of that.

Come and have a look and see for yourselves what is going on in one of Sheffield's best kept secrets.

Mmmm tastes good ...

Exciting food news expected soon in the Spaceworks neighbourhood ... we'll keep you posted!

We're planning some events in the Autumn too ...

Coffee mugs - cocktail glasses?

The new mugs are lovely, but the sun beaming into my corner of our quiet zone is making a cold drink seem like a good idea, but not sure if a G and T glass with a log is naff? (actually am pretty sure that it is really).

I am not sure British offices cope with heat very well ... we tried to be a bit New York today and ate our lunch on the metal steps above the courtyard.

When working from home I sometimes end up lying on the trampoline making phone calls, which is Ok if I am the only one on it. It also explains a little bit why I need an office to come to. If iyuo join us maybe a pint/cocktail after work will be what we do?

Bedroom blues, shed sorrows or dining room downer?

Working from home is on the face of it cheap. Spare bedroom or shed or dining room table all provide somewhere to plonk your laptop and bingo.

Most of the Sapceworks people still do do that from time to time ... its a good option to have and you don't have to get out of your pyjamas. But, how good is it for your mental well-being?

We reckon having an officer to go to a couple of days a week is good for you. it might even make you more productive or open your eyes to new opportunities when you are chatting over a coffee in the kitchen.

So come and have a look and see if we can help you keep smiling and profiting with your business.

Courtyard ideas go here.....

Spaceworks Sheffield sharers Norton Mayfield Architects have managed to lift their heads from under the weight of work they seem to be enjoying at the moment and have done some 3d views of the courtyard space outside. Between us we have lots of ideas of what could be done, but the drawings are kept purposefully blank for the time being so that people can scribble their ideas over the drawings.

We will be talking with the other offices and Cafe Euro to get their views, but we have sets of drawings in Spaceworks if you are passing and have ideas.

Cafe Euro's outside tables have been very busy this week and the sun shades have been up protecting people from the burning sun while they enjoy their lunch.

Join the Starship Spaceworks - school hols

Some of you out there may be blissfully unaware that the Sheffield Easter holiday has begun. It marks the beginning of almost a month of tricky juggling for anyone who tries to combine running their own business(es) with kids. The combination of Easter, that wedding and May Bank Holiday isn't just another possible reason for the UK economy to continue to splutter, but also for the jugglers to end up dropping a few balls.

Combining playing Lego, trips to the park, business development, marketing, Wii, bike riding, painting, VAT returns can be quite tricky. We know that our Spaceworks residents quite enjoy having somewhere to escape to in the school holidays, to make sure the limited time they have is best used ... working from home in the school hols is one of those things that often sounds a better idea than the reality.

PS That's the last Lego pic for a while ...

Alanis Morisette, redundancy and pockets

In Sheffield at the moment there must be a lot of people who are wondering whether they will have a job in a few months time. The council and the NHS are big employers and they are just hitting the crunch as a consequence of the cuts in spending announced in the Autumn.

What will they all do when they have not got a job anymore? The answer to this question may well be different to what it would have been if it had happened 15 years or more ago. Why? Well, lots of them get put their hand in their pockets (Alanis link!) and get their mobile out, plug their laptop in and connect to the internet and become a small business. You can have a website, twitter identity very quickly and online who is to know how big/new/good(?) you are.

Some people will use their still fresh links and end up doing some of what they were doing employed as self-employed and that will get them going. But, that is likely to dry up eventually and the next step can be the tricky one. Developing new contacts/areas of business etc.

As well as reaching for your pocket Alanis Morisette said you need to be be 'free', but 'focused' too and avoid being 'worthless' even though you 'care'.

If you are in this position and 'shy',but 'friendly' and 'sad', but 'laughing' then Spaceworks might help you make the transition from employment to your own business. Being stuck in your bedroom can be quite hard to cope with every day if you've been used to 'going to work'.

Drop us an email if you want to hear more what we can offer.

Great offer for mugs ...

We tend to go for the soft sell here at Spaceworks. Yes, we talk about a friendly shared office space ideal for part time self-employed people looking to escape their bedroom. And yes, we talk about flexible deals, someone to go with the pub with, wireless, printer and so on.

But, we realise we have not been making enough of the ongoing offer we have for all new sharers. Well here it is, the secret is out!Every new sharers gets their own FREE mug with the initial letter of their first name on it and their coffee and tea requirement.

The second bit is very useful when you offer to make tea for everyone and don't have to remember who has black, white, sugar etc. But, the initial bit is the nice thing. When we opened we went around Sheffield taking pictures of all the 'works' signs in the city. Like the lovely Beehive Works or Eyewitness Works. The letters from the mugs are taken from those pictures and every new client gets to pick their letter. The shot above shows a quite nice 'A'.

So sign up today and get a new mug! We'll even put a drink in it now and then too ...

Egg, chips and 2011

First egg and chips of 2011 for Spaceworks sharers today. Not sure that it is all that impressive to have lasted until the 10th of January before succumbing, but it was very tasty. Having the Euro Cafe just down our steps is very handy for hunger and of course meeting clients and contacts.

The newspapers are full of articles suggesting that 2011 will be tough, especially for places like Sheffield where the public sector is relatively big. The answer for some will be to go freelance and we hope that people who have a part time base here will get some tangible benefits from sharing. It does not matter what your business a lot of the issues to be dealt with are the same for everyone.

For example, insurance, tax, writing bids, social media and and so on. So, good luck everyone in 2011 and give us a call if you want some allies!

Come and try out Spaceworks Sheffield

With the new ice age we have entered and the festive season it is easy to end up feeling a bit stir crazy if you work from home ... even if duvet has been the must have office accessory recently!

Come and join us at Spaceworks and get all the advantages of having an office to go to without the hassles. You can still work from home too, but when you need to get out, but still work, you've got somewhere friendly and fun to come to.

For the new year we are offering tester days, when you can come and work for the day and see how it feels. If you like it we can sort out a bespoke package just for you.

Call / email or send a carrier pigeon to find out more. We look forward to hearing from you.

Cabin fever ... mulled wine

Most Spaceworks people have a work at home option too. It may be a bedroom, the dining table or a 'shed' in the garden. This is one of our sheds, which is pretending it is a Alpine chalet at the moment.

The pros are that is snuggly warm, 18 seconds from the back door. The con is that after a week of snowy limited travel you can go a bit crazy. I have more of an understanding of cabin fever now than I ever did before!

At Spaceworks we do part time deals because we know that mixing working from home with having a shared space works for us. Its great to catch up in person to hear about fellow sharees snow adventures over the weekend; sledging, igloos, bike rides and even skiing.

Sneaking a quick pint, or mulled wine perhaps is another added bonus too to having sharing mates.

Work at home versus commute

When it is cold and slippy it is nice to have the option to stay at home and work. Have laptop, have phone, have duvet and away you go ... hot water bottle too.

If the weather persists, as predicted, it can get a bit lonely though and having the central heating on all day can get costly too, if you are the only one there.

Most of us at Spaceworks do a bit at home, as well as working here too. It was great this morning to be handed a steaming cup of coffee after sliding in down Abbeydale Road.

Spaceworks on wheels - Friday rides

A few of us who share Spaceworks have been going out on regular bike rides on Friday mornings. It is a social ride for all sorts of people, but we like the idea that it is an opportunity for fellow self-employed people to take advantage of being your own boss. Bobbing out for a bike ride (if that is what you like doing) should be one of the advantages of controlling your own time, but it is easy to not get round to it. Having a regular slot in your diary makes sure you do do it.

Most rides have been on road bike for a couple of hours into the Peaks, but off-road is an option too. Main thing is that it is at a social pace, it is not training and to emphaise that point we try to incorporate cake, not energy drinks, into the schedule.

We'll tweet the rides, but there is one tomorrow 19th. We are having coffee at 9.30 in Spaceworks first.

Wireless, Twitter, chalkboards etc

Its the 21st century and convicts are to get the vote, women have had it a while and not too sure about 'lunatics'.

Spaceworks, being your obvious '21st century local space to work option' (not our new strapline that one) has a nice speedy wireless internet connection and we, blog and we Tweet (@spaceworkssheff).

The wireless is so essential that it almost feels like we don't need to mention it when people ask us what Spaceworks is all about. Yes, we do have printer, kitchen, lockers too.

The blog and Twitter help us keep in touch with the sort of people who would enjoy being part of shared workspace. Looking at the #sheffield on Twitter demonstrates that there are lots of self-employed/freelance/entrepeneur type of people creatively working away around the city, living by their wits. Some of the tweets indicate that some bedroom based workers are getting important social contact through it too!

We still like our blackboard and magnetic wall (behind which is the quiet zone). Stuck to one of them now is the menu for our Spaceworks Christmas dinner ... feel free to come and have a look, we have space to work available now and spaces around the dinner table too. You don't have to wear a paper party hat.