Sad change of plans...
After three years of working to grow a coworking community at Converge, we're saddened to report that we're pulling our plug. It's been a great run and we've learned a great deal, contributed a ton, and met some amazing people.
We started out three years ago through inspiration from Coworking spaces like Indy Hall, New Work City and Blank Spaces to see how we could do Coworking here in NJ. Taking guidance from Alex Hillman of Indy Hall, we started out building a community first - since Coworking is about the people afterall - way before we built a space. After over a year of meetups and trying to build the buzz about Coworking in NJ, we were able to build a relationship with the great people at Kean University and soon thereafter Converge opened its doors as the first coworking space in NJ and the first in the country to have a partnership with a University. It was (and still is) super exciting to have been able to acheive this. Unfortunately, during the time of building the community and opening the space, something happened… people lost interest. Now fast forward and we've been opened 14 months now and are not yet a sustainable coworking space. This is a bad thing and as a result, we've jointly decided between us and the University to not continue to offer coworking at Kean University.
The Future…
Converge might continue in another way, just not at Kean - we'll let you know what happens there. We've got some awesome members and a great community and it'd be a shame to let that all die out. In the mean time, we'll be done at Kean University as of October 15th.
In the meantime…
Coworking is alive and strong in NJ and we're so proud to have been able to contribute to that effort. We believe whole heartedly in Coworking and know that it has its place in NJ as well. If you find yourself looking for a Coworking space, please check out Launchpad Creatives in Woodbridge, Cowerks in Asbury Park, and Mission Fifty in Hoboken. Each are doing great things for their community as well. Also watch for the happenings from NJ Coworking Alliance where coworking spaces in NJ help promote Coworking as a movement here in the great Garden State.
Lessons Learned
It's easy to say that we just failed, and fuck it, it's over. But that's not the case at all… Converge Coworking has been a truly successful venture across so many levels. First and foremost, we brought people together that would have never been able to meet and do great things together. We helped people learn things that they may not have otherwise learned. We helped businesses run by offering affordable resources for them. These are all amazing achievements that we're proud of.
So where'd we go wrong? It goes back to the advice from Alex that I got more than three years ago… Build the community first and let that dictate how/when/where/if you grow into a space. Coworking is about the people, not the space, not the coffee, not the cool chairs, not the revenue… the people. We started out so strong with a great core of people and in the two years it took to build a community and open a space, many of those people got other jobs, lost interest, moved away, etc. So our core community was distilled even before we opened the doors. The next things that we learned in hind site as being stumbling blocks are somewhat larger… the location we selected was on a University campus - a location rich with people, education, inspiration, resources, etc. but not so rich with parking and not so easily found. As any real estate agent will tell you: Location, location, location. We had a great location that was so centrally located in NJ, near a train stop and everything, but people couldn't find it!!
The Biggest Awakening
It's my belief that Coworking is an amazing thing. Some of the most productive workdays I've ever had have been at a coworking space. So when I think about what is so different between Converge and all these other thriving spaces I see like Indy Hall, New Work City, Blank Spaces, Hive at 55, and so many more, I realize that I don't think Coworking - in the traditional sense that we know it as - is meant for suburbia. Here in NJ, especially in suburban and even rural parts of NJ, people work from home because they don't want to travel. They don't want to fight traffic, pay for parking, etc. In urban spaces, like NY, it's no big deal for you to hop on a train and in 15 minutes your where you want to be with no need for parking or tolls or traffic. It's first nature in a city to be around people and not want to be isolated. Not so much in suburbia - people originally migrated into "the country" to get away from busy cities and lots of people. Now it's almost engrained in us here in suburbia to not want to be around lots of people and to hibernate in our homes. So, in my humble opinion, if coworking is going to thrive in NJ, there needs to be some sort of adaptation to accomodate for how suburbanites can utilize coworking. Now, this isn't a blanket statement at all - it's an observation based on the people I've met through the process of guiding Converge.
Thank You
As I said, we've done a lot in a short time and its important to let you know that it was not a solo effort. We had TONS of supprt. First, thanks to President Farahi and Rose Gonnella of Kean University. Dr. Farahi saw our vision and supported it all the way. Rose was our champion on campus and is the most amazing supporter that we could have ever asked to have met along the way. She's so passionate about design and education and we're grateful for her support. Roger Salazar has tirelessly guided Converge as his baby for the past 10+ months. I'm grateful for all his dedication and vision. Many of our new programs and inititiaves have been his vision and execution. Our event and space sponsors helped with essential things along the way and offered great benefits to our members. And mostly, to the members at Converge… thank you doesn't cut it. Not even close. I'm saddened in the thought of not being able to offer Converge any longer just thinking about how we may have helped this far for so many of you. Thank you for your belief in Converge and your commitment to us and to Coworking. Please keep coworking.
Again, thank you. Seriously. Thanks.
- Steve