Working from home was a trend that started long before the pandemic but increased dramatically since the spring of 2020 when the coronavirus changed our lives forever. According to the SBA, startups grew by 24% during the pandemic and prior to that the growth rate was 20% in 2019.
As of March 2021, the SBA said the US had 31.7 million small businesses and 81% (or 25.7 million) of them have only one employee. What is so impressive is that 50% of the US GDP comes from small businesses.
While many small business owners work from home, you’ll often see people having meetings at coffee shops or simply toiling away at their laptops. Getting out of the house is important because who wants to stay cooped up surrounded by the same four walls day in and day out?
Social media is one of the top ways a small business owner uses to get the word out about their products and services. There are also plenty of people that generate income as a content creator or influencer.
What these people need is a professional space to hold meetings, film content, tape podcasts and get work done. Most do not require a dedicated office, nor is it in their budget. Serviced offices, coworking and flexible workspaces are popping up all over the world to meet demand.
Colab in Vero Beach, FL is a unique space offering all these services and more. Christina Klingler is the owner and founder and when asked how she came up with the name, she said, “It is an acronym that stands for Creating Opportunities Locally and Beyond.”
Christina officially opened in the fall of 2019 with 3500sq. ft. of space divided into meeting rooms, a large co-working space, small phone rooms with a desk for private conversations and a room tailored for filming and podcasting with complete acoustic tiles. Colab is open, airy with a luxurious feel to it.
Initially it was hard dealing with the pandemic, however she was able to provide her clients with a safe environment where people could remain distant, the facility was routinely sanitized and there is 24/7 keyless entry through a propriety app.
Christina has built a clientele of small business owners who have thrived being able to work independently yet finding mutual support among the group. She also developed a variety of networking and business development groups, and it was from these meetings that Christina was able to keep a pulse on the ever-growing services her clients needed.
Across the parking lot from her current location is a building where another 3500sq. ft. of space became available. Christina leased that space and took her time with the build out and renovations, meticulously planning every detail. Content creation – photo shoots, videos, commercials, podcasting – are the necessary building blocks for marketing one’s company and she created another space with the same cool, yet luxurious aesthetics as her original place.
For many small business owners, the key to successful content creation is having the right environment and equipment to produce quality content. Christina’s new space is ideal, and she quickly sold new memberships.
Her grand opening was on October 7th, and it was heavily attended by those looking to take a tour. Since then, Christina has fine-tuned the new space to make even more gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing.
She has also teased that there will be new additions to the space in terms of interchangeable backdrops and furnishings. If you want to move your podcast out of your home, you just simply bring your equipment with you and plug and play. If you are just starting out and need equipment, Christina has vendors where you can rent as needed.
The beauty of Colab is their tiered memberships. You can start off small and work your way up. Or if your business is seasonal or you are a snowbird, you can scale down or put a hold on your membership.
If you simply need a place to meet clients, there is a pay as you go option. You don’t even need to supply your own coffee, that is supplied for you along with high-speed internet, and other amenities.
Colab is the best kept secret in Vero Beach, but it is growing in popularity, so it won’t stay secret for very long. If you’d like to learn more, call 772-999-3641, and arrange for a tour. For full details, visit www.verocolab.com (There are no affiliate links in this article).
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