Margaret Mead once said, “Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world, indeed that’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote is especially relevant for today’s episode of Two Twenty and the discussion about co-working spaces. Today we will be talking to Jacob and Katie Sayles who were in on this co-working movement from the beginning. And, as you’ll hear today during our chat, there’s a lot more to it than just space. Jacob comes from a software background and found it very isolating and was looking for a more community-based working environment. He then opened Office Nomads, the first co-working space in Seattle. To support this business he wrote Nadine, the first open-source co-working platform and founded Open Coworking, a non-profit dedicated to the co-working movement. His wife, Katie, is a designer who was working from her home, but often found herself becoming distracted by the most mundane things. When she was introduced to Office Nomads she instantly fell in love with the idea of co-working spaces, the design behind it, as well as the community that comes with it. Katie now plays a vital role in the design aspect of creating optimal co-working spaces. Stay tuned for today’s episode of Two Twenty to hear all about the journey of the Co-Working Movement with our special guests, Jacob and Katie Sayles. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Jacob and Katie’s personal journeys through the co-working space and community movement.  
• The difficulties that came with how to communicate and educate on co-working spaces.
• Values and culture in the co-working space versus traditional workspace.
• Are co-working spaces for anyone? Understanding whether it is for you.
• The importance of design plays in cultivating community in co-working spaces. 
• How to navigate the difficulties encountered in co-working spaces.
• Whether design elements apply across the board to different co-working spaces in other places.
• Differences between regions: community influence on the design of co-working spaces.
• Why big corporations are sending employees to co-working spaces and the result. 
• Trends in technology and design that will influence co-working as it changes and evolves. 
• Jacob shares ideas around how to cultivate connections in co-working spaces.
• Katie talks “nerdy design things” that will shape co-working spaces in the future.
• Does co-working space change the way we work?

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Two Twenty Saskatoon

Open Coworking

Office Nomads

Office Nomads on Twitter

Katie Davis-Sayles on LinkedIn

Jacob Sayles

Jacob Sayles on LinkedIn

Jacob Sayles on Twitter

Digital Spaces

Digital Spaces on LinkedIn