In this conversation, Ashley Proctor and I talk about the difference between the coworking industry and the coworking movement. There are a number of things that stood out for me in this episode.
Build something for a community larger than yourself. Build something for people.
Ashley points out that she is driven to build things for people. From her perspective, that is the key difference between coworking the industry and C
Work towards dismantling loneliness, accelerating serendipity, and making meaningful human connections.
For Ashley, Coworking is firstly a verb. It is a shared office space for people who work independently or remotely. It is about having the freedom to choose where and when you working. Ashley gets a lot of meaning from her work because it’s not about subdividing space, it is about people. For her, it is about focusing on the mission or purpose of what you are doing, and it will help you build great things. She makes the analogy that building space, is like planting a flag where people can meet connect and build the future.
Surround yourself with people who care about you and have your success in mind.
At the heart of building Coworking spaces, is building a community where you surround yourself with people who want you to do well, people who want you to be the best, people who want you to be strong.
Instead of saying no, show people what you are building.
I asked Ashley about how she says no when they are curating communities. Ashley pointed out that sometimes you do not need to say no. Let people self-select. Show them
You build big things one tiny step at a time.
When you are trying to build something that people think is impossible you do it one step at a time. Focus on putting one tiny piece after another and rallying more people together. Bring people together to build the future with you one piece at a time.
When bad things happen, separate what happened from who you are.
You are not a failure, what you were trying to build failed. An event or misfortune does not define you. I found this to be a very profound reminder and I have seen many people struggle to not let bad things define who they are. It is a very privileged thing to say but it is important that we not let misfortune consume us and define who we are.
I really enjoyed this episode and I hope you are able to gain a lot from it. You can reach Ashley and learn more about all of her projects (including COHIP and GCUC Canada) by visiting her website www.CreativeBlueprint.ca
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