Almost a year ago I blogged about co-working spaces in Canada. On December 17, 2010 I wrote a piece titled “the (in)complete list of co-working spaces in Canada”.
The impetus of the previous co-working post was the desire to find a space to work from while at the same time being able to take advantage of other people working and building. Listed below are three places that I’ve had the privilege of working out of:
BNOTIONS:
While not officially a co-working space, BNOTIONS has had a profound positive impact on the growth of thirdocean. We spent 6 months calling the BNOTIONS office space our home. We held our team meetings there and also met potential clients in their space.
The culture of BNOTIONS also positively influenced the culture of thirdocean. Every time a guest exited the elevator on the 4th floor a loud round of applause greeted them. The BNOTIONS office is also famous for their WWE DVD collection and superhero action figures. Today, no matter where we work, all thirdocean visitors are greeted as long lost friends.
The Work Republic:
No matter what I say about TWR it will not be enough. Located at the corner of Victoria Park and McNicol Avenue’s, TWR is only a 5 minute drive from my home. This has allowed me to work out of a space while still being able to drive my son to his morning and afternoon classes.
This north-Toronto space is a welcomed and quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto. On most days you can find Ray, Maurice and Milan listening to old school hip hop (Neil Young when I visit!), building mobile apps and making videos.
Need a space outside the city (yet still very accessible) centre to work from and bring your guests to? The Work Republic is the place for you.
Network Orange:
A slice of heaven in the middle of downtown Toronto, Network Orange is ING Direct’s contribution to Toronto’s startup and freelance community. Nestled at the corner of Yonge and Shuter, Network Orange offers our team a home 7 days a week. Included in their package are a choice of 3 meeting rooms, wifi, coffee, a functional kitchen as well as ample desk space. Open 7 days a week, I have actually “opened” this space at 8am and left when it closed at 10pm.
Operating out of this space has also allowed us to meet with potential clients, clients and even our service partners. More than any other space, Network Orange has helped our team at thirdocean grow from a young company looking for an identity to Canada’s community management and social media agency.
If you have a favourite co-working space please tell me about it in the comment section below. If you want to receive this blog in your email, click on the “sign me up!” button on the right.