What is The Docking Station?
The Docking Station is a coworking space and business community where entrepreneurs, freelancers and others types can establish their primary or secondary office in a community-focused collaborative environment.
Wow! I’ve not heard of coworking. What is it?
According to Wikipedia, coworking is:
An emerging trend for a new pattern for working. Typically work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people that travel frequently end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space. Coworking offers a solution to the problem of isolation that many freelancers experience while working at home, while at the same time letting them escape the distractions of home. The coworking model provides the social, collaborative, and informal aspects of the process, with management practices closer to that of a Cooperative, including a focus on community rather than profit.
You can learn more about coworking by checking out the Coworking Wiki which is a collaborative information source across spaces with different owners, the very active Coworking mailing list as well as the Coworking community Blog.
If you are familiar with BarCamp, it’s been said that coworking is like having BarCamp every day.
Is The Docking Station a Startup Incubator?
No, Yes and Not Exactly. The reason we launched The Docking Station was to bring together creative independent professionals who were well underway with their businesses and looking to get out of the home office isolation and work among energized and motivated professionals at similar stages in their businesses. We’re here to help each other out, but we’re not like the small business development center, SCORE or any other business advisory service.
While we don’t offer space for free or shared business services like incubators, we instead provide an inexpensive “pay your own way” option for startups and an environment where shared services can happen organically among members.
What is the difference between a coworking space and any other office share or corporate office suite?
In short, we’re a combination of community and core values. The Docking Station isn’t about the desks, but about what the desks enable when a certain set of values are aligned.
Corporate office suites have become increasingly popular, and Regus is one of the major players, with offices all over the world. While corporate office spaces and coworking spaces both meet a need for workspace, they have distinctly different missions.
Corporate office suites are, in fact, corporate. They generally have a receptionist answering the phones, banker-type furniture and closed-door offices. They’re a nice option for a small company that would like to appear a bit larger to their clients. While this may be attractive option for some, it’s good to know there are alternatives.
Coworking spaces, like The Docking Station, are all about community and collaboration. While we have a few private offices, you won’t find too many closed doors here. And while you still have a professional office to come to for a meeting with a client, you also have the opportunity to network throughout the day with a group of cool, well, coworkers.
Everyone is working on something different and we encourage interaction and open communication.
Once a person walks through the door at The Docking Station, they can usually get an immediate feel for whether this space is right for them. I always encourage people to come in and test out the space. If it’s right for you, you’ll be hooked! No reason not to come on by, check it out, and let us know what you are looking for.
Do I need to make a reservation?
Nope, just come on in. You can reserve space online using our reservation system if you’d like, but it’s not required.
What kind of people work at The Docking Station?
We’re a diverse bunch. Our community is comprised of designers, developers, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, small business owners, telecommuters, marketers, financial consultants, corporate drones seeking creative refuge, and more. If you can work from anywhere, you can work from The Docking Station.
Can I just come to use a conference room?
Yes, of course you can. However, our members have priority access to conferencing facilities. For $$$/day, you can have use of our main conference room (which fits approximately ## people or so). It comes complete with projector and screen, and is fully wired for power and Internet. Please reserve the conference room online or call us to see if the date you’re interested is available.
How will I be billed?
Monthly members are billed on their anniversary date each month. Non-member drop-ins are billed twice monthly. You can pay via credit card, check, cash, or automatic withdrawal. You can signup as a member right now via our PayPal system.
Do I need to bring my computer? Phone?
Yes and yes. Monthly members can have phone service connected to their desk and we have a variety of options available.
Can I bring my dog?
Absolutely. As long as your best friend is nice to the rest of the co-workers. See our pet policy here.
How do I keep up with all the exciting things going on at The Docking Station?
To receive updates and announcements is to join our mailing list. Also, be sure to become a fan of us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter!
How long has The Docking Station been around?
The Docking Station plans to open in early 2011 though we’ve been working on the concept in the Green Bay area for nearly two years
Is it “co-working” or “coworking”?
It’s coworking. Co-working is simply the act of working together where coworking is a new way of working. The international coworking movement has exploded in the past few years and we are happy to align ourselves with some truly amazing people. For the definitive explanation, check this out.
