Working Independently but Together Provides Camaraderie and Increases Productivity … and It’s Fun!
We are part of the new sharing economy among the growing population of independent workers here in the Greater Prescott Area. We choose to work independently but together to be part of a community, to collaborate, and to co-work. Some of us are freelancers or entrepreneurs with home-based businesses and some of us work remotely for an employer. Working independently together in a professional office space helps us be more productive and create a healthy work-life balance for a better quality of life.
Melanie Banayat
Name: Melanie Banayat
Business Name / Occupation: WingSpace Coworking
Owner-Operator, and Community Builder
Website: WingSpace.biz
How long have you lived in Prescott? 12 years
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Business Owner
Please share a brief job description:
I provide a membership-based workplace for independent workers with an emphasis on community, collaboration, and coworking. I also create and facilitate opportunities for social connections, brainstorming, networking, accountability, business-related educational programs, and focused productivity among people who might otherwise be working in isolation or in an unprofessional work environment.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
After working for myself for more 37 years I craved connection with other like-minded entrepreneurial types. For me the decision to open WingSpace was a way to invest in my social, emotional, and mental heath as well as my own business endeavors.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
I get to work around cool and interesting people who are serious and passionate about their own work, who enjoy what they do, and like to laugh, joke, and geek out with me. It’s a happy, inspirational, and friendly place to work. #feelinggrateful
Kara Peterson
Name: Kara Peterson
Business Name / Occupation: Executive Director at Kind Defined
Website: http://KindDefined.org
How long have you lived in Prescott? 23 years
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Non-profit
Please share a brief job description:
Kind Defined was born from the need to see more good in our world. We promote small actions of kindness to make big ripples of change in the world.
Emotionally, people feel better when they hear about and contribute to the good in life; Kind Defined wants to steer the quad-city area into actively participating and seeing these kind actions.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
WingSpace provides so much for me! My family “sees” me going to work, so I am removing myself.
I get more done in less time at WingSpace than I did in my own home, allowing me to maximize my time with my family at home and my meetings with people in the community.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
I am one person. Often, in any business, it feels like you are swimming upstream, alone! WingSpace is a collaborative environment. When I am frustrated because I need a software solution or app that may cut down on my efforts, I can ask the members and chances are that someone has an answer.
When I come in, I am warmly greeted, people are friendly.
There is an opportunity to learn something new, whether for business or personal life, every week. I know, I was supposed to give just one favorite perk, but really, there are so many!
Joy Hansen
Name: Joy Hansen
Business Name / Occupation: Business Coach
Website: http://joyhansen.com
How long have you lived in Prescott? 5 years
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Self-employed
Please share a brief job description: I help female entrepreneurs release sabotaging stories and behaviors, develop new stories, new beliefs and perspectives so that getting clients becomes easy, more fun and full of joy.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
I LOVE people. I get my fuel by being around other amazing people. I love collaborating and having great discussions about ways to make things better and I find that at WingSpace. Before, I was working in a space where I didn’t see people hardly at all. I would get low energy because I was basically alone all day…and we as humans need other humans! Now, I am greeted with smiling faces when I arrive to start my day. If I face a challenge in what I’m working on whether it’s content or marketing, instead of getting all in my head about it I can take a break and there is usually someone who has the space to allow me to check in. This makes me feel heard and understood and gets my brain back on track. I can get back to my project SO much FASTER than when I get stuck when working alone. If you are a high achiever and love helping people you know the benefit of being productive. This is a huge benefit! I love the energy that is created by all the amazing people at WingSpace!
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
My favorite experience so far at WingSpace was Melanie’s surprise “party.” We all grabbed random stuff: a piece of pie, a lighter (because there was no candle), a card which we all quickly signed, a balloon, and a lot of energy. Then we barged in the room where she was and busted out with a birthday song and a lighter for her to blow out. It was ridiculous and so silly!
Olivia Lee
Name: Olivia Lee
Business Name / Occupation: Assistant professor research – University of Alaska Fairbanks
Website:
How long have you lived in Prescott? 5 months
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Employee
Please share a brief job description:
I study Arctic marine biology and impacts of changing sea ice on marine ecosystems and society at large.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
Working from home is challenging because I don’t have a dedicated office space. I’ve also found it isolating to work remotely without colleagues, which in the long run is bad for creativity and morale.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
Aside from the tea bar and mini library, I love being able to connect with a supportive, entrepreneurial community who is always learning.
Erica Ryberg
Name: Erica Ryberg
Business Name / Occupation: Montoya Wealth Management
Website: http://montoyawealth.com
How long have you lived in Prescott? 23 years.
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Business Owner
Please share a brief job description:
Everything I do as a financial planner is designed to deliver peace of mind, which I do by making myself a key member of clients’ support systems. For example, clients who are unsure why their money is evaporating every month work with me one-on-one to develop easy-to-use cash flow plans and clients who worry about whether they have enough money in retirement benefit from soup-to-nuts retirement projections and tailored investment management.
One of the things we love doing is looking around corners on behalf of our clients. They’re sometimes surprised to find our quarterly investment review meetings are also financial planning check-ins for estate planning, insurance reviews, or tax strategies. These things are not always top of mind for them, but they sure are for us.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
Years of being a remote worker and freelance writer taught me how draining working by myself can be. When WingSpace opened up, we moved from our lonely “fancy office” into WingSpace’s vibrant and friendly co-working space and we haven’t looked back!
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
Hands down, it’s running into my wonderful friends at the coffee station. You simply can’t put a price tag on that.
Hannah Mailand
Name: Hannah Mailand
Business Name / Occupation: Balanced Sheats
Website: http://www.balancedsheats.com
How long have you lived in Prescott? 8 years
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Business Owner
Please share a brief job description:
We are a daughter-father team devoted to taking care of small businesses’ needs. We know how important a healthy work-life balance is, and our mission is to help business owners achieve that balance by taking on the tedious and time-consuming work of bookkeeping.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
I work from home, and I needed to find a space that was less distracting than my house or a coffee shop. WingSpace has been the perfect place for me to get work done.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
I have enjoyed the friendly, collaborative, and work-focused environment of WingSpace and the opportunity to build relationships with my “co-workers.”
Mikhaila Thornton
Name: Mikhaila Thornton
Business Name / Occupation: Mikhaila Thornton Design
Website: http://mikhailathornton.com
How long have you lived in Prescott? A little over a year
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Self-employed and business owner
Please share a brief job description:
An interdisciplinary designer, I provide design services ranging from graphic, print, website, and app design to product design. I specialize in visual brand development for small businesses and enjoy working one-on-one with my clients to create the best and most representative designs for their businesses.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
The community at WingSpace helps me stay motivated and on task and also provides a fun, professional, and creative space for me to meet with my clients.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace: My favorite perk of working at WingSpace is the weekly educational events and talks where I can learn and improve new skills.
Erica aka Frank Ferguson
Name: Erica aka Frank Ferguson
Business Name / Occupation: Remote employee for healthcare research company
Website:
How long have you lived in Prescott? I have been a frequent visitor for almost 30 years, able to move here full time in November 2018
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Remote worker
Please share a brief job description: I work for the U.S. portion of an international clinical trials company, and my primary focus is matching individuals with research opportunities that match their personal health-care realities. The usual term is patient recruitment but I joke that I’m somewhat of a match-maker. Even studies on common health conditions are so unique these days that finding the right match is like picking up one piece of a jigsaw puzzle and matching it to the right picture! I have a background in social work and Public Health, and I enjoy the challenge of talking with a wide range of people about health issues.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
I fit the profile of people who work better when they are around other people who are working! A good friend suggested that I see if there was a co-work space in town, I found WingSpace online one evening, visited the next day, and signed up as soon as I could.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
Is saying “everything!” a copout? Physically the space is very comfortable and flexible – I work in the open areas and tend to move around during the day. The space is only the backdrop though, and if I had to pick one answer it would be the people. There is such support, such joy, a great level of assistance and accountability across professions and disciplines.
Since joining I have been welcomed into new close friendships and have gone from work-at-home to having a workplace “home.”
Lorna Waterbury
Name: Lorna Waterbury
Business Name / Occupation: L.W.Stitches / Custom Sewing and Alterations
Website:
How long have you lived in Prescott? 2 years
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Self-Employed
Please share a brief job description:
I offer custom sewing and alterations services. I meet my customers for drop-offs, pick-ups and fittings at WingSpace Coworking. I do the actual sewing at my home.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
In the fall of 2018, I moved out to Williamson Valley. I was concerned that I might lose some of my customers due to the distance they would have to drive to use my services. I found WingSpace Coworking to be the perfect solution.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
Wingspace Coworking is centrally located for my customers. I am able to offer my customers a private room for fittings. I can reserve the room for an hour at a time. I am actually saving a lot on overhead and I enjoy connecting with the other members while I am there!
Kate Ames
Name: Kate Ames
Business Name / Occupation: Hickory Flats
Website: http://www.hickory-flats.com
How long have you lived in Prescott? 12 years
Are you self-employed, business owner, non-profit, or employee (remote worker)? Business Owner
Please share a brief job description:
We source and sell products from worldwide markets (including the US) on various Internet platforms such as Amazon, Shopify and Etsy. Hickory Flats also provides services to other businesses including sourcing, factory inspections, and sourcing retreats to China and Central America.
Why did you choose WingSpace for your work environment?
I work remotely from the rest of my team. Wingspace gives me the needed out-of-the house time, and the ability to interact with likeminded people face to face. I am a mom of small children and having a space to use that is a professional atmosphere (away from the chaos that is mom life!) is essential to my productivity.
Favorite perk or experience at WingSpace:
Meeting and making friends with the people is the most valuable asset to me. Work at home life can be lonely.