AnsonEDP To Join With The Anson County Chamber Of Commerce And Uptown Wadesboro For CoWorking Wednesdays

On Wednesday, November 7th, and the first Wednesday of each subsequent month, the Burns Conference Room at the Anson County Chamber of Commerce will be transformed into a coworking space for the use of all Anson County-based businesses. CoWorking Wednesdays is a new initiative jointly sponsored by the Anson County Chamber of Commerce, Uptown Wadesboro and the Anson Economic Development Partnership.

Coworking is a concept that has gained a lot of momentum in urban and suburban areas over the past few years, but is just now being tried in more rural areas. Basically, the idea is to create a community of entrepreneurs and small business owners who share space and services in an open and collaborative way; think of it as a cross between a Starbucks, a pack and ship store and key man offices. It acts as an incubator of sorts for the information and gig economy.

As the economy has become more focused on knowledge, experience and information as commodities, there has been a proliferation of small businesses and individual contractors who provide a wide variety of services on a contract basis. This is sometimes referred to as the “gig” economy or “side hustle” economy. These enterprises, which range from freelance writers and graphic designers to online security consultants to bloggers often operate from a spare bedroom or the kitchen table and meet with clients at a local hangout, like McDonalds or Starbucks. Coworking spaces provide a more structured and collaborative place for these businesses to set up shop. Participants benefit from working in close proximity to other similarly focused people in a business-oriented setting. There is typically a programmatic side, as well, with speakers discussing topics relevant to these individuals.

Eventually, the three organizations hope to partner with the private-sector to create a permanent coworking space in Uptown Wadesboro that would feature a coffee bar, mail service, pack and ship  and conference room. As a first step and proof of concept, CoWorking Wednesdays will be held at the Chamber on the first Wednesday of each month. On those days, the Burns Conference Room will be open from 8:30 A.M. until 4:30 P.M. for any Anson County business who wants to spend some or all of their day working from that space. Businesses do NOT have to be members of the Chamber to participate. Coffee and donuts will be provided in the morning and sandwiches and sodas will be brought in for lunch. Each CoWorking Wednesday will also feature a guest speaker from noon until 12:30 P.M.; the speaker for November 7th will be AnsonEDP executive director John Marek, who will be discussing grant funding for startups and small businesses.

For more information about CoWorking Wednesdays, please contact megan@AnsonEDP.com.