New Location – Historic Downtown Melbourne Florida

If you are following us on social media, you may have seen some posts about our new location in Historic Downtown Melbourne, Florida. This location officially opens this Friday, February 1st, and we are incredibly excited about this new venture for several reasons.

We are a Family Business.

One of our own will be running the day to day of Work Webb Melbourne. Our eldest daughter, Kady Webb is moving to Melbourne and joining the Work Webb team as the office manager of the Melbourne location. She recently graduated from college and is very excited about being a part of the family business, and so are we!

Another Historic Downtown

We love the historic feel of our Daytona Beach office, and that environment continues to our new location. Historic Downtown Melbourne is a charming part of the city with a history that dates to the 1800s. In recent years it has become the destination for locals and travelers, alike, who are looking for a quaint and historic town for shopping, dining, and entertainment. The downtown has a packed event calendar, and we are excited to feature them in our What’s Happening Around Work Webb blog series. Sign up to learn about these events hosted in Melbourne on our website blog.

A Great Building

We love our Kress Building, and our new location is just as charming. Work Webb Melbourne is located in a  fully renovated 120-year-old former hardware and farm supply store. The office décor has an industrial feel and is very welcoming. Here are some photos:

Surrounded by Great Food

There are some fantastic restaurants new our Melbourne office.  Hell n Blazes is a place that we have frequently visited. They are a family-and-friends microbrewery known for traditional brews as well as the adventurous spirit that defines craft beer. Their website boasts, “Consistently pouring 12-18 unique house beers, with a 25-bottle wine list, the taproom pairs the old Florida lifestyle with the comfort of your own living room!”

There is also a wine and art gallery, The Living Room and Pan-Asian eatery called Mangetsu located in Historic Downtown Melbourne. As we try out more of the restaurants, we will post about them on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest) as well as our blog. The Facebook page for Melbourne Main Street is a good source of information too, follow them here to learn more.

2019 has started with a bang of excitement!

 

The Redesign of the Traditional Office Due to Mobile Technology

We have talked a lot on our blog about co-working spaces as an alternative to the traditional office and how the co-working space is changing the work environment. Traditional offices are also going through a metamorphosis and are no longer a sea of workstations depicted in shows like “Office Space.” Today’s office is seen as more of an integration of layered neighborhoods serving different functions. That’s because today we can offer a host of new spaces that better fit the way we live and work in today’s office environment. It’s helpful to start with an appreciation of what is powering the changes to the traditional office design. The most significant driving factor is mobile technology.

While laptops were once a luxury item with limited computing power compared to the desktop counterparts of their day, we all know that today’s mobility has matured. Between laptops and tablets, mobility is both affordable and fully functional, offering more power than most professionals need for just emailing, documenting, sharing and accessing the web. In addition to traditional workplace strategies, today’s portable devices create additional design opportunities to enhance a space that wasn’t possible in the past.
Some of these spaces include small “huddle” rooms for two or three staff to gather and produce work together around a shared monitor. These flexible spaces allow for both privacy and acoustic isolation away from more public workstations. Similarly, soft-seating conference areas can support work with clients who are dealing with sensitive information or are in need of a more nurturing space to interact, while positioning them near an easily accessed screen. Also, coffee shop-style spaces and high-top collaboration tables all enable different types of individual and team-oriented work to occur.

When these spaces fit the company culture and are correctly built, they can lead to increased staff comfort and team focus. At the same time, they can also encourage heads down, focused productivity. This new modern office concept can help staff feel invigorated, well supported and more vibrant. They can provide more acoustic privacy and concentration where it’s essential. Teams can also feel free to be dynamic and loud without distracting others.
It seems like mobile technology is changing both the traditional office design as well as creating the new remote worker.

Is a Co-Working Space Right for your Small Business?

The typical office-leasing process can take months and involves a lot of numbers and paperwork, and even then, you could end up not getting what you thought out of your office experience. An alternative to this tedious process is to explore the option of a co-working space – rented space in a shared office with people from all different organizations. Using a co-working space allows you to have office space that is more tailored to your needs, not be committed to a lease, and have your employees feel comfortable in what usually is a more relaxed, inspired and productive environment.

Why co-working spaces?

There are numerous advantages to using a co-working space, especially for fast-growing and budget-conscious startups.
Sharing an office with similar-minded small business owners gives you the opportunity to network while you work and share resources that you’d otherwise have to track down on your own.

What to consider when choosing a space

There are several factors to consider when selecting a workspace. To get started, ask yourself the following questions:
• Are you interested in establishing regional offices for your brand or testing markets for corporate expansion?
• Will you be meeting with partners or clients?
• When are you most productive?

Here are some other factors to consider.

Location

 

Shared offices are most frequently found in large cities like Chicago and New York, which can be a real cost-saver for businesses that want to be in these areas without signing an expensive urban office-space lease. However, be sure that your new co-working address is one that you feel comfortable not only showing up to every day but also inviting professional contacts to conduct business.

Design

The design of your co-working space is another critical factor to consider.
Since you generally can’t rearrange and customize co-working space the way you could a private office, you have to be satisfied with the existing layout and setup of a shared workspace.

 

Pricing structure and membership benefits

While a co-working space might have everything a growing business needs, not all of those amenities are included in your membership price. Be sure to read the fine print and know exactly what you’re paying for, so you don’t end up with any hidden fees.

 

Your neighbors

Your co-working neighbors can make all the difference in your everyday work experience, so try to find out what other businesses are in the space before you sign up. In most cases, you’ll find that there are a lot of different startups and small companies like yours so that you can benefit from each other’s experiences and connections.

 

Work Webb is affordable, has a great location and has a professional environment. Call us to schedule a tour of our co-working offices to see for yourself. We are located in historic downtown Daytona Beach which has shops, great restaurants, and a view
that can’t be beaten.

Challenges of Working from Home in the Summer

Working from Home in the Summer

It’s summer and the kids are out of school.  Working from home during the summer can present a challenge. If this is your first summer working from home, you may not know what to expect for the next three months.  Let me enlighten you on what I have heard from clients that I only see here at Work Webb during the summer months.

Interruptions Are Constant

Older children that handled being home alone while you worked in a traditional office last summer will completely regress to needy toddlers now that you are working from home.   They will not be able to find anything, do anything without asking you for help.  Why you ask?  Because they know you are there to help them and answer their questions.  You will stop work to find the TV remote, Play Station controller and any number of meaningless tasks your children just can’t seem to do without you.

Family Visits

Now that you no longer have a traditional job, your extended family may think they can come to visit for extended stays.  Honestly, if they catch you off guard you may not have a quick answer as to why they can’t come for a visit.  Then you are stuck with family coming especially if you live in a desired area like Florida. Your office may be lost to your teenage nephew that likes to sleep the morning away and – POOF – there goes your productivity.  In addition, if you are a good host, your in-laws might expect home cooked meals every night because after all you are home.  Don’t’ forget since you are home, odds are you still do laundry, etc., so these tasks just doubled for you. All that does is eat up precious hours that should be used to get your work done.

Parental Guilt

Since you ARE working from home and this is your first summer with the kids, you might feel compelled to be the super parent.  Trips to bowling alley, movies or to the beach may eat up your daylight hours which means you will burn the midnight oil or get up with the birds to get your work completed.  In short – you will work twice as hard the next few months.  Trust me.

Taxi Services

A common complaint I hear from my summer clients is they become a taxi service for the children and their children’s friends.  After all you are home – and your children will volunteer your services without asking.  Your productivity and gas tank will bottom out fast.

Avoid these pitfalls of summer by finding a shared office solution near you.  If you are close to the Daytona Beach or Melbourne, Florida area, visit Work Webb’s website to see what we can offer you besides a quiet place to work.

More from Work Webb: Instagram – Twitter – Facebook – The Water Cooler

Updated: 3/29/21

Professionals Take Note: Holding a Business Meeting in a Coffee Shop Will Screw Up Your Game Plan (and Your Profit)

Turns Out Coffee Shop Meetings Can Hurt Your Business. Here’s How…

OK, this is a unique PSA, but here goes: Are coffee shops hurting your business? 

If you sometimes hold meetings in a public place, like your area coffee shop or café rather than an office or meeting room environment – this blog post (or warning, I should say) is for you… (more…)

Rent a Conference or Meeting Room and Grow Your Business

“Meeting” a Certain Standard: 3 Ways a Conference or Meeting Room Rental Can Grow Your Business

Most start-ups, independent entrepreneurs, and budding small business owners can’t afford a private office just yet; and for many industries and professionals, sometimes a full time (even a part-time) office isn’t really needed. This poses a problem when the need for a conference or meeting room arises, and your kitchen table won’t cut it. (more…)