Amy Abrams and Adelaide Fives opened In Good Company Workplaces in September 2007. The company provides workspaces to women in business in Manhattan using a unique business model.
Rather than simply renting a space of their own, women business owners can sign up for an annual membership with In Good Company Workplaces then pick and choose the types of services they need through a variety of membership plans.
Basically, when you join In Good Company Workplaces, you pay an annual fee based on the plan you choose, which will give you access to varying amounts of desk hours and meeting room time. Members also get free Wi-Fi service, printing, faxing, a 30-minute consultation with Amy Abrams or Adelaide Fives who also run In Good Company Consulting, free admission to events and seminars, and a listing in the company’s member directory. Currently, there are 110 members with 60% of them using the basic plan, according to the New York Times, which costs $300 per year and allows you to order office space and meeting rooms a la carte.
It’s important to note that although In Good Company Workplaces is only open to female members, men are always welcome in meetings, etc. in the workspace. In fact, you can see a picture of the workspace in Manhattan above from the In Good Company website (there are a lot more pictures on the company’s website).
This is an incredibly inventive and useful idea. Having a place to hold meetings, particularly in an expensive area like New York City, without having to pay an expensive monthly rental fee is great. In Good Company Workplaces seems to provide something that many businesswomen actually need.
What do you think? Would something like this work for your business?
Tags: In Good Company, In Good Company Workplaces, shared office space, women in business, businesswomen, women entrepreneurs, female business owners, Amy Abrams, Adelaide Fives, women on business