Business Launch Services for Entrepreneurs
Bobby and John
The best part of what we do each day? We help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. And even more exciting– getting to see and celebrate in the finished product!
Cheryl and I had the pleasure of working alongside (new) Philly business owners- Bobby Dombrowski and John Farrell while they launched the quirky new coffee shop Strange Brew Coffee in South Philly’s “Pennsport” neighborhood. Serving Fair Trade and Organic coffees by Counter Culture, fine teas by local House of Tea, tasty sandwiches from Le Bus, as well as delicious treats including pastries, granola and muffins, the shop features more than just a great menu. Displayed throughout the cafe, customers can also find a fabulous collection of vinyl toys and art.
Strange Brew Coffee has outdoor as well as indoor seating, wifi access, great music, and local art displayed on the walls. Owner Bobby Dombroski grew up in this neighborhood and now lives around the corner from his new café. According to Bobby, “I believe in bettering the neighborhood you live in. I am combining my passion, coffee brewing experience and fun nature into one shop to provide my community with some delicious coffee and treats.”
Bobby and John exemplify what it is that keeps us going with Entourage. We love that we have the privilege to work alongside people that are working within their passions. They have a clear and realistic vision of what it is they are trying to create and also understand the value of delegation as a means to success.
We were able to support Strange Brew’s launch by:
- Strategic market research and business planning
- Research related to opening and operating a business here in Philadelphia (lots of regulations!)
- Operational product research
- Press Release development and circulation
- Internet marketing and social media support
We’re so proud to have been a part of their launch! To continue the celebration of another entrepreneurial success here in Philly, we are planning to hold our next coworking session at Strange Brew. Come out and work alongside other Philly entreps in the heart of South Philly! Be sure to register via our events page!
Be sure to find and follow the guys at Strange Brew on Twitter to find out about their specials and daily happenings!
Coworking: A New Way to Network!
Sampling of our attendees
UPDATE: Try Coworking for Yourself! Join us on Tuesday, April 19th @ Cake and the Beanstalk! Get all the details and register here.
Recently, Cheryl and I were asked to present to the International VA Association on the topic of Coworking for their Expert of the Month series. We ran a quick poll at the beginning of the presentation asking participants if they had ever participated in Coworking. Remarkably enough, 80% of the audience had not!
One week prior, we hosted our own #EECoworking event, and received all sorts of questions from participants, looking for a better understanding of the Coworking concept. “Was it a seminar?” they wondered, “What does it cost?”, “Why do you run these events for free- what is the benefit for you?”
Our response- quite simply “Because we believe in investing in our local entrepreneurial community.” It’s true, our events are free. We’re not selling anything or requiring anything in return. It takes a reasonable amount of our time to plan, coordinate, market and run the events each month. Our time during the event is mostly spent facilitating introductions between attendees, and we couldn’t be happier about it!
Coworking, at it’s core is about reciprocity- the giving and exchanging of information. It’s the most collaborative, encouraging, authentic type of networking that you can engage your business in.
Our events are structured in such a way that you can come and get a modest amount of work done, get your burning business questions answered, learn about a new tool that can streamline your business, make a new friend who could potentially become a JV partner or introduce you to a client, and most importantly- have a genuine, engaged conversation with other local entrepreneurs and share about your business. Our participants consistently say that they always leave our events with at least one great piece of information to help their business.
In comparison to other types of networking groups- we don’t require you to bring in a certain number of leads for the group, and our casual environment is worlds away from walking into a giant room filled with people you don’t know, and trying to explain what you do in an elevator speech. Just come over, grab some coffee, open up your laptop, get some work done and make some new friends who are doing all sorts of interesting things in their businesses!
We’d love to have you out to join us! And whether you’re here in Philly or around the country, here are some great coworking spaces you should definitely check out!
In Good Company in NYC (ladies only!)
Indy Hall right here in Philly!
LooseCubes – find a space around the country!
Learn more about all of the coworking options available to you via our shared presentation below!
The Entrepreneurial Spirit
The Harvard Business Review ran an article this summer on How To Start An Entrepreneurial Revolution. How interesting I thought to myself; we have a great group of entrepreneurs here in Philadelphia that are all very active and networked, but are we really creating a revolution? In reading on it was very interesting to hear about other countries and how their government is getting behind entrepreneurs and supporting them for who they are and what they are trying to do. How refreshing; build upon skill sets and knowledge rather than pushing them to be a certain way or provide a certain service to fit the mold. As Rwanda’s president put it, “Entrepreneurship is the most sure way of development.”
Here in Philly experts in their field are stepping out of the mold to start their own companies and provide services they know best. We entrepreneurs are a strong force and growing every day. We are providing quality and necessary services ranging from web design to copy writing and everything in between. As a result of all sharing common goals, and the City of Brotherly Love, we are creating the ecosystem to foster growth and support for entrepreneurial success. In the article, 9 steps are outlined for Creating an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, and sure enough, step two is to the shape the ecosystem around local conditions to tailor the suit to fit its own local entrepreneurship dimensions, style and climate. We are doing just that; entrepreneurs in various fields are coworking, there are weekly meet ups to meet the needs of any level of networker, and above all, entrepreneurs are accepted and celebrated for their efforts.
The opportunities for an entrepreneur to be successful in this current market are high. Many companies are seeing the value of outsourcing and slowly starting to open their checkbooks to bring in these expert entrepreneurs to help their business grow. Many groups are also supporting entrepreneurs by hosting coffees, lunches, happy hours, meet ups and conferences to allow for networking, sharing, and learning.
In doing our part to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem, we have been hosting coworking and networking events around the city. Our next event will be on Thursday, January 20th, in Northern Liberties at One Shot Coffee. Here we meet with dozens of other entrepreneurs to work as a community for the day; sharing stories, asking questions, making new introductions, drinking coffee and just enjoying eachother’s company as we meet our work demands.
As a bonus for the new year, we will follow coworking with a Philly Entrep Hapy Hour, starting at 5:30pm at PYT in The Piazza
Please join us for our next coworking day!
Date: Thursday, January 20th
Coworking: starting at 2pm
Location: One Shot Coffee
George Street (and American) behind Liberties Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Come and go as you please; we will be grabbing some food and making business introductions all day!
Happy Hour: starting at 5:30pm
Location: PYT @ The Piazza in Northern Liberties
1015 N @2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
*Parking available on the street or in the free lot located on Germantown Ave on the Northeast side of the Piazza.
Be sure to RSVP here.
Join us for Coworking Day on 9/17!
EE Coworking and Networking Days are here to stay in 2010!
We have been working from various wifi spots throughout the city this year, with great turnout at all of our events. Entrepreneurs, business owners, freelancers, and other independents looking to get out of the office and network have been coming together at these events to meet, work, eat, and share business cards. Check out some of our coworkers in our quickie vlog post: http://www.watchuslaunch.com/
This month we are heading to a classic Turkish cafe in Queen Village- Cafe Fulya.
If you are committed to evolving your business in 2010, coworking is for you. Entrepreneur’s Entourage’s Coworking events are a great way to get a change of scenery from your home or corporate office and hang in the presence of some of Philly’s brightest entreps. Our group brings together the open share of ideas and the strength of the entrepreneurial community here in Philadelphia across all industries. Our meetup days are informal and a great way to share your business, make connections, get some work done on your laptop, grab a bite to eat, and gain new perspectives.
“The collaboration, feeling of not being alone, and ability to get out of the house without being in a completely public place is why I am a part of these coworking and networking events”- Gloria Bell, owner of Red Stapler Consulting
Read more
Networking and Coworking Days for 2010
2010 is off to a great start, with entrepreneurship on the rise and the strength of building a 
networking community being of utmost importance in our society. As business owners and entrepreneurs, we are constantly forced to evolve our businesses to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive.
If you are committed to evolving your business in 2010, coworking is for you. Coworking is a great way to get a change of scenery from your home or corporate office and hang in the presence of some of Philly’s brightest entreps. Our group brings together the open share of ideas and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial community here in Philadelphia across all industries. Our meetup days are informal and a great way to share your business concept, make connections, get some work done on your laptop, grab a bite to eat, and gain new perspectives.
EE Coworking and Networking Days are here to stay in 2010! We will be working from various wifi spots throughout the city once a month on the second Thursday of each month. We’ve had a great turnout at all of our events. Check out some of our coworkers in our quickie vlog post: http://www.watchuslaunch.com/
Please join us for our next coworking day!
Date: Friday, April 30th, 2010 starting at 10am.
Come and go as you please, but we will be grabbing some food and doing business introductions at 1:00pm
Location: Chapter House Cafe
620 South 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Be sure to RSVP here.
Then please tweet that you will be attending, or just follow all of our participant tweets using #EECoworking.
Do You Love What You Do?– If Not, Get Inspired by Coworking!
With Valentines Day just around the corner, we all have *l-o-v-e* on our minds. Whether you’re busy planning your weekend away with that special someone, or planning a night out with friends; Valentine’s Day represents a special time of year where we can reflect on all the loves of our lives, and what better way to do that than attend an EE Coworking and Networking Day in Philadelphia!
Given our hectic work schedules and commitment to a work-life balance, it’s hard to argue that our work which takes up at least 40 hours per week of our lives, is not a major part of who we are. If you are one, sitting miserably in your cubicle right now, reading this blog post, watching the clock tick down to 5:00 (hey, we’ve all been there!), then this post is for you!
Do you love what you do? Does it wake you up in the morning and motivate you through the day? Do you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in your work? Do you have a great idea, but does the fear of going out on your own and forging your own way seem out of reach?
I’m here (as proof) to tell you that it’s possible! If that’s not enough, come out and witness other local entrepreneurial dynamos in action! Bring a laptop, or a notebook and come meet and interact with folks who are working their butts off to make their vision for their business a reality. Come pick our brains, and share your ideas and hear war stories about how we’ve worked to turn a vision into a reality.
The next Philly Coworking and Networking Day will be held on Friday, February 12, 2010 at the TBar on 12th and Sansom.
Take the day off from your cube and commute and come cowork and network with some of Philly’s brightest entrepreneurs and small business owners. There’s no dress code, and no rules; just a group of people spending a few hours of their day getting some work done, collaborating on their thoughts, having a good laugh and truly loving what they do.
Come join us on Friday and get inspired.. we’d L-O-V-E to see you!
Evolve Your Biz Through Coworking in 2010!
Happy New Year to all! As we look back over 2009 and look forward to 2010 a great mantra comes to mind- Rather than creating a list of “resolutions” that quickly fade away (and leave us with deflated egos!), decide to evolve instead! As business owners and entrepreneurs, we are constantly forced to evolve our businesses to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive. Evolution is simply that- change over time.
What better way to focus on your biz evolutions than to spend the day working side by side with like-minded entrepreneurs! Coworking is a great way to get a change of scenery from your home (or bland corporate) office and hang in the presence of some of Philly’s brightest entreps. Share ideas, make connections and gain new perspectives- all of which are limited by the confines of your isolated cube!
Coworking is at it’s core about reciprocity- The mutual or cooperative interchange of favors or privileges; i.e., you give, you get. Your ideas and hindsight 20/20 reflections on lessons learned can translate across industries to help other professionals (new or veteran). In turn, those same peers have perspectives to share from their unique experiences that can help you as you work on your own business. This organic approach to business development promotes the open share of ideas with the common goal of improving all of our businesses in a collaborative process.
If you are committed to evolving your business in 2010, coworking is for you. Our group represents the open share of ideas and the strengthening of the entrepreneurial community here in Philadelphia across all industries.
We had a great turnout at our last event, and have an even bigger crowd registered for our event on 1/7. Check out some of our coworkers from December in our quickie vlog post: http://www.watchuslaunch.com/ and check out the pic below:
We would love to have you join us for our next coworking day!
Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010 starting at 10am
Location: Chapterhouse Cafe- we will be downstairs
620 South 9th Street Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2028
Learn more about the event and be sure to RSVP on our site. Follow all of our participant tweets #EECoworking.
Announcing: Coworking and Networking Days in Philly!
- At a desk
- 2 monitors running
- Large coffee resting dangerously close to the keyboard
- USB hub filled to capacity
- Music playing
- IMing with partner as emailing 2 different clients
- 8 Internet tabs and 4 spreadsheets open
- Dog sleeping at your feet…which are still in slippers
Describe your working environment on Thursday, December 10th:
- At a big round table surrounded by great art, hardwood floors and rich burgundy walls
- Hot fresh chai, latte, or coffee in hand, made by someone else
- Engaging in great conversation with an entrepreneur about a new project idea
- Making new connections with local business owners
- Music playing overhead
- Still answering emails and IMing with partners
Interested?
Emily Morgan and Cheryl Amaya of Entrepreneur’s Entourage are!
Entrepreneur’s Entourage will be hosting our first off-site Coworking & Networking Day in Philadelphia! This month’s will be Thursday, December 10th at Double Shots Coffee, located at 211 Chestnut Street in Old City. We will be there starting at 10am, so drop by anytime, open up your laptop, start a conversation, grab some great coffee or a pastry and get some work done…or at least some good networking done! Maybe we can even convince our favorite Double Shots owner, Steve to make us some fresh gingerbread cookies like he did for us today!
Coworking may be a new concept to you, or coworking may be something you are big fan of and are currently supporting in Philadelphia through jelly sessions or established coworking office spaces. Whether you run a virtual or brick and mortar business, coworking not only provides you with an escape from your office for the day but it also facilitates connections and offers opportunities to think and communicate more creatively about your business, bounce ideas off of other entreps and could even lead to new business!
So, bust out of your lonely office for the morning or afternoon and experience a new type of collaborative work environment; Coworking in Center City Philadelphia!
Please RSVP to let us know you will be joining this fabulous group, and check for any updates on the Entrepreneur’s Entourage website as well! Be sure to leave your comments below with any suggestions or feedback you might have on the event.
All day we will be tweeting and blogging to bring you updates about this coworking and networking day. If you are going to share your comments or posts from the event please use #EECoworking.
Keep up with us:
