Co-working in San Antonio with C4 Workspace

A group of professionals have been co-working at coffee bars and libraries in San Antonio for about 18 months and they have now created C4 Workspace. It started by working at home and needing conversation, collaboration, and support. Todd O'Neill started posting co-working meet-ups at coffee shops on Twitter and Facebook.

I met with Todd O'Neill, Debbie Curtis, Andrew Guajardo, and Perla Escobar about their new endeavor, C4 Workspace, located at 108 King William in South Town. I asked them a couple of questions about their new venture and was struck by a couple of things they were doing this to bring small business owners together to create a space to grow and support each other because they know how lonely working at home and alone can be.

What does C4 stand for? Collaboration, Cooperation, Community, and Co-working.

What is co-working and why?

Todd: Well I worked at USAA and General Electric for years and felt working at home was isolating. I felt that I needed to be with people but not in an office. Co-working is a medium between owner/solo worker and employee/huge firm. Co-working is also not an incubator incubator we strive for social sharing and collaboration; this isnt just a pipeline to the next level this is about sharing space with professionals, businesses, and the community.

Andrew: My brother owns Guajardo and Associates and we work together but when we shared ideas with family and friends they would look at us with a blank stare. I needed to look for persons and a space to share ideas. I looked up co-working on twitter and found Todds gatherings. I started attending and immediately saw the benefit of sharing ideas and thoughts with other small business owners and professionals.

While we have large clients, we are small and we like that. We have minimal overhead, we meet at our clients offices, and our lives are flexible. We just needed to connect with likeminded people.

So I would think in San Antonio there are many small businesses who prefer to just work out of their homes. I mean you can stay in your pajamas and drink coffee. What made you decide to participate in this Perla?

As a small business owner at times you feel isolated. I own a translation company and I have worked with Todd. I see the importance of networking with people and business owners to broaden my own horizons. C4 supports intentional interruptions and you know what you are paying for.

Todd: Some folks are happy at home, we weren't and we think that there are others like us. We believe that by creating this space people have options to grow smart, meet new people, share resources, and help one another.

So what are you paying for here at C4?

Perla: If you want to rent a desk you pay a set price for a month, once every other day, you can become a permanent member or temporary member. C4 has approximately desks and semi private offices, and a conference room. I come in and need three desks for five weeks to finish a contract so I can rent three desks and staff meets there and works there together instead of my home or Starbucks. As soon as that is over, I can go back to one desk at part time. The great thing about C4 is that it is flexible and you can adapt your demand/needs with space, unlike if I were to rent retail property it would be at a fixed cost and I couldnt just break my lease it would kill my credit.

Debbie: I really think the selling points for our space are 1. You aren't tied to a lease; there is flexibility for space and time spent at C4. 2. You have all the amenities of a business office but dont have the overhead and you have more amenities than sitting at a coffee shop with very little space. 3. You have access to a conference room, a 24/7 key if you are a partner, and a great location in South Town. 4. By being a part of C4 we co-promote and support each others projects.