2019 was the Year Of Action. The goal was to try and rebound from an injury that had impacted my 2018 business goals after falling in D.C. the night before presenting to the House Small Business Committee. I couldn’t have imagined the impact one accident would have on me personally and professionally.
Hard decisions had to be made, I closed my cafe business, and scaled back my design business. I had to manage not only chronic pain and prolonged treatment due to a misdiagnosis but I had to figure out how I would continue to run and grow our coworking community in this restricted physical state. Lucky for me, my community rallied and I was able to come into 2019 with a fresh perspective. Personally, I had to learn how to walk again and manage pain while also considering my mental health.
Professionally, I had to pivot. I knew I needed to make some changes, as well as invest in my community and heal. So 2019 was coined the year of action and boy, was it.
Early in the year I made plans to reinvest in our space and infrastructure and in 2019 we:
- Sold Rock Candy which allowed us to reinvest in our main coworking facilities.
- Added The Studio’s which consists of private offices, more conference rooms, a media room for podcasting and video, an art gallery, and outdoor space to work or relax.
- Added more parking, still free for guests, but now members could pay to park in our lot for a small fee.
- Opened Jelly Bellies, a supervised childcare center for our members who need two-hour blocks of childcare so they could take a call, have a meeting, or just take a deep breath.
- Increased member events and networking opportunities and hosted a killer nine-year anniversary party for the Lancaster community.
- Started mapping out a new internal member process that we’ll be fully rolling out in 2020. Step one was a new check-in and member management system as well as an easy to use conference room booking system.
Pictured above is Jelly Bellies our new childcare facility for members.
We also expanded our offerings for members and throughout 2019:
- The Candy Factory and its members hosted 100’s of events, many of them free and open to the public. We also continued our support of our local community by offering free space to local meetups.
- Almost 5,000 individuals have visited The Candy Factory to work, have a meeting, or come to an event so far this year.
- We started a new Candy Factory podcast network called the DO. Media Network and launched two of our first podcasts: DO.ERS and 5 BY 5. We’re planning on expanding in 2020.
- We launched internal member clubs, from podcasting to marketing to fitness, these interest focused groups have allowed us to connect in new ways.
- We began hosting Chill Nights in our Sixth Floor social club space offering a free space for our members and guests to have a drink, mingle, and get to know one another while taking in the beautiful view of downtown Lancaster from the top floor of our tower.
- Kickass Female Entrepreneurs hosted our 1st Free Annual Women’s Retreat, hosted our 1st Annual Come To The Table Dinner, as well as launched our small group support sessions.
- We hosted our first art gallery show in The Studio’s called Gray and Fabulous. An empowerment project.
- We hosted the 1st PA Coworking Alliance Meeting in June with plans to expand this alliance and its offerings in 2020.
- We launched a new member lunch every Wednesday where I take three members to lunch, my treat! These lunches give members an opportunity to connect with each other and I get to learn more about our members, their passions, and how The Candy Factory can help them thrive.
- In October I announced my pivot to head community manager of The Candy Factory, and I can’t say how excited I am to dive right in and be a resource to members.
As a social and community impact coworking space, we are committed to being accessible and good stewards of our community, and we’re currently exploring new programs and wellness initiatives, all while improving our members’ experience.
After a busy 2019, we’re ready to get into a new rhythm and provide additional resources to our community that enriches it, grows it and supports it.
I welcome you to 2020 – The Year Of Rhythm and I welcome you to The Candy Factory, A community that comes together to gather, imagine, create, thrive and cowork. We’re here for you and I’d love to show you around and introduce you to our community.
Schedule a tour and coffee with me. Let’s connect!
Schedule Coffee & Chat with me Here
Schedule a Tour with me Here
CONNECT
Meet other DO.ERS in a creative and collaborative environment
WORK
Access resources to work more efficiently and maximize your productivity
LEARN
Tap our community of experts and guests to get inspired and build skills