COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — A Columbus entrepreneur-focused workspace is meeting the growing needs of local business owners with its new space, designed to enhance the entrepreneurial experience.
StartUP Columbus has expanded its facility, adding four additional private offices to their CoLab workspace at the request of local entrepreneurs. The work area provides tenants with access to private offices, coworking space, conference rooms, and structured business support.
“When we built the space, we had a fewer amount of private offices and more co-working spaces, but what we’ve found and what we’ve talked to the entrepreneurs about is that they want the private offices,” said StartUP Columbus Executive Director Ben MacMinn. “They need a space that they can meet with their team, meet with their clients, meet with their accountants or their attorneys in private and not in a co-working space.”
After receiving a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation at the end of last year, StartUp Columbus took nearly two months to renovate the space.
The new private offices feature glass doors with a personalized keypad lock and access to natural lighting, which is different from the existing offices.
Before the expansion, the space was called the Incubator, serving as a safe, collaborative workspace for growth with fewer private offices.
Although the new space comes with a new name, StartUp members say that CoLab still serves the same purpose.
“I think that that kind of support and structure can be really helpful for businesses who are just starting out who need that incubation, and they need that private space,” said StartUp Columbus Program Manager Riz Newman. “Or a business who’s been in the game for a long time, and they need a private space, but they’re looking to have just a little bit more community too because they’ve been doing it for a long time. And entrepreneurship can get kind of lonely. But I think either way, it’s adding a communal aspect to that ecosystem that we’re trying to cultivate here.”
One entrepreneur, co-owner of Prestige Shrimp, used StartUp’s services to launch his business, and explains how the private offices impacted his experience.
“I used to work from home, and it is completely different from the space in general, because when you’re at home, you’re alone the entire time,” said Co-Owner of Prestige Shrimp Victor Nguyen. “But when you’re here, you have other people that have experiences that you want to be around, and just being around that type of energy gives you the boost you need to keep moving forward.”
MacMinn looks forward to the growth of small businesses expected to come from the expansion.
“We are excited for the new entrepreneurs that are going to get to use the space, to see the growth of the new businesses that will get started, the new jobs that are going to be created,” MacMinn said.
Start Up Columbus is the only workspace in the area that offers private office space for entrepreneurs looking to build their businesses.
The new CoLab space is currently available for leasing. Entrepreneurs interested in applying for a private office can visit StartUp’s website.
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