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Short Summary
My name is Mark Laymon and Caffeine Spaces is a network of coworking spaces I am launching for the local tech community. I would like you to be a part of this project from the very start!
For the past three years I have hosted tech related events. Each event is focused on a different type of niche. Our monthly attendance varies from 30 to 125 attendees. One of the main requests I receive from the members is for a full time location for them to call home for their mobilized businesses. I am submitting this crowdfunding campaign to accomplish two goals. One is to offer a highly reduced membership plan for the members prelaunch of our opening day. Two is to cover some of the basic costs for desks, chairs, and tables.
We have a lot of renovation to complete before we open. Carpets need upkeep, walls need to be adjusted, and with new walls we need new paint! To cover the minimum requirements is our priority at this time. This allows us to have a clean and friendly location for everyone to enjoy.
I want to send a special Thank You to the Enterprise Development Corporation and the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University! With the help of the EDC and Research Park we are now able to make this location possible for us to launch our first location in South Florida!
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Why Coworking?
Is the coffee shop you are working at discouraging you from squatting all day at one of their many tables? You bought at least one of their overpriced drinks didn't you? Having an affordable and welcoming coworking space is my solution.
The local coffee shop I have worked at for the past year has gone so far as to cover their power outlets! What about renting an executive office space for your startup? Do you want to have a one year contract for a company that may only take 90 days to launch? What will you do with the office with the remaining nine months? Is your lease transferable? Maybe you should stay at home? You don't mind having clients see your laundry do you? These are just a few things you need to contemplate before you decide to join a coworking space.
What is Coworking?
Basically, coworking or shared office spaces are arrangements that a business owner makes with a building owner to share the office space and resources. See http://coworking.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking
What we are creating is as close to a professional business clubhouse as possible. All the amenities of a large office are included, but none of the overhead.
Caffeine Spaces is developing a community driven office space to help like minded individuals that want to work in a group environment, achieve economies of scale without being a big company and enjoy being open and part of the community that value collaboration, openness, community, accessibility and sustainability. But this is just the beginning of what Caffeine Spaces is offering.
Becoming a coworking member is much more than renting a desk, it is joining a community of like minded individuals that want to work in a group environment, but still have the flexibility of working for yourself.
Caffeine Spaces is the first step many will take out from their home based business office. We cover this niche with multiple ways for the worker to become comfortable going out on their own, yet still have a community to fall back on when necessary. It takes very little out of pocket expense to become a coworker.
"Caffeine Spaces is created by Mark Laymon (that's me) to introduce coworking into the South Florida communities. As a work from home father, I ran across the day to day inefficiencies of not being in an office environment. Just the ability to collaborate my thoughts on a whiteboard to my peers would be enough to acquire an executive office space. Not to mention the ravaging effects of cabin fever from spending countless hours every day in one room was mind numbing. But the thought of a true executive office space was way more overkill than necessary for my work."
While attending several tech related social events in Miami I came across the Coworking movement. I could see there was something worthwhile for myself and my local peers to gather at a communal location, but still have individuality to work for ourselves.
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What are the funds we raise on IndieGoGo used for?
Desks, tables, chairs, printers, servers, high speed internet / wifi / router, projectors / screens, cleaning supplies, and all of the basic equipment that a coworking office needs to run efficiently. It is not going to financing the corporate structure, only decor and physical hardware.
What are the benefits to the community?
We a suffering a brain drain of tech startups and entrepreneurs in South Florida. By creating a network of coworking spaces I hope to have an impact in keeping more of the talent locally. Your support is key to this project. Without the local support and participation more of our local talent will be forced to migrate to other competing locations to ply their trades. Caffeine Spaces will create a minimum of 15 jobs at the Boca Raton location with many more in the future spaces. This creates an added value to each region we develop at.
Where are the Caffeine Spaces located?
Boca Raton will be the home for our first location. The space is 11,000 square feet. Our proposed seating arrangement is it have a mix of hot desks, fixed desks, and executive offices to be used on a day to day basis. Don't forget the phone booths to make those "private calls" private. We also will include a kitchen and several full sized conference rooms along with a pod-casting/green room. We are located in the Research Park of Florida Atlantic University.
3701 FAU BOULEVARD, SUITE 210
BOCA RATON, FL 33431
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The Rewards in Detail
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Pledge $5 or more
$5 is the minimum pledge amount that we are offering and it includes a day at Caffeine Spaces to meet other coworking enthusiasts and get the feel of our location. It is not a bad deal when you look at it. A normal day at a coworking space starts at about $25 and we are including a public Tweet from @CaffeineSpaces and recognition on our Facebook page to thank you for your support.
Pledge $10 or more
For only a $10 pledge we are opening our doors to you for three days! You still get the public Tweet from @CaffeineSpaces and recognition on our Facebook page to thank you for your support, a sticker for your laptop and a three day pass. Don't forget to share this page with a friend.
Pledge $20 or more
A $20 bill will get you a coffee mug and five full days to really get the feel of our venue and maybe you can catch a weekend or nightly event while you are visiting. You still have a sticker, a public Tweet from @CaffeineSpaces and recognition on our Facebook page to thank you for your support coming your way too!
Pledge $50 or more
Do you like T-shirts? For a $50 pledge you not only get a full week at Caffeine Spaces, but a sticker, a coffee mug, and an awesome T-shirt as well.
Pledge $150 or more
T-Shirt Sponsor - Our startup sponsor opportunity for you to be seen on both the t-shirts and a text link on our t-shirt sponsor page. We are printing t-shirts to be giving away at local events across South Florida and to each of our full time Caffeine members. For $150 your logo will be displayed on the back of our Caffeine Spaces t-shirts with a limit of 50 sponsors.
Pledge $800 or more
*** Startup Special $800 = 90 day passes! You do the math! ***
Are you a startup? Have more than two people on your team? I have special for you. 90 day passes for your company to share between yourselves.
Pledge $3,000 or more
24/7 Lifetime Membership - Become a power coworker! Have access to our coworking spaces 24 hours a day any day you want to work. No you can't move in, but you can work straight through the night on those difficult projects that require your utmost attention. We will also toss in a sticker, a coffee mug, and an awesome T-shirt. Limited to 50 lifetime memberships.
Pledge $5,000 or more
24/7 Lifetime Membership for TWO!!! Plus you get two stickers, two coffee mugs, and two awesome T-shirts to show your support of Caffeine Spaces. I think you also deserve 100 day passes to give to your friends to join you while you work! Limited to the first 20 pledges at this level.
Why are we asking for only $18,500 in pledges when it costs more to launch?
This is the bare minimum to purchase the hardware and décor needed to open our network of locations. But this is just a start in our fund raising goals. Each time we reach a goal in pledges the lower our overall costs will be to complete the launch. It also gives our future members a way to prove their support in our community. The ultimate goal for us to reach is $100,000. Reaching the ultimate goal will lower fundraising time from our schedule and we will incorporate that time into future growth, plus it reduces the overall fees required from our members. The more funds we raise from this CrowdFunding campaign the lower we can set our membership rates.
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*NOTE: Funds raised via CrowdFunding will NOT be used to finance the operations. They will be used to supply and furnish a dedicated coworking space that the members of the tech community can utilize.
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Thank you to Turnstone for making a great informational video. http://www.youtube.com/user/turnstonefurniture
Thank you to the New Tech Community members for helping to promote our project.
If you donate, be sure to sign up for our newsletter on our website. Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates and our progress.
What about Coworking Florida?
I have renamed the project Caffeine Spaces and it is now under the Caffeine umbrella. The name Coworking Florida limited us from future growth in other geographic locations.
Team on This Campaign:
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Mark Laymon
Founder
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