Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Kane.
Hi Jessica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I had been dreaming of a coworking space in Gaylord for a long time, ever since I started the Northern Michigan Remote Worker MeetUp (https://www.meetup.com/nmiremote/) in 2018 (I’ve been working remotely myself since 2016). With the help of a number of folks, we finally made a Gaylord coworking space a reality at the beginning of 2022.
The Fourge Coworking Space is co located with the Gaylord Arts Gallery and Yoga 45 studio. It is a space for folks who work from home to work in a communal area. Some folks come to Fourge for high-speed internet. Others want to meet people. Others just want to get out of the house and create a routine of ‘going to work.’
We serve entrepreneurs, small business owners, contractors, freelancers, and remote workers living in and around the greater Gaylord, Michigan area. Visitors to the area and part-time residents are welcome, too! We pride ourselves on being an inclusive community.
Our main goal is to create a community of people who support each other and make connections for each other.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Gaylord is a small community. After numerous surveys and conversations, we determined that Gaylord is not large enough to support a coworking space trying to make it on its own. That is why we are fortunate to be able to partner with the Gaylord Arts Gallery and share that space along with Yoga 45. All three organizations have missions to enrich people’s lives through creativity and community, so it is a great partnership. It also lends a unique energy to our space with different people using the space and opportunities to meet people they might not meet otherwise.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Fourge Coworking Space?
In addition to the physical coworking space, we offer networking events, professional development opportunities, casual social connection points, and other resources for individuals who don’t work in a traditional office setting. Many individuals in our remote worker community miss aspects of working alongside other professionals in a physical environment—both the specific and the intangible positive impacts that come with that experience. We understand working from home can be isolating. The Fourge community provides opportunities to meet new people and expand professional networks.
The word forge is an action word meaning ‘to create or make from a concentrated effort. Allowing everyone involved to feel a shared sense of community and ownership of the group is an essential part of the space. We chose the unique spelling of the verb forge to put an emphasis on the fact that this is OUR community. Our members make and drive it. We recognize that an organization is more than a gathering place. It is a group of individuals who support and encourage one another to reach their fullest potential. We are all about forging connections!
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Fourge Coworking Space is a side business for me. My full-time job is a software development business that I co-founded called Line 45 (www.line-45.com). There is a lot of risk consideration and management when starting a business. Because most of my focus is on Line 45, I chose to mitigate risk for the Fourge Coworking Space by co-locating with the Gaylord Arts Gallery. This strategy ended up creating a more unique space. I have found that when faced with risk, creative problem-solving can result in a product that is actually better than if you had no risks or challenges you had to work around
Pricing:
- Full-time member (24/7 access): $99/mo
- Part-time member (2 days/wk): $54/mo
- Day pass: $15
- Week pass: $60
- 10-Day Pass Punch Card: $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fourge.net/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourgeGaylord/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fourge-gaylord/
- Other: https://www.meetup.com/nmiremote/
Image Credits
Jessica Kane
