OfficeXpats            

Bainbridge Island at work... together!                                                            November 28, 2012

 Greetings!

  
With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday behind us, and the Fiscal Cliff ahead, 'tis the season for spending now, to be paid for later. By the way, that cliff--also known as the "Thelma and Louise" option--might not be so bad. I went to hear economist Lewis Mandell (former Dean of the School of Management at SUNY Buffalo) talk to a standing-room-only audience last night, and while no one knows the long term consumer behavior that would come from all of us paying an additional 3% in taxes, one credible scenario is that we get a short 6-month recession followed by a stronger recovery. And the deficit goes down. Anyway, I'm not going to waste energy worrying about it anymore. 

Looking back, looking forward... financially and strategically

 

Karla Smith helps us see the story of our business in our financial picture
Tuesdays@noon in December: I love this season as a chance to evaluate and plan, by looking back at my year of mixed results and looking forward to the next one, ripe with possibility. So while congress debates how to solve intractable financial challenges, we can take a constructive look at our own personal and financial realities. We only have three weeks to cover a lot of ground, but we have four incredible professionals to guide us through. 

 

  • Dec. 4: Ways to make tax time easier, with Martha Monkman of The Number Factory.    
  • Dec 11: Preparing for a New Year with Intention and Focus, with Karen Casey.
  • Dec 18: Understanding the financial story of your business through the balance sheet, P&L and budget, with Karla Smith, CPA and Kelly Deis, MBA

There's much more to know about these classes (and to register) here.

Links

 




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Contact us

 

Main line: 206.780.2177

 

Jason: 206.856.3629

jason@officexpats.com

 

Leslie: 206.355.9636

leslie@officexpats.com

Ignite Bainbridge 2 planning this Friday

 

Ignite Bainbridge

The November all-hands meeting is this Friday at 12:30 at OfficeXpats, and we would love to have you at this one even if you can't make it to all the monthly meetings. Please feel free to bring your lunch, or an addition to a potluck salad (greens provided). At this meeting we will:  

  • Show off the new plan that will make this event sustainable without overloading any one volunteer!
  • Fill in other roles and create an overall schedule that will guide us in the next 6 months (workshops to help prepare the speakers, social media strategy, promotion calendar, outreach to partners, etc.)
  • Create a simple, fair process for mentoring and approving speakers. We want to immediately start promoting our current line-up of potential speakers.

 

Here's the Facebook event for.more info or to RSVP
Think Week is coming Dec 26-28

  

Last year we invented Think Week as a free coworking and community event between Christmas and New Year's. We filled the week with brainstorming and strategic planning events. Ignite Bainbridge was born from one of those brainstorms.

 

This year Think Week is only three days: December 26-28. A few ideas for events (some are tentative; more details to come):

  • A workshop on discovering your mission/vision 
  • A brainstorm to create our Kickstarter campaign
  • A mosaic tile project
  • A celebration of Ignite Bainbridge's 1-year anniversary, with viewings of a few of the recorded presentations and interviews

So get started on your goals for Think Week, and pass the word. It's a great chance to experience for free the productivity and community of coworking.

Coach Izzy crossed off his entire list during Think Week 2011

 

Events @OfficeXpats 

  • Tuesdays@noon in December: Looking back, looking forward financially and strategically (register)
  • Friday Nov 30, 12:30pm-2pm: Ignite Bainbridge planning 
  • Saturday Dec 1, 9am-5pm: TEDx Elliot Bay Women (tickets)
  • Thursday Dec 6, 5pm-6pm: OfficeXpats Open House
  • Thursday Dec 6, 6pm-7:30: BBC2 (Bainbridge Business Connections) networking and business storytelling
  • Friday Dec 7, 6pm-??: Xpats members holiday party

Weekly Recurring Events:

  • Mondays 9:30-10am: Coworker check-in
  • Tuesdays 9am-12pm: PC tech support for members
  • Tuesdays 11am-12: Social media mentoring with Annette
  • Tuesdays 12-1pm: Business skills workshop (see topic above)
  • Wednesdays 9-10am: Creating Health (weight loss support)
  • Thursdays 4:30pm: Coworker Happy Hour
  • Fridays 7:30-9am: Bainbridge Business Connection (BBC)
  • Fridays 10-11:30am: Tech Talk gathering  

See our Events Calendar to save events to your calendar. Events are located at OfficeXpats and drop-ins are welcome unless otherwise noted.

 

Who We Are

OfficeXpats on Bainbridge Island is a community workplace also known as coworking. Our vision is to become THE place on Bainbridge Island where independent workers, small businesses, and big ideas find community and support.

 

OfficeXpats is located upstairs in the Pavilion on Madison, just a 10-minute walk from the ferry terminal, through beautiful downtown Winslow. We hope to help you in your quest for 'new ways to work.'

The Pavilion
The Pavilion

 

P.S. Please help us get the word out that coworking and meeting space is available in the Pavilion.  to other independent workers and small businesses!

 

Sincerely,

 

Leslie and Jason,

 

The OfficeXpats Team