When people ask what has been the catalyst for growth in my business there are a few pinnacle moments; one of which has been taking up my own private office at The Creative Fringe. The moment I decided to commit to investing in myself, everything shifted.
Let me take you on a journey..
Imagine this, a husband, a cat and a workstation all in the one room in a house with two other (very loud) family members. Not really the most ideal place to grow a business. No room for the creative juices to flow.
I started looking for spaces just for the fun of it, what would it look like to have my own space. A space that I can fill the way I want, use how I want and be comfortable being in every day. There are many office spaces out there, especially in the Penrith region. I found myself contacting real estate agents and being told the prices for really tiny spaces and thinking ‘well this idea isn’t within my grasp right now’.
After a few months of really contemplating what I actually wanted, I decided to take the search seriously and get out there and rent an office space – no matter what.
After a little while, it came down to two options. One was a 44sq space, blank canvas. It was a place where I knew I could get creative. The other space was at the Fringe and it was 9sq for just a little less (dollar wise). Before I had even stepped foot into the Fringe I was sitting with a dilemma.. What to do? Bigger space, smaller space? What did I need, what did I want?
I had basically decided to go with the bigger space initially because that’s what I was CRAVING, space.
However, after many long phone conversations with Barb (The best community manager ever) I decided to go into the Fringe, have a tour of the space and meet some of the people and then make my decision.
When I tell you that the moment I had that tour, I checked out the office space, I was hooked. It immediately felt like a home. I envisioned what I could achieve in that little space. Even though it was much smaller than the original space I was looking at, I saw potential. I saw growth. I saw my creativity flowing.
I signed the lease and paid my bond that day.
Two months in, I changed offices and went to a 12sq office and overhauled it to make it my own. I am now 8 months into my space, and I feel like I am part of the Fringe furniture. The feeling of being around people every day, but working on my own terms in my own business is honestly what I had imagined being a business owner was all about.
For me, the best part about my corporate career was the people. The mingling, the lunch time chats, the mid-morning catch up in passing to the kitchen or bathroom. I had lost that human element for 12 months after I left corporate. Being at the Fringe brought that liveliness back into my business.
One of the best things I have invested in with my business was signing a lease for my own office space. The ideas that have spawned in that space, the achievements and accomplishments, and the friendships made have honestly been irreplaceable.
Are you sitting on the fence when deciding about an office space at the Fringe? This is me giving you a not so gentle push off that fence. You’re not going to regret it. It’s the best investment you’ll make in 2022.
Loren Bousfield – Gemini Creative Studio @The Creative Fringe
Loren Bousfield
Gemini Creative Office at the Fringe
