With growing numbers of self-employed professionals and remote workers all around the world, there has inevitably been a rise in the number of coworking spaces to give those workers a place to call “the office”. While there are many coworking options around, it is the spaces that focus less on the quirky furniture and cacti, and more on building the community, that thrive the most and make the best work environments. It’s clear that Haven Collective in Columbus, Ohio, founded by Melissa Blackburn and Danielle Lim, have community at the heart of their exciting space. They shared their story with Desk Life Project recently and made us wish we lived close enough to join this flourishing coworking community!

Hi Haven team! Tell us about your coworking space.

Haven Collective is a coworking space for professionals who work from home. We help create balance and connection by providing a comfortable workspace, engaged community of coworkers, and helpful amenities such as on-site childcare and a variety of personal and professional development classes.

What was your background before you began the business, and what motivated you to change direction?

I [Melissa] was running operations for a tech company and Danielle was working from home as a marketing manager for a solar company. We knew we could create something special if we combined my experience working with teams and building company culture and Danielle’s creative strategies for working from home and branding. We were ready to ditch the grind of the day-to-day and make something better…that we could do together.

What has been your proudest moment in business so far?

The members that have joined our community are top notch. We were recently out with two of them who were telling anyone who would listen how much they love Haven. It was a very proud moment to realize that we had created a great work environment, for people we believe in, and they wanted to share their experience! What could be better?

What’s the biggest lesson you have learned since starting your business?

That you can’t do it all at once. Our business is all we think about and we have such huge plans…patience is key though. We do as much as we can and learn as we go, which helps us to stay focused on user feedback and make smarter choices.

How do you stay organised? Any tips or tools?

Google calendars for everything, time blocking critical work, and QuickBooks with the right integrations to in-house tools like Nexudus.

Would you say you have a healthy work life balance? What do you do to maintain this?

Yes! Our brand is all about the balance, so we strive to embody those ideals as well. Whether it’s putting time on the calendar for 30 minutes of non-work “me time” or meal prepping all our food on the weekends, we try to find little ways to take care of ourselves so we can be our best, most present selves for our members. They deserve the best version of us…and so do we!

What do you have planned for your business and what are the next steps toward your goal?

We are looking forward to expanding our amenities to include more chef-prepared meals, increase usage of our onsite childcare, and weekly fitness classes. We are working with member feedback to make sure that all is designed to meet their needs. Once we get this critical component tailored and the best partnerships in place to execute, we look forward to expanding to our next location!

You can find more information on Haven Collective at havencolumbus.com.