Working Alone.

Hi Charlotte, Paige here –Tabbris’s community manager and content strategist. Quarantine is hitting me pretty hard – I love being around people, I love going to events, and I love having a formal office. If you’re like me, being isolated has put a real dent in productivity. 

Part of the appeal of coworking, obviously, is being around other people doing similar things. For founders, it’s getting out of their house and having the opportunity to go somewhere and collaborate with others and make connections. It’s hard to do that on Zoom. 

In the startup space, we’re no stranger to working in weird places. Perhaps we’re better equipped than others to work from home. But that doesn’t mean it’s not lonely. Charlotte Agenda asked in an article they published on Sunday, “Could loneliness be our next public health crisis?”

It’s scary to think about. Being social is a big part of Charlotte life. For entrepreneurs, half of the job is attending networking events. But in general, Charlotte has so much to do – bars, restaurants, hiking, music – we never thought we’d have to go without it for so long. Previous fears and anxieties are amplified when we have nothing to distract us from them. 

To keep things less lonely, here’s a list of ways to stay connected to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, along with some other resources, gathered from publications and ecosystem leaders. All links are in bold.

• Charlotte Inno has a list of resources for local startup founders.
• Charlotte Inno also has compiled a list of public virtual events
• Angel Rutledge, SignUpGenius founder and local angel investor, has several resources listed on her website
• TechStars has a massive list of resources
• A CARES Act explainer for small businesses
• And another one by Vox, who has remained a rock for news coverage through all this.
• Finally, we want to know how you’re doing. I made a survey for founders to help Tabbris figure out ways to go forward. Take it here. 

Sans WFH

If you’re looking for ways to keep busy that don’t have to do with work, here are some new shows, playlists or hobbies I’ve found comforting. 

• Macrame plant hangers are really easy to make, and they make spaces look so much cooler. Make them for you and your friends or family – here’s how. Oh, and you can get macrame rope for pretty cheap on Amazon. 
• I haven’t really been in the mood for dramatic or high-commitment shows (i.e. Breaking Bad, which is one of my favorite shows of all time, but not what I even remotely want to watch right now) because the world is kind-of high drama right now. If you’re feeling like me and want to skip the suspense, watch Broad City (on Hulu) if you haven’t already. Six seasons. All insanely hilarious, and gave me a little solidarity with how much of a mess everything is right now. Because Abbi and Ilana are an absolute mess. 
• I’ve binge-watched Catfish (LOL) on Hulu, and Explained on Netflix. Both exciting and enriching in entirely different ways. 
• Music is my thing, and I update this Spotify playlist (usually) every Monday with cool new music I’m obsessed with, if you’re looking for fresh vibes. I also made a Tabbris WFH playlist of some of my favorites.  
• The 2.0 Collective has a playlist for getting to work and after work. Who needs a club? Dance in your living room.
• I don’t like the whole live-broadcast fitness classes – I’m more interested in doing them on my own time, so I use FitOn. There’s an online version and a phone-app version. They have a TON of classes with varying intensity you can do whenever you want. I usually do the HIIT classes, and sub a gallon jug of water for weights – which actually works really well.

Little bits of inspiration

Everyone is saying a thousand-and-one “inspirational” things right now. Some come off as tone-deaf, and some are just the same thing repeated in different ways. Here are some of the sources or positivity, or just REAL s**t, that we need to hear.

• We Are Not Really Strangers on Instagram.
• Charlotte is Creative on Instagram for local inspo.
• The Cut, in all forms
• Button Poetry, on Instagram and on Youtube
• I know it might be easy to look at influencers and their lives and use them as examples, but at this point, I feel like there’s nothing more toxic than comparing our lives’ to other peoples. Keep that in mind. 

I know a lot of this has nothing to do with coworking or entrepreneurship, but right now, sometimes we just need to check out for a little bit. There’s a lot going on, and we have no control over it. Sometimes it’s just better to let go of it and take care of ourselves. 

I’ll update this with new content occasionally. In the meantime, stay healthy and stay positive, my friends.

xoxo, Paige.