According to Grind’s website, grind is “a 22nd century platform that helps talent collaborate in a new way: outside the system. It’s a members-only workspace and community dedicated to taking all of the frustrations of working the old way and pulverizing them to a dust so fine it actually oils the wheels of the machine.” The first Grind location opened at 419 Park Avenue South and is available to those who are approved via the application on their website. Once approved, the location is $35 a day or $500 a month.
I love disruption of industries, especially when the disruption causes a more open, ethical, responsible, collaborative, and efficient result. I think what Grind is doing is great and I’d love to hear from those who have worked there. I am intrigued by this model and would be interested to see if it is a trend that continues. Until today I hadn’t heard about Grind but I had heard about what Phillip Rosedale, the creator of Second Life was doing with his model called Coffee & Power in San Francisco. Kevin Rose does a great series called Foundation and below is his interview with Rosedale which covers Rosedale’s career and future vision of Coffee & Power.
I can think of a few hybrid models of what Grind and Coffee & Power are creating, but each admittedly have their advantages and disadvantages.
- Model #1: A way for businesses or individuals to lease unused real estate to those who need a space to create and collaborate. This is already happening today and if you Google “unused office space” you can see this model already “has legs”.
- Model #2: An online solution for people to collaborate real time on their projects. A way for people to recruit others to help with their cause and benefit from the result of the effort. We have GoToMyPC, Skype, and other real time collaborative solutions, but one might argue that the efficiencies of collaborating in the same physical space can’t be replicated or matched with such tools.
- Model #3: A family friendly version of what Grind & Coffee & Power is doing. Think Grind meets Gymboree where moms and dads don’t just work and grow their careers, but their kids grow alongside them. Families can take their kids to work with them and be as much of a parent, or as close to their kids as they choose. Many parents already have daycare costs. I would love to have my son close by so I could eat lunch with him, take him outside with me as I went on break (if I took breaks…which I would if I could be with him for a few minutes), and just be with him as much as possible. I think many professionals fear that having a family will impact their career options. Most families these days work, and I’m a big proponent of moms and dads both working if they choose to, but at the same time I think we can find a family friendly model to careers and family in modern day society. I think moms and dads should be given a better alternative to working where work/life balance isn’t where you can work less hours at the office so you could have a better balance at home, but the home and the office are as seamless as possible. At many companies and start-ups today there is a stark contrast between work and family. Can you tell which of the models I’m most passionate about?
- Model #4: A combination of 1, 2, and/or 3.
- Model #5: ?