Ok this is something I have been thinking about for a while now and I’ve just decided to go with it. I’ve got an overactive imagination and my mind just won’t leave me alone sometimes. There are times when I can’t even get to bed in the early hours and just have to jot down some ideas before I can get some rest from the continuous mental processes happening up in here.
I have ideas on a daily basis, ones which I think are great and just have to be acted upon, but a host of reasons prevent me from acting, mostly procrastination and lack of motivation or just feeling bogged down by earning an immediate living. I’ve decided to document these ideas and share them, to see how others react, see what kind of feedback I can get and maybe if I can find some interested parties to collaborate or invest in them or just as a bouncing board.
IDEA # 1: Mobile Office for knowledge/web 2.0 workers
With so many of us taking the plunge into self employment or just being on the go and out of the office it has become increasingly difficult to find the right places to meet with our clients or peers, to sit down somewhere and get some work done away from our couches & beds at home and to just have a place of refuge when the creative juices are being dried up by our dry surroundings.
Onto the scene walks the office away from the “home” office (This is my idea). Imagine a few centralised spaces where you can go, pay a small fee for an hour or 2 or 3, have some coffee, plug in and do what you do best. It’s designed to suite the modern knowledge worker, it allows for booking spaces in advance, you can take your clients there. There’s an open plan area for collaboration, brainstorming, networking & the like, as well as some private or more quiet spaces for concentration or to cut yourself off from the world.
They offer office services like faxing & printing, places to plug in your iPod and watch the latest TED talks or listen to your favourite podcasts. They sell the latest gadgets which keep us drooling on a daily basis. They have a few techno savvy guys & gals to help with any glitches & bugs. Maybe they even have a few in house businesses running, which offer supporting services to the knowledge worker community like people who know how to set up blogs, wiki’s etc.
You can go and have a video conference, shoot or record something for your latest podcast. It’s a web 2.0 worker paradise. Think it’ll work? Anyone got anything to add?Anyone got some moolah to throw at an idea like this or know some open minded investors? Jump in and throw your 2 cents or 20 million at this idea. Lets see what we come up with. If anyone’s got connections at any of the big malls or centers maybe get them interested in the idea. I’m sure they wouldn’t sneer at getting peeps like us interested in spending more time in & around their malls.
Does anyone know of something like this which really exists? If so and it’s based in Cape Town I’ll by you a coffee & a Muffin if you point me to it in the next month. 🙂
Nur, maybe your should pitch this idea to CITI and the Bandwidth Barn. This might be an idea to fit into their long term strategy.
For me personally, I’m always mobile and online. My laptop goes where I go, and can connect virtually anywhere thanks to Vodacom. Airports, coffee shops, restaurants, even mosques – if I need to work it’s only a matter of minutes before I’m online.
One problem I did have is being without my Skype and MSN messaging when I’m away from my laptop for long periods. I tried MXit on my mobile, but it didn’t work too well with MSN – very problematic in face. Now I’m using Fring (www.fring.com) and it’s brilliant! When I’m offline for a long period I log onto Fring via my mobile, and then have access to all my Skype and MSN contacts. It’s really worked out very nicely these past few weeks.
This is just what I do when I’m on the move. The rest of the time I’m in the office (like now)! 🙂 Your idea is obviously much more inclusive and I look forward to seeing if you can make something of it! 🙂
Good idea Jamaal, who would be the best person to speak to at CITI, I know you have some contacts.
The business Ideas I usually think of are ones which I myself would pay for if they existed so I kinda start with myself as the target audience. I reckon if I won’t pay for it why should someone else.
In terms of this particular one as a designer it’s difficult working just anywhere, my working environment plays a major role in how I think and being comfortable and able to relax and think properly is very important. Because I can’t afford a space like this on a monthly basis, and there are always entrepreneurs who feel the same especially knowledge workers I think the idea has something workable in it.
People like us like to be around like-minded peeps as well so the coming together and networking & collaboration opportunities in this idea are also good.