How Workfrom began as a simple list in Evernote.
a startup built for the mobile worker
A portion of this story was originally posted on Workfrom.co
It’s been said time and time again that big things often come from the smallest of beginnings. For me, this saying has never resonated more than when describing how Workfrom got its humble start.
We help people find great spaces to work remotely, take meetings, study, build products and stay productive outside of home or a traditional office. We’re a community of high-mobility, low commitment people who embrace the work from anywhere culture.
As a long time software developer and founder of Workfrom, I’ve spent a great deal of time working from cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, bars and other nontraditional workspaces. Maybe you’ve seen me, MacBook in tow, drink by my side and WiFi streaming through my veins. I’ve certainly had my fair share of 9–5 office time, but I do my best work amongst the public, basking in the ambient sounds and the social buzz that comes with people coming — people going. In fact, I’m writing this from one of our weekly coworking meetups happening at a 24 hour coffee shop in Portland, OR.
Advances in technology have made it easier than ever to work from anywhere, anytime. Remote work is clearly on the rise. Companies across the globe are embracing the many benefits of happier, more productive employees and enjoying the cost savings found when creating a company culture supporting distributed work.
I’ve got a list and I bet you do too.
Workfrom began as a simple list in Evernote, containing around twenty good places to work in various cities. This list was my way of documenting the good work spots I’d discovered over the years. Finding a good place to get work done wasn’t easy, especially in an unfamiliar city.
Yelp and Google reviews don’t cut it. Bouncing around from place to place yields, at best, hit or miss results. A quick and easy way to find places with the things I need — access to power outlets, good food, reliable and fast WiFi — didn’t exist.
The ‘Aha!’ moment.
One afternoon while working from a favorite work spot, it suddenly dawned on me — I bet the other people I see each day, working the way I do, could really benefit from my list. In fact, I bet some of them have lists I’d like to explore!
I spent approximately the next three months talking to hundreds of people working from coffee shops and cafes in various cities. I also talked to owners and management of the shops I visited. The responses I received were overwhelmingly positive. Workfrom was something we all wanted and needed.
Fast forward to today and our community has curated recommended spaces across 34 countries and 100+ cities. We have 10 featured cities and many more on the horizon.
So what’s next?
We’ll continue to grow this community with you.
We’ll forge new partnerships so our members have access to exclusive offers on useful products and services, including discounts when visiting places to work. We’ll be championing work-friendly businesses and showcasing the people behind them. We’ll organize events and meetups, helping our nomadic community connect in meaningful ways and we’ll continue to hunt down the best work spots from city to city — sharing the journey along the way.
Most importantly, we’ll continue to help you find great places to set up shop and get some work done wherever YOU roam!
P.S. If you’ve got killer places you like to work from, join the community add them. All the “work from anywhere” folks like me thank you in advance! And if you’re a company with a culture supporting the work from anywhere movement, we’d love to connect with you and share your story with our community.
