Non-traditional working sites have grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. For one Connecticut entrepreneur, the model is more than a fad.
WSHU’s Molly Ingram caught up with Connecticut Mirror State Policy Editor Erica Phillips about her series on Connecticut entrepreneurs, called “This Could Work,” which will soon feature the creator of one of the state’s only women-centered co-working spaces.
WSHU: This is your fourth and final installment of the pilot season of This Could Work. You've already had a few of these conversations. What have you heard from people about why Connecticut was the place to start a business?
EP: Yes, it's the fourth and final for now. And in terms of the folks who chose Connecticut, wow, there are just a bunch of reasons. But I think a lot of it comes down to these are people who just want to be here. And I know it kind of sounds generic, but there are a lot of good things about being here and a lot of things that it would be really hard to leave behind. And I think the folks I've talked to kind of center around that theme. Now, I will say one of the people I interviewed, Jason from Haven Hot Chicken, said it's not always easy to do business in Connecticut. There are a lot of rules, there are a lot of fees, and so, you know, it has its challenges. And that is certainly something you'll hear from businesses. But you know, family, connections, good quality of life, those are all kinds of recurring themes that we're hearing.
WSHU: On Wednesday, you're talking to Felicia Rubinstein. Her business is an interesting one to me, because remote work has gotten really popular since COVID. What's her story?
EP: Felicia has a great personal story. I encourage people to come and listen. But the business that she started is called Havyn. It's a co-working space that's centered on women who are starting their own businesses or need a place to run their business out of. A lot of solo operations, a lot of women who are kind of in their second act, like they had professional careers, maybe in New York City. And they, you know, have a lot of expertise, and have decided to put out their own shingle, and they're sent coming together in this space in Darien that is fascinating.
Felicia sets up all kinds of events, networking events, speakers, things like that. She's really connected with a whole bunch of other networks in Fairfield County and around the region. When I met her at an event at Havyn that I found out about, because there are always events at Havyn, and I went, and she introduced herself, she's like, let me show you around. She, like, showed me all the offices. She introduced me to people. She invited me to another event with the B Corps of Connecticut, which is a business that meets certain ethical standards. They can qualify for this certification as a B Corp. I went to that. It's like, you start talking to Felicia, and suddenly, like the world opens up to you, and you know, she's really used that in developing this co-working space that now has multiple locations, and it just brings a lot of people together. So the business is fascinating. And like I said, she has a really interesting personal story as well.
WSHU: And you mentioned that this is the end of the pilot season, but we could be coming back for more. Do we just have to stay tuned to hear who you might be talking to next?
EP: Yeah, yeah. So we're in development to figure out if there will be a second season and what that will look like. So, there are a lot of great ideas and a lot of amazing Connecticut companies to talk to. So yeah, we will have to give you the TBD on that for now, but we will get back to you.
The final installment of This Could Work with Connecticut Mirror State Policy Editor Erica Phillips is Wednesday, May 28, at the Ferguson Library in Stamford. More info is at https://ctmirror.org/.
