Since our inception, Office Nomads has found a fantastic partner in Biznik, the small business networking hub that was founded in Seattle by our good friends Lara and Dan. Their slogan “going it alone, together,” could double as a slogan for Office Nomads. Biznik brings independent small-shop business people together to learn, share, and network for the collective strength of the small business community. Office Nomads is a big, big fan of our friends at Biznik.

With that in mind, we’re excited to announce a new special for our Biznik friends – get 50% off your first month of Part-Time membership at Office Nomads! That’s right – if you’re a Biznik member, you get yourself a sweet deal on your first month as a member of Office Nomads. Just show us your Biznik profile and we’ll be happy to extend the special to ya.

Sound good? Get in touch with us and let us know. Better yet, swing on by the office (M-F between 8:30 and 6) and we can tell you all about it in person.

Q13 is doing a story on the Seattle Jelly scene

Karrie Kohlhaas of ThoughtShot Consulting hosted her first Jelly here at Office Nomads today.  Jellies first started in NYC to bring creative folks together that had been stuck in home offices.  They have since spread and grown and are saving people from isolation world wide.  It’s a simple format where you shout out to your community that you will be working from a certain location and invite people to join you.  Karrie posted this event on Biznik and it quickly filled up.  People are eager to get out of the house and find social interaction that doesn’t interfere with their work.    Coworking and Jelly have tight histories and I’m excited Seattle is embracing the concept.  There is also a Facebook page to unite folks and hopefully make these happen more often.

Q13 was here to do a story on the event and the wider Jelly scene.  We are not sure when that will go live and we’ll keep you posted.

It’s a busy day here at Office Nomads.  Not only are Biznik and Q13 running around but the front area only has one free desk today and that is after we added four more a few weeks ago.  What a great way to start the week!  I thought I heard someone say something about the economy not doing so hot but from where I sit things are getting pretty exciting.

At Office Nomads, we’re as sick as you are of hearing about the crashing economy, the rising unemployment rate and the seemingly useless efforts of Congress to stymie the bleeding. So we’re turning away from the doom and gloom and choosing instead to look toward a future when things will be better.

One of the ways we think things will get better is through the creation of a green economy and the green jobs that will come with it. (I know, the word “green” is so buzzy these days that it hardly has any meaning anymore to most of us. But some folks have the ability to make the concept of “green” feel and be real especially when it comes to jobs, so hang in there for a sec.)

To whit, over at Biznik, there’s a recording of a live call-in interview with Van Jones who just came out with a new book called “The Green Color Economy: How One Solution can Fix our Two Biggest Problems.” The interview aired as a part of Biznik’s series on “Surviving & Thriving Amidst Economic Adversity”.

Why do I bring this up here? Well, personally, I find Van Jones to be a fascinating individual with a lot of great ideas that we as a nation would be smart to follow. Susan also pointed out that, for her, “This topic is particularly interesting as a coworking space owner – the idea of supporting and particpating in local, green economies is of utmost importance to me and is definitely a part of what we’re doing at Office Nomads!”

I couldn’t agree more. Local communities are where its going to be going on in the future, especially as companies have to find more efficincies (which means less employees) and more of us strike out on our own. Coworking spaces around the country (and the world) will be thriving as a new kind of local economy starts taking root. When that happens, you can tell your coworkers you knew it was coming thanks to Office Nomads and Van Jones.

It’s a good day when you get listed as the best of anything. It’s a great day when you get listed with great companies and resources such as Biznik and The Village in Bellevue. That’s what happened here at Office Nomads yesterday when Betsy Talbot over at Examiner.com listed us as one of the best coworking spaces in the Seattle area for women.

As a man, I don’t think of Office Nomads as a resource for just women, since, obviously, it serves people of both sexes. But I think it’s pretty cool to be called out for that kind of recognition. I think it means that we have a supportive and welcoming atmosphere for all business people and that women running their own businesses can feel comfortable here. I also think the recognition on Examiner.com highlights the overall awesomeness of Susan, her visibility and activity in the larger community. She’s an amazing businesswoman who inspires me everyday so I can imagine that her success also inspires women involved in all sorts of businesses.

As for the other companies on the list, I think Dan McComb from Biznik explained very well why it feels so good to be listed with them: “We share a common interest in supporting small business people.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned to the resources at Biznik, that have made me a better writer, reporter and business person. And it’s no secret that working in this space saved my sanity and made me more productive. Without a place to network like Biznik or spaces like The Village and Office Nomads, running an independent business wouldn’t be half as rewarding.

Last week Susan and I went to BizJam Seattle 2008 and I have to say it was impressive.  We held down the fort at the Office Nomads Networking Lounge for both days of the conference and the people we spoke with were inspiring.  The energy was flying and the connections were priceless.

There were a lot of great workshops and even though we only saw a couple we got to enjoy all the conversations people were having afterwards.  We just sat on our pretty couches and took it all in.  Biznik is an amazing resource for the indie business crowd and we are lucky to have them in our back yard.