Pauline Roussel, Co-founder and CEO of Coworkies sat down with Guillaume Tribute to discuss his Eco-coworking venture in Lyon, France. From its founding in 2008 Écoworking has grown into a vibrant and welcoming community which for many, has become a second home.
Hello Guillaume, great to chat with you! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your coworking space?
So all of this began in 2008-2009, when the three of us were employees of an IT consulting firm and started thinking about becoming independent.
Gradually, the idea emerged to rent a small apartment together so that we wouldn't have to work from home once we took the leap. Quickly, we thought, “Why not do this for more people than just us? There must be many other independent workers interested.”
That's when we started thinking about how to create a shared space that could accommodate independent workers while maintaining all the freedom that comes with being independent. Such as coming in whenever they want, at any time, at attractive costs, and to avoid isolation and expand their network. We had just reinvented the concept of coworking, but at the time we didn't know it yet; coworking hardly existed in France yet (only a few spaces in Paris).
A few years later, having become independent and returning from a long project, I wanted to relaunch the space.
We quickly discovered coworking and met Thomas, who was familiar with the concept and was trying to create his own space. We were well aligned in our desires, and we formed a team of five people and spent several months putting together a business plan.
In March 2013 (already 10 years ago!!), we received the keys to our future space in the heart of Lyon. The beginning of this great adventure.
What’s the idea behind Ecoworking?
As previously mentioned, the idea was primarily to meet our own need for independence, to have a professional workspace that does not isolate us at home and is friendly, communal, and affordable.
As we refined our concept with the co-founding team, we quickly wanted to include an “eco” dimension. Certainly, economic, but also ecological — we all had a significant ecological awareness at the time, and it seemed important to us to bring this dimension to the professional environment as well as the personal. The name was quickly found: Eco+coworking became Ecoworking.
Being located in Lyon, what impact do you have on your community, neighborhood, and city?
At the city level, we are part of a collective supported by Grand Lyon, which was created by the first coworking actors in Lyon to define a charter of good practices and obligations for its actors.
More concretely, we have provided a resident-type coworking solution which was not widely available at the time, and we have not only attracted coworkers from Lyon but also from the region outside of Lyon.
At the neighborhood level, we are registered with local merchant associations to participate in the local community, and we promote responsible and local purchases (in the neighborhood when possible).
For our community, we provide them with a local space in the heart of the city, with all the necessary services for professional use. Many of our coworkers come to us for the location and local interest, but end up staying for the ambiance and community.
We regularly hear people say that they consider the space as their second home, and that makes us very happy. All of this comes from its location, everything we have developed inside, but above all because people appropriate their spaces and create connections. All of this is driven by Julie, who manages the space and community daily and creates all the magic that makes it all work so well!
What do you like most about your community?
The fact that it is growing, creating internal and external interactions, that people are starting to work together. Also, the fact that the community gives us challenges based on its needs and desires, and all of this happens quite naturally (even if the magic is also largely due to Julie who animates everything at our place).
How can readers get in touch with you and learn more?
You can get in touch with us through our website or Instagram.
Alternatively, you can reach us directly by phone at +33 (0) 4 69 60 03 25 or by email at contact@ecoworking.fr.
But I would say the best way is to come and visit us directly. We are located at 27 rue Romarin in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon. We offer a free trial day to anyone interested, so don't hesitate to come and meet us and, most importantly, our community of coworkers!
