With the dawn of the internet age, a growing number of people now work from home. Jelly is a business model that sets up collaborative work spaces for those not working in traditional work spaces, yet still craving social interaction.
Those who work from home don't have to deal with pushy bosses constantly hovering over their shoulder, whining colleagues, or dressing in corporate attire. Most importantly, most don't have to adhere to regular office hours. The ability to work remotely gives people the freedom to choose their location and set their own time schedules.
But the traditional office environment still offers some appeal. Anyone in the work-from-home situation knows it can get lonely. It can get frustrating when your internet connection is slow or cuts out completely. Sometimes those feelings of isolation don't set in until its time to eat lunch or take a break, at which point the desolation becomes overwhelmingly apparent.
Sure you could work from a local cafe, like Starbucks, which offers wireless internet connection, but those americanos add up fast, leaving you shaky and more than a few bucks poorer. Take it from me, I would know.
If you're in a similar boat, you'll love Jelly, a business concept deigned for those who don't work in traditional office settings. It involves bi-weekly meetings of mostly self-employed web entrepreneurs, giving them a chance to network with like-minded individuals.
"Jelly meetings are a way for folks who usually work at home to get out of the house, find kindred workers to collaborate with, or simply to socialize -- without having to commit to the gym-like membership setup of most of the country's coworking arrangements, where rented office spaces feel much like a traditional workplace and require a regular financial commitment beyond the means of most freelancers," Wired Magazine explained. "Indeed, the term 'office' can happily be avoided all together with Jelly. Unlike most coworking setups, Jelly exists for only one day every other week, and it's free."
The Jelly fish site gives a list of local meetings in various US cities, and offers a how-to guide for those looking to set up something similar in their own towns.
A while back we featured a common work space for female entrepreneurs to meet at:
Cowork Without Coworkers
Jelly
Trend Themes
1. Collaborative Work Spaces - Jelly sets up collaborative work spaces for remote workers, providing social interaction and networking opportunities.
2. Remote Work - The growing number of people working from home creates a demand for coworking alternatives like Jelly.
3. Flexible Work Schedule - Jelly's bi-weekly meetings allow freelancers and self-employed individuals to choose their own time schedules.
Industry Implications
1. Coworking - Jelly disrupts the traditional coworking industry by offering free, part-time collaborative work spaces.
2. Remote Work Solutions - Jelly caters to the needs of remote workers, providing them with social interaction and networking opportunities outside of the traditional office environment.
3. Networking - Jelly creates a networking platform for self-employed individuals and freelancers, connecting them with like-minded professionals in their field.