Hi there! It’s been a hot minute since I posted here, and so much has changed. However, I’ve decided to continue this blog in a slightly new direction. Read on to learn the latest on Alternative Workstyle.

First, what has changed? When I started this blog, I had recently formed a company with another marketing colleague. Our lofty goal was to change the way we work, and we were committed to our purpose and our business! Many of my earlier blog posts, such as What’s it Really Like to Work in a Digital Workplace?, were about our journey. I used this blog to share what I learned from working in this type of remote work platform.

We had a great time “building a better way to work from home”. Working in this type of platform checked all the boxes for us. We had:

• collaboration tools
• the ability to schedule formal communication
• opportunities for informal conversations
• a sense of community

Unfortunately, the one check box we could not check was our ability to monetize the platform. In other words, we couldn’t afford to keep it going. Sadly, we shut it down in 2017. Yup, pre-pandemic. But we continued our remote-working together as marketing consultants to small businesses, startups, and nonprofits.

What shifted?

By 2020, when everyone went remote, we had already switched our operations to the Zoom platform. And for me, while it was productive, it wasn’t the same. The loss of all those informal interactions that happened during the business day and that sense of community you feel when you walk into a familiar place was gone. Work became very transactional. Ultimately, we decided to close our business in 2021 and pursue other ventures. It was not an easy decision, and I know I struggled with it for a long time, both before and after. Changed is hard, and we had worked together for a long time.

And now, it’s nearly the end of 2022, and so much has changed. After going back to school and obtaining my Masters in Business Administration, taking some much-needed time away from marketing consulting work, and doing a lot of professional soul-searching, I’ve realized how much I enjoy life as an entrepreneur. I love to find new ways to solve old problems. And when I look back on my career, this drive has always been the common thread in my work.

What’s Next for Alternative Workstyle?

Over the last few months, I’ve become more involved in my local entrepreneurial community. I’m flushing out a new business idea and loving this new journey. I still love talking and writing about remote work and the entrepreneur lifestyle. So, I will keep writing about those things here while working on my other business. Being a female entrepreneur has unique challenges, and I believe there is value in sharing these challenges.

I’m also using this space to consolidate my previous writings by sharing some of my guest blog posts relevant to remote and entrepreneurship. Sadly, many of the challenges I wrote about so long ago are just as relevant today. 

Keep Up with the Latest on Alternative Workstyle

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