CO:member Spotlight: Michelle James and theCO as a Hidden Gem of Knowledge
Written by Maddie Steele | Photo by Maddie Steele
It was the beginning of the pandemic of 2020 and Michelle James had just begun working from home for a company in Franklin as an accountant. Her internet was not reliable in her home and it had just stopped working for the day. She was in a panic and needed a place to work. And it had to be immediate.
So, as one of the first CO.STARTERS participants here, she knew to call theCO. And when she did, they told her to come on over, welcomed her in, and she hasn’t looked back. Soon after this event, she began her monthly membership and since then, she has experienced the comradely and resources that have made her work-life a pleasure to experience.
“I didn’t think I had a comfort zone anymore,” said James. “But CO.STARTERS really pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to challenge myself.”
You can usually find long-time CO:member Michelle James in her favorite booth by the window working as an accountant for a company out of Franklin, TN that manages healthcare for children with autism. Back in 2015, James and her husband purchased the Downtown Tavern and had no idea where to start, so they enrolled in one of the first groups of the CO:starters program. Although they don’t own the tavern anymore, James runs her own nonprofit business that rescues dogs and cats with special needs, in addition to her day job of an accountant.
“I love it so much here. Working from home is great, but I need structure and I need people,” said James. “Most days I treat it like normal office hours, and make myself get ready and come here. It’s just nice to know someone else is around or if I need to bounce something off somebody about our dog rescue business, it’s nice to have the benefit of another opinion.”
James sees theCO as this hidden gem of centered productivity. She wishes that more people knew everything theCO has to offer because not only are their resources for entrepreneurs, but it also is a nonprofit that serves the community at large. She utilizes the daily resources like phone booths, wifi, and the physical space, but she also has access to the wealth of knowledge theCO offers its members.
She tries to draw all her friends who need a place to work to theCO because she loves the friendships that are developed in this space. It’s a special kind of working relationship because she doesn’t work at the same company as her friends, but she works in the same building and has the freedom to create the environment of friends she needs.
“There’s people around, but theCO is also very peaceful. I’ve encouraged some other people who work from home to come work here too. This is so much more of a wealth of offerings than people are aware of,” concluded James.