Forge News and Updates |
Meet Forge Member Ellen Skrmetti!
What is your job/title?
Writer/Content Creator
In addition to your job title, tell us a little bit about what you do/your company does.
I’m under contract with Worthy Publishing an imprint of Hachett Book Group to bring my Instagram content to life with a book titled “Hey Jesus, It’s Me.” In addition to creating content, I’m also developing my stand up show.
What is your favorite part about your job?
It’s all like living in a dream. I can’t believe that I’m able to make a living from my writing and comedy.
What made you decide to join Forge?
My husband works from home and I need a distraction free zone so I can write. I joke that 2 hours at Forge is like 6 hours at home.
What is your favorite thing about Forge?
I love the people and feeling like I have a real job!
What is your favorite spot/place to work at Forge?
Catch me in the cubes!
What are your favorite tech tools to get your job done or keep your life organized?
I love to stay as low tech as possible. As long as I have a Google Calendar – I’m set.
Is there a product you cannot live without?
My phone. It’s how I record my content and track my analytics.
What is the last show you binge-watched?
I haven’t been the same since Snowfall and Succession ended. I’m not sure I can watch TV again.
What is your ideal weekend in Birmingham?
I cannot wait to spend my weekend with my husband on the grill and football on the TV and our kids playing in the backyard!
Be sure to follow Ellen on Instagram for some hilarious content!
Forge News and Updates |
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the art and science of navigating the newest changes to the LinkedIn algorithm to elevate your presence on LinkedIn, connecting you with opportunities, clients, and partners. Donna Gilliland of MOSTraining came to Forge to teach a Lunch & Learn about harnessing the power of the LinkedIn algorithm. Whether you’re a seasoned LinkedIn pro or just starting your journey, these insights will empower you to make your mark in the digital professional landscape.
The LinkedIn algorithm changed in March 2023. The algorithm determines what content is sent to its userbase. What does the LinkedIn algorithm reward? What does it punish? Let’s delve in!
LinkedIn users are saying “I want to better at what I do.”
~ Daniel Roth, Editor in Chief, VP at LinkedIn
Quality and Low-Quality Algorithm Signals
- Engagement: quality comments are a positive signal whereas a simple click of like isn’t. Think of holding a conversation when you comment. What does that look like?
- A lackluster comment: “Good Job”
- A meaningful comment: Yes, our team uses ChatGPT too. It has been a great tool for our sales agents. Here are a few prompts we have found useful.
- Appropriate use of hashtags: Three to five is considered best. Make sure they are content relevant. If you start using too many hashtags and meaningless ones that is a poor-quality signal to the algorithm.
- Encourage interaction from your connections by asking a question.
- Too many misspelled words signal a low-quality. Make certain you proofread.
- Tagging etiquette: only tag people in your post where it makes sense! Don’t be an over-tagger.
A couple quick tips from Alice Xiong, Director of Product, LinkedIn Search on what people say they want to see more of.
- Content posts that increase knowledge and gives advice.
- People want to feel connected with others.
- Help in discovering the right opportunities.
LinkedIn is now evaluating your authority, which is why it’s important that your profile aligns with your expertise. It might be time for you to do a LinkedIn profile refresh.
“We are looking to see that you are building community around content, and around knowledge-sharing that you are uniquely qualified to talk about,” ~ Daniel Roth, VP at LinkedIn
Tips to Increase Your Posts’ Visibility:
- Engagement with relevant content
- Follow relevant profiles
- Connect with your target audience
- Post valuable content
- Use relevant hashtags
- Create and share video content (you could potentially get more visibility if you upload the video rather than link to an external website, like YouTube.)
- Engage in LinkedIn groups
- Leverage LinkedIn analytics on your post engagement
Below is a suggested learning resource from Donna about the recent LinkedIn Algorithm changes.
Donna Gilliland’s enlightening Lunch & Learn session here at Forge has shed light on the nuances of LinkedIn! To enhance your visibility and make a lasting impact on this platform, be sure to engage with relevant content, follow profiles that inspire you, and create valuable contributions to the LinkedIn community. By embracing these principles and staying attuned to the evolving landscape, you can harness the power of the LinkedIn algorithm! Be sure to follow Forge and join us for upcoming events!
Forge News and Updates |
Fa la la la la! It’s that time of year! We asked some of our Forge Members to share what books they have enjoyed in 2022 that the business person in your life may enjoy!
Use this gift guide to purchase a book for yourself or for someone else!
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni
“An organization is healthy when it is whole, consistent and complete, when its management, operations and culture are unified. Healthy organizations outperform their counterparts, are free of politics and confusion and provide an environment where star performers never want to leave. Lencioni’s first non-fiction book provides leaders with a groundbreaking, approachable model for achieving organizational health–complete with stories, tips and anecdotes from his experiences consulting to some of the nation’s leading organizations. In this age of informational ubiquity and nano-second change, it is no longer enough to build a competitive advantage based on intelligence alone.”
Making Vision Stick by Andy Stanley
“There are lots of books about discovering or developing a vision for your organization, but this one is about making that vision endure the corrosion of time and complexity–how to make your vision stick. Influential author and pastor Andy Stanley reveals the reasons why leaders’ visions often falter, and he delivers 5 in-depth strategies so that you can dodge the pitfalls:
- How to state your vision simply.
- How to cast your vision convincingly.
- How to repeat your vision regularly.
- How to celebrate your vision systematically.
- How to embrace your vision personally.
Many of us have good ideas, even great ones. The difficult part is putting them into practice and keeping that vision clear and visible to your organization–whether that’s a business or a church–when there are so many things in the day-to-day living of that vision that can distract from it. Making Vision Stick offers valuable, practical tips and case studies. This is a book you’ll want to highlight and dog-ear and pass around as you learn how to propel your organization toward the vision God has granted you. Vision is about what could be and should be, but life is about right this minute. The test of a true leader is in keeping that vision on track, day in and day out.”
Book 3: Recommended by Drew Kirk, VP of Finance at AMZ Atlas
7 habits of highly effective people By Stephen Covey
“With Sean Covey’s added takeaways on how the habits can be used in our modern age, the wisdom of the 7 Habits will be refreshed for a new generation of leaders. They include:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.”
The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently by Sunni Brown
“Sunni Brown was named one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business and one of the 10 Most Creative People on Twitter by Fast Company. She is founder of a creative consultancy, an international speaker, the co-author of Gamestorming, and the leader of a global campaign for visual literacy called The Doodle Revolution. Her TED Talk on doodling has drawn more than a million views on TED.com. Her work on visual literacy and gaming has been featured in over 35 nationally-syndicated news programs and reported on in The Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, the BBC, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, etc. She lives in Keep Austin Weird, Texas.”
Book 5: Recommended by Jeremy Adams owner & CEO of Southern Heritage Consulting
It Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden
“How do successful people achieve results? In short, they do it the old-fashioned way, with focus and self-discipline. Popular speaker and strategist Rory Vaden presents a simple program for “taking the stairs”—that is, resisting the temptations of “quick fixes,” eliminating distractions, and transcending personal setbacks in order to reach your goals.”
Books 6 and 7: Recommended by Kim Lee, Founder and CEO of Forge
Excellence Wins by Horst Shulze
“Horst Schulze knows what it takes to win. In Excellence Wins, the cofounder and former president of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company lays out a blueprint for becoming the very best in a world of compromise. In his characteristic no-nonsense approach, Schulze shares the visionary and disruptive principles that have led to immense global success over the course of his still-prolific fifty-year career in the hospitality industry.”
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
“Combat, the most intense and dynamic environment imaginable, teaches the toughest leadership lessons, with absolutely everything at stake. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin learned this reality first-hand on the most violent and dangerous battlefield in Iraq. As leaders of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser, their mission was one many thought impossible: help U.S. forces secure Ramadi, a violent, insurgent-held city deemed “all but lost.” In gripping, firsthand accounts of heroism, tragic loss, and hard-won victories, they learned that leadership–at every level–is the most important factor in whether a team succeeds or fails.”
Happy Holidays!!
Forge News and Updates |
This week we celebrate 5 years of being in business at Forge. At the end of our celebration lunch I had a member ask if it felt like we had been in business one year or twenty. I actually had to stop and think about that for awhile. It definitely does not seem like the first year of business (thank goodness!), but it is hard to comprehend how five years have already passed. I remember signing the first five year lease on the opening day of The Pizitz Food Hall (in the space that is soon to be Honest Coffee). At that moment, five years seemed to be an eternity away! And somehow, here we are, five years later! When I actually pause to reflect all that we have accomplished over the last five years, I cannot believe how far we have come. The prominent thread through each accomplishment over the last five years is that there is no way I could have done any of this on my own. In honor of FIVE years, I have compiled a top FIVE list of my gratitudes for the ways others have been the reasons behind the success of Forge.
1. The Forge Team
First and foremost I am extremely grateful for all of the people who have served on the Forge team. Over the last five years we have had three Marketing and Community Managers, four Community Support Assistants, and eleven interns. These are the people who have made Forge such a wonderful place for our members to work, serving and building our community each and every day.
Kelsey Sizemore, Katelyn Foote, Lauren Cushman, Alex Ball, Ella Lee, Jenna Nielsen, Molly Grace Quinn, Maclaine Kuehn, Emily Jackson, D’Talian Poole, Claire Cassata, Pate Simmons, Jen Stone, Meghan Speckman, Sarah English Coggins, Brenna Truitt and McKenzie Mowoe, yall are truly the best!!!
2. Forge Members
Second, I am so grateful for our members, current and past! I am so grateful for the people who have chosen Forge as a place to work. I had a vision for what our community would look like and the way that our members would support each other. But the community that has actually formed is greater than I could have dreamed. Our best days at Forge are when we walk through the hall and hear Forge members helping each other tackle problems or hold each other accountable to their goals. We may provide space for our members to work, but our members are the true heartbeat of what we do!
3. The Birmingham Community
Third I am grateful for the support from the larger Birmingham community. So many people over the years have championed Forge either by recommending Forge to a friend or colleague, sharing a post, participating in a giveaway, leading a lunch and learn, hosting events at Forge, bringing your team to gather at Forge or using Forge as a place to hold meetings. I am grateful and proud to do business in a community that is dedicated to supporting local, small businesses.
4. The Coworking Community Support
Fourth, I love being a part of the larger coworking community. I have a great mentor who has walked with me through many ups and downs (Jamie Russo, you are the best!). And I have a network of other coworking space owners and operators and I lean on every day! I would not be where I am today without other coworking space owners who have given their time and wisdom to help me along the way!!
We’ve been hanging out on Zoom long before it was cool!
5. My Family!
Last and most important, I am so grateful for my family! When I started Forge, we had young children. Starting a business was a huge change for our family – this was a whole family commitment, mom, dad, kids, grandparents… Without the support from everyone, Forge would not have been possible. My husband, Murray, has been my number one champion and supporter every single day. Fun fact, Murray is now an expert whiteboard hanger! Grandparents pitch in every week helping us get kids where they need to be. And my kids have been such troopers through this journey! It has been an unexpected blessing to watch my kids mature as they have had to take on more responsibility with my days more busy. Even though they do not always like this extra responsibility, they know they are doing their part in helping Forge to succeed. Over the years they have cheered on every success with us and prayed with us through the really hard times. I could not do what I do without the love and support from my family!!
Those six on the front row are the ones who make it possible!
Thank you to everyone who has helped make Forge the thriving space and community that it is today!
Forge News and Updates |
Coworking is Diverse
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in one view of a Coworking space — a group of young techies with big headphones on, huddled over their laptops. But Coworking, and those who use Coworking spaces, has evolved. Coworking spaces now house a multitude of different workers — from entrepreneurs and tech startups to real estate agents and digital marketing teams, just about everyone can find value in a Coworking space.
Especially with the rise in remote work across all industries, we have seen a much more varied group of members than ever before! Large companies that previously held traditional office space are forgoing that in favor of flexible workspace, like Forge. Our members range from teachers to students, business owners to entry level workers, and all in between. We offer open Coworking space, dedicated desks, private offices, and conference rooms for rent. Coffee and tea are always free and flowing, and we offer many networking and happy hour events for our members!
Try it Now
If you’ve been wondering if Coworking is right for you, this is the perfect time to find out! Forge is offering a BOGO right now — sign up in June, get July free. Take the time this summer to get away from your kitchen table and into a space that fosters productivity, creativity, and networking. You may be surprised how even the most “traditional” worker can find value and productivity in a Coworking space! Let Forge show you just how great it can be. Sign up for a tour now.
