Forge News and Updates Archives - Page 10 of 22

How To Celebrate The Holidays With Your Office In 2020

One additional perk to the holiday season, is the promise of a fun seasonal celebration with your office. Unfortunately, because of the need for social distancing, typical office parties might not be possible for this coming December. However, we’ve come up with a list of ideas that can help your company celebrate the holiday season while still keeping safe!

Top Golf

Top Golf can be a great activity for your office to play, as there’s plenty of room for distancing, as well as having an outside location for maximum airflow. They have deals for small or large parties, as well as great food and drink options.

Holiday Card Exchange

Instead of doing an office outing, you can organize a holiday card exchange between the employees. People can make the cards from scratch, support a local card store, or create one on the internet. It can be a special way for the employees to receive a personalized card from coworker.

Christmas Lights

Another great holiday outing, is to bundle up and go look at Christmas lights. You can walk around a coworkers well light neighborhood, or go find a zoo or park with lots of decorations. It’ll be a great way to witness holiday cheer while remaining outside and distanced. If it’s too cold to walk, you can organize a car caravan and create a holiday playlist for everyone to share.

Ice Skating

A fun activity that is perfect for winter weather is ice skating. Research different skating rinks in your town and see if there are any outside or available to rent for private parties. It can be a fun way to celebrate and let loose as an office.

Virtual Cooking Class

Gifting your employees with a timeless lesson, like cooking or a charcuterie board class, can last them with memories and knowledge far beyond the holiday season. You can organize a Zoom or Skype call for everyone to learn a new recipe or cocktail from a local chef!

Use the Budget for Gift Giving

Instead of using the allotted money for a holiday party, you can use the fund to buy small but meaningful gifts for all the employees. This can be a meaningful sign that represents your appreciation for them, while not wanting to gather in person just yet.

For those of you living in Birmingham, we have a couple of ideas specific to the Magic City…

Reserve Space at Forge

The Event Space at Forge has plenty of room for a socially distanced small gathering for your team! The space can be rearranged however is best for your group- plus you can bring in your own drinks and food at no extra charge. The Pizitz Food Hall is just downstairs so you can easily cater food from one of the food stalls and bring it up to Forge. As always, the Event Space and meeting rooms are open to be reserved by the public!

The Urban Cookhouse Managers gathered for a training in the Forge Event Space

Rent Out Queen’s Park

Every holiday season, Queen’s Park is transformed into a Christmas themed bar. It’s available to rent for half a night or all night and even allows you to bring in catering. This can be a great option to celebrate but still have enough space to feel safe.

Photo from Bham Now

Christmas Movie at Alabama Theatre

This holiday tradition is thankfully still continuing this year. Book your tickets now and take your office to go see a classic Christmas movie in the beautiful and historic Alabama Theatre!

Photo from Al.com

Bham Shop Small Gift Guide for the Holidays

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This year it feels more important than ever before to shop local for the holidays. Small businesses need our support in 2020 and thankfully there are so many amazing shops around Birmingham. We’ve curated a gift guide for everyone your list.

Just remember these are gifts and not meant for you (but we won’t tell anyone if you decide to gift yourself).

For Someone With a Sweet Tooth:

Birmingham Candy

Our neighbors at Birmingham Candy Company have created a hometown candy store that everyone in Birmingham can be proud of. They’ve got every sweet you can dream of from caramel apples to fudge and truffles. Buy someone special a gift card or stop in The Pizitz Food Hall and fill up a box of goodies!

Chocolata

Chocolata uses single origin chocolate that is ethically sourced 100% from Latin America and they have so many unique flavors for you to try! If you’ve never stopped by their quaint shop on 2nd Ave. N, it’s a must see. They even have holiday gift sets that you could easily grab!

Big Spoon

Big Spoon Creamery is a small batch, artisan ice cream company and you can tell they are seriously passionate about their craft. The Big Spoon menu always focuses on seasonal flavors with local ingredients.

For Someone Who Loves To Workout

Three15

THREE15 is a workout experience combining 15 minutes of cycling, 15 minutes of barre, and 15 minutes of strength training, into one, high-energy studio fitness experience. They have locations in both Homewood and downtown. Purchase a gift card for your exercise lover friend or family member!

Ignite

Ignite is Birmingham’s only boutique cycling studio! Their main studio is in Pepper Place but they are currently offering open air rides down the street at Sloss Docks. Ignite’s Home for the Holi-Slay Series is available to students and faculty in school outside of Birmingham. Choose from 6 weeks Unlimited Rides for $125 or 3 weeks for $69.

True40

True40 is a boutique fitness studio that provides a 60 minute balanced body, low-impact workout suited for all ages and fitness levels. True40 is located in The Battery and Cahaba Heights. They even have At Home Workouts available on their website!

For the Health Food Lover

Nourish

Nourish Foods is founded by Mary Drennen and Tiffany Vickers Davis- two chefs who wanted and saw a need for healthy, fresh, creative, direct-to-customer food choices. Buy a gift card and your loved one can enjoy chef prepared, southern inspired food that’s delivered right to their door!

Blueroot

Blueroot sells delightful, delicious, and nutrient-dense food for those on the move — because they believe no one should have to sacrifice quality or nutrition for convenience. Give the gift of clean, plant-forward food that can be grabbed on the go!

Harvest Roots

Harvest Roots recently opened their Avondale location and it is definitely worth checking out! Harvest Roots Kombucha is about ingredients, freshness, and innovation. Never too sweet, never too tart. But they don’t have just kombucha- they also have house kimchi, pickles, popcorn and much more. Gift a snack or a kombucha growler to a friend this holiday season!

For Someone Who Needs to be Pampered

FancyFace Bham

Fancy Face is a clean beauty facial bar located in Southside. Facials are designed to give you refreshed skin with no downtime in 30- 45 minutes so it’s an easy way for you to treat a friend! Purchase a gift card on their website or easily schedule a facial for them.

Life Touch Massage

Who doesn’t need a massage in 2020? Give the gift of relaxation and support a downtown Birmingham business at the same time! Life Touch Massage has a wide range of services from deep tissue massage to pregnancy massage and full body scrub!

Shea Shea Beauty and Brow

Shea works right here at Forge as an esthetician and makeup artist. We have seen first hand that Shea has a devoted clientele and lots of rave reviews for her work! Shea Shea Beauty & Brow is a great way to pamper yourself or a friend.

For Someone Who Loves Local, Unique Gifts

Square One Goods Co.

Square One Goods is filled with so many fun, local goods. You can find jewelry, stationery, cards, books, candles and much more. No matter who you’re buying a gift for, you can find something unique at Square One Goods.

Trove Design Shop

Located in Woodlawn, Trove offers a carefully curated selection of “treasures” with an emphasis on craftsmanship and design. If you’re looking for antiques, home decor, aromatherapy goods, books or jewelry, Trove has it all! Right now Trove offers curbside pickup and free local delivery so you can still safely shop.

For the Plant Lover in Your Life

Botanica

Botanica has an amazing selection of tropical and desert houseplants along with unique pots! One of the best parts: Botanica’s plants can be shipped nationwide so you can send them to friends and family who aren’t local. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful if you have any questions about which plant would work best for you.

House Plant Collective

House Plant Collective is Birmingham’s pop-up plant store! They are based out of a renovated (very Instagrammable) school bus with events throughout the city. HPC staff is eager to teach you about plant care and share their plant wisdom!

Shoppe

Shoppe is nestled in Forest Park- it’s the most quaint garden shop you’ll ever see! And they don’t only have plants- inside their shop you’ll find housewares, plant accessories, books and much more. You should also stop in their other store General next door.

For the Book Lover

Thank You Books

Thank You Books is a general interest independent bookstore in the Crestwood neighborhood. Curbside pickup is available during store hours, and they will ship within the US. We love that Thank You Books is woman-owned, community-minded, gratitude-driven. Go check it out if you haven’t already!

Little Professor

Little Professor is Birmingham’s oldest independent bookstore that recently came under new ownership! Stop by their shop in Homewood and browse the aisles of Little Professor for the book lover in your life. You could even gift someone a Little Professor membership- giving them 20% off purchases, 40% off weekly bestsellers, free local delivery and pick up and much more!

Forge is in the business of growing businesses. We care about supporting fellow small business in Birmingham and we hope you do too! Please shop local during the holidays whenever you can.

How to Safely Hold a Meeting in the Face of COVID

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The COVID19 pandemic has complicated the business world’s previous practice of meetings. However, the future of in-person meetings can still be salvaged with the right practices and mindsets from businesses. Here are some suggestions on how to have in-person meetings while still keeping in mind safety measures.

Keep it socially distanced:

As we all know, it is safe to keep 6 feet away from others when meeting. To make sure your business is following these measures, try and book a space that is large enough to space out.

Wear a mask:

The CDC recommends people wear masks when present at events or gatherings. This is an easy way to assure meetings are covering safety measures.

Leave doors and windows open:

Leaving the door open during your meeting can be a simple choice that can create a big difference. Having the ability to open windows to allow airflow in the meeting space can also be an extra benefit to your safety measures.

Looser agenda:

Having a looser agenda for meetings can create a more flexible structure. This can be helpful in allowing people to come and leave within a safe distance of each other, or choose to video into the meeting if needed.

Have food individually packed:

Buffets and self-serving foods have been seen as a way to further spread germs. If you want to have food at meetings, it’s best to have individually wrapped snacks and food.

Use apps that promote social distancing:

The app, Social Safety, alerts people if they are closer than 6ft to others. This can be a tool to use to help others be safe while being in meetings.

While the future remains uncertain, the success of your business is undoubtedly important. Forge remains steadfast in cultivating an environment where businesses can thrive and is making conscious efforts to keep people safe yet productive in our coworking space. We allow different options of conference room sizes, can offer masks and gloves to guests when arriving and can open the windows in big meeting spaces. Starting at $45 an hour to book a conference room, Forge’s meeting spaces are a great resource for businesses looking to grow.

Sign up for a Coworking Membership in November or December and receive our Holiday Special! Your monthly membership is just $99/month- giving you 24/7 access to our workspace plus unlimited coffee!

5 Reasons Why Working From Home Kills Productivity

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While the trend of working from home has been a reality for the past few months, it may come as no surprise that levels of productivity rise once you ditch the remote workspace. Working from home can lead to distractions, isolation, and can even create bad habits that affect your future goals.

#1 – You are isolated from a community

Some of the most important factors in an office environment are the ability to communicate with other individuals while also having connections with other colleagues and peers. Working from home hinders your ability to further connect and network with others.

#2 – It reduces your motivation to work

When working from home, the line between work and play begins to relax as there is less of a routine, causing a tiff between a healthy work/life balance. A lack of productivity will cause your workload to grow and ultimately create an unhealthy environment for success.

#3 – Bad habits are easy to accumulate when working from home

Some simple bad habits can add up and end up causing problems with productivity. Examples like being unhygienic, having the TV on in the background, or wasting company time can seem like small issues but when packed together, can cause many problems.

#4 – Isolation can lead to deeper problems

As we’ve recognized from this past year, isolation can not only lead to not being productive but can also lead to mental health risks. A lack of feedback, encouragement, or even the random bathroom break socialization can hinder development in the workspace.

#5 – Too many distractions

In opposition to the point above, there is a lack of isolation from family members (or pets) in the house, causing further distractions that you would not occur in an office environment.

Forge Coworking

One solution to alleviating these problems is to join a coworking space. Forge is a coworking space in downtown Birmingham in The Pizitz. We can alleviate the pains of working from home by providing you a safe and sanitary environment for peak productivity. In a recent survey of Forge members, 100% of members saw an increase in productivity as well as 76% of growth in their business. Join the community and let’s build Birmingham together.

3 Years of Forge: Reflections From Our Founder & CEO

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Last week Forge celebrated its third year in business. I can vividly remember those first few months after our doors opened: the future seemed so far away. Three years have come quicker than I ever imagined. Forge has grown, experienced growing pains, watched our member’s businesses thrive, expanded our location and operated in a pandemic. A lot has happened in three years! As I slow down and look back to where we started and where we are today, a few reflections come to mind.

1. After three years of hard work and many sleepless nights, I still love this business and this industry just as much as I did the day we opened. The things that initially drew me to the coworking industry are more important now than ever!

I have always believed in the power of community, and the separation we experience in the pandemic has only emphasized that! For the last six months we have all been forced to work from home and our day to day interaction with people has been taken away. The most common frustration I hear expressed by entrepreneurs and small business owners is isolation and loneliness, even when they love the work they do. Forge fosters the power of connection.

2. Understanding industry norms in your business is important. As a new business owner, you cannot have this perspective on your own.

You have to surround yourself with mentors in your industry who can provide perspective on the ups and downs in your business.I have a group of coworking space owners that I meet with monthly.Our meetings provide a safe place to discuss the difficulties we face. Each meeting I leave encouraged that the problems I experience others do as well. This perspective builds confidence in the work that I do.

3. Know your numbers!

One of the first exercises I did to prepare for the impact of COVID was to create a new financial forecast for the rest of 2020. Honestly, it was very disheartening to look at how our growing business might take a sharp turn on our growth trajectory. But having a clear picture of what to prepare for created confidence to operate boldly. This exercise took the anxiety out of what might happen.

4. The Birmingham business community is awesome!

The more people I meet, the more I realize just how special this community really is. As I share experiences with business owners in other cities, I am reminded of our unique environment. It is a privilege and honor to run a business in this city for this city.

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