Forge News and Updates |
Here at Forge, we want to create an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, and productivity. We believe that our services, staff, and space offer all of our members a unique working experience where we invite them to be the best version of themselves.
At Forge, we value your time and efforts as much, if not more, than you. However, coworking spaces can be distracting and loud at times, and we want our space to contribute to your work, not takeaway or distract you from it.
With that said, we love that Forge offers members open spaces to connect, work, and collaborate, but we must remember the etiquette of coworking space. Whether you’re a coworking space expert or a newbie, we believe these are great reminders of proper behavior and etiquette for any coworking space.
1. Use your headphones
We love that you’re listening to you Monday morning pump up playlists – music is motivating guys! However, I don’t think Gabriel from Chicago wants to hear your country rap blaring through your phone speakers. We also love that you’re talking to your grandma for the 3rd time this morning trying to help her take a screenshot on her iPad; however, the whole office doesn’t need a tutorial on screenshots. We want you guys to have the freedom to listen to music, podcasts, take calls, etc., but we respectfully ask that you do so via headphones or not utilizing speaker phone.
2. Don’t overstay your welcome
We love when you utilize conference spaces or working areas; however, we urge you to stay for your allotted time and not overuse it – these spaces are shared for a reason. We all have that one friend who tends to unintentionally stays their welcome. While we love their company, we do not really know how to kindly ask them to leave. Don’t be this friend. We’re not expecting that you leave before your time ends, but we encourage you to be mindful of how long you’ve been in rooms or phone booths.
The phone booths are the perfect little getaway for phone calls, but we ask that when you’re done to not stay hidden away for too long, online shopping is a dark hole – we get it. We only request that you are aware of your time in phone booths, plus online shopping can happen at your desk (it’s much easier on a laptop too!).
3. Keep your space tidy
Remember when you were a kid, and your mom was always on you about cleaning up after yourself or cleaning your room and making it presentable? Well, we ask the same of you when you use our space. Sometimes, if I left it messy for long enough, my mom would come behind me and tidy up or clean-up after me. At Forge, we are not going to be your moms – you have great ones already so no need for us! Jokes aside, all we ask is that you keep your working areas free from too much clutter, throw away your trash, and make sure the space is clean for the next person.
4. Be considerate
Coworking spaces are awesome (yes, we are a little biased). We want all of our members and guests to feel welcomed and loved. You play a role in that as well. We simply ask that you be considerate of other people, everyone’s time, our spaces, and the staff here.
We love that you’re here, and we hope that your experience goes above and beyond your expectations. We are going to do everything we can to make sure your time here is as comfortable and easy as possible. While we are doing our part, we kindly ask that you do yours, as a member, and remember these coworking space etiquettes.
Forge is a wonderful place to work and connect or network, even if virtually (thanks COVID), and we are so excited you are here! Please reach out to us if you need anything! We love that you chose us to be your working home!
Forge News and Updates |
This past week at Forge we had the pleasure of hosting our first in-person event since the pandemic. And even better is that it was a Lunch and Learn with one of Forge’s members Kameron Monet!
Instagram is a great platform to promote your business, reach your target audience and show the behind the scenes of running your business. One of Kameron’s favorite tools to use on Instagram is Reels! Kameron shared how she creates various types of Reels to connect with her audience in a fun, creative and effective way!
Kameron is a YouTuber, influencer and lawyer – a queen to say the least. During her Lunch and Learn she dove into how to grow your business or personal brand using Instagram reels.
Benefits Of Using Reels
She highlighted 4 of the benefits of using the reels feature on Instagram.
- You can create fun, unique and engaging short videos.
- Instagram prioritizes reels
- It increases engagement from your followers through video content
- They have a longer “shelf life” and continue to get views even for weeks after the original post
Instagram provides many different tools to help users create and edit their reels content. These aid in pushing content to the forefront of of reels. Kameron included Important things to remember when creating reels
- Adding humor or creating a more serious topic into something comical can attract more attention.
- Use trendy songs and sounds (these can be found by googling “viral Tik Tok sounds or music now”)
- Always have a call to action- whether that be in your caption or the video itself.
- Don’t be afraid to repurpose content- it is okay to reuse photos from the same day or videos you took months in advance
Always keep in mind that the type of following you have is more important than the number of followers. This may look different for everyone, but remembering that you would rather have a handful of loyal followers who actively engage with your content than hundreds of bystanders who are not supporting you personally or your business.
Creating a Reel
- In the Instagram app click create where you would usually begin a normal post or story
- From there it will give you the option to create a reel
- Once you click that, it will open up to allow you to use multiple tools including adjusting the length, adding audio, a timer to align your videos and effects to change the overall appearance.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY- always save your reel and once you take it off of your feed and only have it in your reels tab you cannot undo this action.
Remember, people buy from people so don’t be afraid to share the story behind your business!
If you were unable to attend the event the YouTube video can be found HERE!
In addition, Forge is running a Summer Special for new members! If you join in the month of May or June you can buy one month of Coworking or Dedicated Desk space and receive an entire month FREE! Book a tour today!
Forge News and Updates |
It’s March. Can you believe that we’re already 3 months into 2021? I cannot. One thing I’ve always loved about March is that it means warmer weather is coming. However, I a few years ago I discovered that March is also Women’s History Month. No more winter, warm weather, and Women’s History Month all in one – I don’t think it gets better than that!
Women’s History Month is dedicated to highlighting and celebrating women’s contributions to history and society. In honor of all of the fabulous women who have come before us, and who will come after us, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of these awesome women in Birmingham.
Here is a list of 13 Female Owned Restaurants in Birmingham that You Must Visit
(in no particular order)
Ashley Mac’s
Various locations in Homewood, Cahaba Heights, Downtown, Hoover
Ashley McMakin, Founder of Ashley Macs. Photo from Style Blueprint
Ashley Mac’s offers café dining, catering, and to-go options. They have a wide variety of delicious options for everyone. Their frozen to-go meals are perfect for a busy family who wants to eat healthy. Ashely Mac’s baby blue salad and poppyseed chicken are a personal favorite.
photo from Ashley Macs Instagram
Blueroot
2822A Petticoat Ln
Mountain Brook, AL 35223
Jennifer Ryan, Owner of Blueroot. Photo from Village Living
Located in the heart of Mountain Brook Village, Blue Root offers delicious and healthy meals from oats, granola, breakfast, salads, bowls, soups, and sides. Their meals are loaded with a number of flavorful ingredients. They are allergy conscious, making this the perfect healthy place for those with any dairy, gluten, or vegan intolerances. After dining in or grabbing to-go, make sure to check out their sweet treats or desserts.
photo from the Blueroot Instagram
The Essential
2018 Morris Ave
Birmingham, AL 35203
Kristen Farmer Hall, Co-Owner of The Essential. Photo from Style Blueprint
The Essential should be your new go-to restaurant. It offers a wonderful menu filled with lunch and dinner options that will leave you full and satisfied. The menu has something for everyone, whether you’re craving a salad, sandwich, pasta, or burger – they have it all In addition, they offer a wide variety of cocktails to add to your meal. On the weekend, they offer a delicious brunch consisting of all your favorites, but even better.
photo from The Essential Instagram
Chocolatá
1927 2nd Avenue North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Kathy D’Agostino, Owner of Chocolata. Photo from Style Blueprint
If you love chocolate, this will quickly become your new favorite place. Chocolates are especially blended for their unique flavor pairing, using carefully handcrafted recipes. Head on over to Chocolatá for some of the best Chocolate you’ve ever had – you won’t regret it.
photo from Chocolata Instagram
Daughter’s Baking
(PICKUP BY APPOINTMENT)
195 Vulcan Road
Homewood, AL 35209
Mallory Webb, Founder of Daughters Baking. Photo from Style Blueprint
While they do not have a storefront, yet Daughter’s Baking should still be at the top of your dessert list. Daughter’s is known for their beautiful, flavorful naked cakes. They also offer cookies, crumbs, and crunches. If you have any type of celebration coming up, or if you just want to treat yourself to a delicious cake, go ahead and place an order with Daughter’s Baking.
photo from Daughters Baking Instagram
Urban Cookhouse and Farm Bowl & Juice Co
1920 29th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35209
Andrea Snyder, Founder of Urban Cookhouse & Farm Bowl & Juice Co
While very different establishments, these two are owned by the same woman. Urban Cookhouse offers customers with delicious lunch and dinner meals. You cannot go wrong with anything on their menu, and their warm orange rolls are mouthwatering delicious. Farm Bowl is an acai place, located next to the Homewood Urban Cookhouse Location. Farm Bowl partners with local farmers in Alabama to bring fresh, locally sourced ingredients to their bowls, smoothies, and juices. You cannot go wrong with either one of these places for an afternoon lunch.
photo from Farm Bowl + Juice Co Instagram
Bitty’s Living Kitchen
Kimberly McNair Brock, Owner & Chef of Bitty’s Living Kitchen
Bitty’s Living Kitchen is the perfect place for healthy and delicious. They offer a variety of juices for your next juice cleanse or fast. It does not get much better than Bitty’s Fresh Pressed Juices to start your day.
photo from Bitty’s Living Kitchen Instagram
Magic City Nutrition
2201 2nd Ave S, suite 104
Birmingham, AL 35233
Faith & Britni, Owners of Magic City Nutrition
Magic City Nutrition is the place to go for a healthy drink. They offer a wide variety of teas and shakes for all your needs. Their shakes are only 200 calories and are full of proteins. You can order ahead, so your drink will be ready by the time you get there. If you love tea or a good shake, but don’t want the calories that come with them, Magic City Nutrition is the place for you.
photo from Magic City Nutrition Instagram
Highlands Bar and Grill
2011 Eleventh Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35205
Pardis Stitt, Co-Owner of Highlands Bar & Grill
Highland’s Bar and Grill, while temporarily closed because of COVID, is a place you must go before leaving Birmingham. Highland Br and Grill’s cuisine is rooted in French technique and provides customers with a daily changing menu. Highlands is one of the top restaurants in Birmingham, and it has received national recognition. It was named a finalist in the James Beard Foundation Award for Most Outstanding Restaurant in America 9 years straight, before winning it in its 10th nomination year. If that alone is not enough to persuade you, their pastry chef also won Most Outstanding Pastry Chef.
photo from Highlands Bar & Grill Instagram
Satterfield’s Restaurant
3161 Cahaba Heights Road
Birmingham, AL 35243
Becky Satterfield, Owner of Satterfield’s. Photo from Satterfield website
Located in the heart of Cahaba Heights, Satterfield’s is one of Birmingham’s finest culinary destinations. Satterfield’s offers customers a relaxed fine dining experience. They pride themselves on their fresh ingredients, and while their menu changes daily, customers can expect a wonderful blend of cuisines in every bite.
photo from Satterfields Instagram
Crestline Bagel Company
Locations in Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village, Cahaba Heights, and Downtown
Jennifer Yarbrough, Co-owner of Crestline Bagel. Photo from Style Blueprint
Crestline Bagel Company has been serving the community of Birmingham for over 20 years. Crestline is the perfect spot for pre-work breakfast. They offer an array of different bagels, made daily. As a sucker for Bacon, Egg, & Cheese bagels, I can say this is an easy favorite place. Crestline’s menu extends past bagels as they offer wraps, sandwiches, salads, panini, or pizza bagels. You can’t go wrong ordering from here.
photo from Crestline Bagel Instagram
Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn
5831 1st Ave. North Suite 200
Birmingham, AL 35212
Tanesha Sims-Summers, Founder & CEO of NBN Kettle Corn
I don’t know about you but popcorn is one of my greatest weaknesses. I’m a huge movie lover, and a movie complete without a bowl of popcorn in hand. In recent years I’ve grown to appreciate kettle corn more than the butter covered popcorn at movie theaters. Naught but Nice Kettle Corn satisfies every popcorn craving you can imagine. 10/10 would recommend their salty & sweet kettle corn. However, if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous try their green apple pie or strawberry flavors. Either way, I can promise you that you will not regretting stopping by.
photo from Costarters
Automatic Seafood & Oysters
2824 5th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35233
Suzanne Humphries Evans, Co-Founder of Automatic Seafood. Photo from Bham Now
Here’s another James Beard nominated restaurant – a 2020 finalist for best new restaurant in the U.S. While relatively new to Birmingham, Automatic Seafood has amassed quite the reputation for its flavorful food, ambiance, and service. If you’re a seafood fan, this should be the first place you visit. I highly recommend their fish collar appetizer. It’s arguably my favorite thing I’ve eaten…ever. They are booked most of the time, so schedule ahead of time and reserve online. Automatic Seafood & Oysters reputation precedes them, and I cannot recommend this one enough.
Photo from the Automatic Instagram
Forge celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 with a virtual panel of 3 local female business leaders- you can view the recording of that event on our YouTube channel! If you’ve been working from home and find yourself struggling to be productive, consider coming in for a free day at Forge. With unlimited coffee and super fast wifi, you can be the most productive version of yourself in our workspace! Schedule a tour of Forge today.
Forge News and Updates |
In case you missed it, Monday, March 8, 2021 was International Women’s Day. We here at Forge love to celebrate women every day of the year, but we were especially excited to applaud all of the amazing accomplishments of women during our virtual celebration.
We wanted to champion the numerous contributions women, past present, and future made to society, while highlighting some female owned businesses here in Birmingham. We had the unique privilege of hosting a panel of three incredible, hard-working women to share a bit about their lives, experiences, failures, and more.
Our panel, led by Forge’s Founder and CEO, Kim Lee, includes:
As a new Intern at Forge, I have never been to our International Women’s Day celebration, so I was excited for this event. I gained a lot of insight and advice from hearing about their experiences, both personal and professional. While Kim and the panelists covered more questions and topics than I included in this blog, I wanted to highlight and recap the ones that I felt are most relatable.
Kim Lee, Founder & CEO of Forge
Choose to Challenge
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day Event was Choose to Challenge, and Kim started of the panel asking these women to discuss a time in their career when they ‘Chose to Challenge.’
Mindy started off the panel strong reminding me and everyone that Choosing to Challenge can be as grand or as simple as we want. However, she explains that while “we can choose to challenge…we also have to choose to hold ourselves accountable.” I think this is such an incredible reminder of how women are challengers, in every sense of the word, who have a powerful force of supporters holding them accountable and cheering them on along the way. Javacia encourages us choose to challenge by taking that leap of faith or that jump and “build[ing] [our] wings on the way down.”
Mindy Rohr, Director of Marketing at Bayer Properties
The panelists offer some advice, from their personal experience, about how to step into the unknown or make a change. Stepping away from security and comfort is never easy, neither is change. However, these women encourage us to take that risk.
Delphine Carter, Founder of Boulo Solutions
Javacia’s advice to us is to try to find the median between those differing passions – as there often is. If, for some reason, these passions do not align, Javacia encourages us to not give up on those passions, even if they become “hobbies.” Delphine reminds us that no decision is permanent and if things don’t work out that’s okay – nothing is set in stone. Mindy wraps up this question encouraging women who want to change up their careers to have conversations, ask questions, and network.
Javacia Harris Bowser, Founder of See Jane Write
These women offer up some reassurance for those busy moms who may be struggling to balance all of the different hats women have the privilege of wearing. Delphine reminds us how important it is for us, as women, to give ourselves grace and put less pressure on ourselves.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay! You are not alone, and there are women all around the world feeling the same way as you.
Since I couldn’t include everything that they covered on Monday, I highly encourage you to watch the entire Virtual Celebration with these inspirational women. As a soon to be graduate entering into the work force, I’m honored to learn from these women, and so many like them, so I can step into the workforce more confident and prepared.
If you’re anything like me, you are wanting to hear and learn more from these three women. Well, it is your lucky day because now you can!
In an exclusive podcast, Kim asks the panelist to take a moment to share about their failures and the lessons they’ve learned from them. While I would love to recap all of that here, I would be writing far more than you’d want to read. To hear more about these women’s experiences with failure, head over to the Building Birmingham Together podcast on Spotify and Apple.
We encourage you to choose to challenge yourself by networking and making more connections. Join us for our weekly virtual networking meetings on Tuesdays from 12:00-1:00pm. Find out more about Connect!
To all of the women in our lives. Thank you for everything you do. We, and the world, would not be the same without you.
