Office Space, a New-School Web-Programming Geek, and a Business Name
After close to three years of working out of my home in my pajamas I am finally ready for a change, and a move up. I am planning on taking the plunge and moving into an actual work space. You know, a space dedicated only to work? Not also to laundry and cooking and movie watching and child-rearing? My own creative space (drool).
Well, not just my own. I am teaming up with someone else. A secret-identity project manager, business-type guy. So I don’t have to take care of all the business! And if the space sharing goes well, we plan on forming a full-fledged startup company! It’s very exciting!! In the mean time, we are in need of three things – eight others to share the space with, a new-school web-programming geek and, eventually, a new business name. If you live in the East Bay of the San Francisco area and are looking for space, check out what we have to offer and drop me a line. If you are a new-school web-programming geek and you’re looking to team up with, say, a designer/coder and a business guy, definitely let me know. If you have any name ideas, please, please, please sumbit them in the comments – it’ll be fun!
If You Are Interested In Sharing Space With Us
This is our posted Craigslist ad, verbatim:
Share a 1400 square foot studio in the historic Strawberry Creek Design Center, a community of creative businesses which overlooks a park and sits alongside Strawberry Creek. The office is all set up with workstations and shelves – so you need only bring a chair and your computer. Utilities and wireless internet connection are included in the price, and Cafe Zest is right downstairs.
We are two young web development professionals seeking to share office/studio space with eight other creative individuals in the web industry and beyond – designers, coders, writers, project managers, developers, etc. Bonus points if you are especially interested in working in the green/sustainable/progressive sectors, or if you feel passionately about web standards.
We are looking to create a very cool, friendly, work environment – where energy and ideas are shared and exchanged … an atmosphere that is conducive to personal happiness at “work†as well as professional growth and discovery.
If interested, please contact Mani at 925|914.0741 to set up an interview.
(The below pictures are of the space as it currently is. Once the present occupants vacate it will be clutter-free)
If You Are A New-School Web-Programming Geek
We need a programmer – someone who can help us with the down and dirty; someone on the cutting edge, who knows what’s going on in the world of development, but truly wants to do things the right way and has developed a core competancy while seeking to expand and grow; also someone that’s social and can play nice with the other geeks. Basically, I’m looking for me, but a programmer. We’re also looking for someone local. Please drop us a line if you think you might be that person.
If You Have Any Brilliant Ideas About A Business Name
Ok, so we are probably putting the cart before the horse a bit here, seeing as how we haven’t even secured the space yet and are far from becoming an official company, let alone having an outlined business plan, but choosing a name is one of the most fun parts! We are looking for a name that will reflect some of our interests and passions:
- Helping businesses to develop an entire web strategy
- A possible focus on e-commerce
- Usability
- Wanting to work in the green/sustainable/progressive sectors
- Absolutely loving web standards and current best practices
- Creating sites that are truly beautiful as well as functional
- Innovation in online strategies, applications, or content management systems
- In general, a sense of joy in our work, and in doing what’s best for our world, our clients, and the web in general (lofty goals but, hey, why not?)
That’s A Wrap!
Wish me luck everyone … I’m really looking forward to this new phase of professional development!
June 20th, 2006 at 9:41 am
Congratulations, Mani! That’s a big step!! I have every confidance that you’ll succeed marvelously at it. =)
Too bad I’m on the East Coast – I would LOVE to have a chance to work with you!!!
Best of luck in your new adventure, and I look forward to finding out who this “secret identity” guy is.
As far as a name goes … how about Veridian something or other? Like Veridian Design? Veridian Studio? Or other names of green – you went to art school, right? There are probably tons of them. Have fun trying to come up with just the right thing.
June 20th, 2006 at 9:55 am
Wow! Your office space looks really nice and relaxing- if only I was ten years older, a designer and lived in the USA.. hah.
(That blue sky too! Makes a change to the grey rain here.)
I like Suzan’s idea above of Veridian to represent green. Is Azure a shade of green? I can’t decide whether it’s blue or green. No, from the looks of google’s image results it’s blue. Hah.
Well, good luck!
June 20th, 2006 at 10:34 am
Wow … this is a trip!
Last night I was thinking about all the names for various shades of green, remembering back to my painting days when I probably had 15 or so various paint tubes all labeled some different form of green. Veridian is the name that stuck out for me. I love the V sound. And, although it is a name for green, it is sort of a “techie” sounding name for green. I was planning on suggesting it to Secret-Identity-Guy today.
But … the plot thickens! When I read him the post, he said that Veridian was a name that he had contemplated for his company last year when he was traveling in New Zealand!
Meant to be? Perhaps it really is that easy? It may well be … but in the mean time, feel free to keep the suggestions coming. =)
June 20th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
CONGRATULATIONS, MANI!!!!! I’m so excited for you, and I’m a big fan of the name Veridian too (though I can’t say that I dreamt about it last night or had any crazy visions before reading your post).
June 20th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Jenny: Wanna come work with us and be my prodigy?? =)
June 20th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Hey Mani! I like your exciting new plans a lot! Good luck with everything. Veridian sounds a little bit like Verizon to me, but otherwise seems cool. Maybe you could look up French and Italian words for green.
Good luck!
Miranda
June 21st, 2006 at 8:09 am
Very cool, Mani!
I’ve actually been to an office in that building and the pictures don’t do it justice. That place is really awesome!
As far as the name goes, how about Strategic Designs? Oh wait … that’s already taken. Strategic Design Group? Oh, already taken too. Dang, and both those websites suck!
Anyway, good luck with everything.
June 22nd, 2006 at 6:28 pm
Mani, that’s wonderful!
Best of luck with all your ventures. If you’re toying with the “green” theme what about Celadon (though it may sound like something from the Cretaceous Period ‘:~.
much love!
P.S. green in Arabic is akhDar, in case you were wondering ;~)
June 25th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Well, I think Suzan really got it right with Veridian. Professional, peaceful, and green. It’s got everything.
Congratulations on your new office, it looks great!
August 14th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Mani,
What a beautiful site this is. And very helpful. Thank you for the tips. Am I too late to give an idea for the company name? I only just found your site today.
I didn’t want to take away from the nice “Veridian” idea. How about this for a twist, though? Verdesign. Or VerDesign. Or something similar. “Verde” means green in both Spanish and Portuguese, and the end of the word verde fits in nicely with the beginning of the word design.
As a bonus, “ver” means “to see” (in both Span. and Port.), giving extra meaning to the name Verdesign. “See green design.” And what if you made part of the logo a sea green color? Sea green design. That would be crazy.
Thanks again for your helpful site.
November 14th, 2008 at 10:24 am
so mani – did you guys ever decide on a name? :)
November 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Sarah – We went with Creative Flux (http://creativeflux.net/) … but never went through with the project because we got scooped up by a small company called Deluxe Digital Media (http://www.ddmweb.com/), which I have since left. I like being my own boss!!
November 14th, 2008 at 10:57 am
wow … i’m way behind in things!
btw, mani … is there a way i can subscribe so i can be alerted when comments are made on your blogs after comments i wrote? does that make sense? i’ve been trying to retrace my steps to see which of your blog entries i commented on. and my memory is not so good! :)