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Meet Marguarette Diep of 3411 Coworking

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Marguarette Diep.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Marguarette. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Although I was born and raised in the metro Atlanta area, I had moved away for over 12 years and moved back at the end of 2016. I had just gotten married and wanted to be closer to the family. In the 12 years I was gone, I went to grad schools, worked as a consultant across the US, in Asia, and a little in the Middle East. I quit all that and started and ran my own nutrition bar business for 5 years. I learned so much from that experience. That business got sold off and I ended up starting an e-commerce business selling home and garden products.

At the time I moved back, I was looking for a space to run my e-commerce business, but I was hoping to also find a space where I could start a coworking space. I missed working with and being around other entrepreneurs and hadn’t found that network in Atlanta yet. Through my search, I stumbled upon Chamblee. I immediately fell in love with the character and charm of the city and found a place for what would become 3411 Coworking. It took 8 long months to get the space to where I wanted it to be for other coworking members, but we finally opened in the fall of last year.

The space is unique in that it has amenities that are geared towards creatives and those with e-commerce or product-related businesses. 3411 Coworking has warehouse space and a photo studio, which you won’t find in many other coworking locations. Hearing about what my members have been working on is one of my favorite things about running a coworking space.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely had its ups and downs. My first real struggle was just figuring out what I wanted to do and what I actually enjoyed. When I was a consultant, I was doing cool projects with large companies and got to travel a ton, but I found that I was dragging myself into work every morning. I tested the entrepreneurship waters when I started and ran my own nutrition bar business and I was hooked. It was so much harder than consulting but so much more rewarding. It started with baking bars in my kitchen and opening up a stand at the local farmers market. I then found a partner I trusted and together we toiled away at the business for 5 years.

I learned so much from this experience. We went through multiple iterations of the product to try to get it right… each time feeling let down that the previous version wasn’t a success. I would watch customers make faces because they didn’t like the flavor or they thought the concept was too weird. It was disheartening, but it was clear we had more product development to do.

Overall we revamped the product line 4 times. We gained major accounts but also lost major accounts because of sales performance. I learned to cold call and got rejected multiple times a day. Some days were draining, but some days were exhilarating. Overall, I learned I loved running my own business, but not in food and not in traditional retail. This revelation is what led me to my home and garden e-commerce business. These were products I loved and a channel I felt comfortable selling through. The other thing I unintentionally learned was that being around other entrepreneurs really fueled me. Everyone is hustling and doing what they can to build their businesses. I loved the problem solving and sharing of experiences.

Opening up the coworking space also came with its challenges. Renovation of a large commercial space and working with local authorities, contractors, and designers to get it done came with ups and downs, mostly in the form of delays and additional cost to the budget. We had to delay opening by months due to these issues. I was so engrossed in the renovation I realized I had done little to market the coworking space to let people know we were here! We were hustling to try to get the word out as fast as we could. If I ever open another space, I will never make that mistake again.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
3411 Coworking is in the heart of downtown Chamblee. A vibrant community that we’re really proud to be a part of. Like most coworking spaces out there, we have desk space and private office space. We offer coffee, meeting rooms, reliable wifi, and printing. Some unique elements about our space is in our warehouse, which our members take advantage of. One of our members is an interior designer that stores furniture and decorations for eventual installs.

We have a member who is a graphics designer that also does t-shirt printing and stores his shirts here. Another element of our space that’s different is our photo studio. We have a cyc wall where photographers or business owners can rent the space for photo needs. This area also has a green screen for video production! With more businesses creating their own content, this is a great, flexible space for them to do this.

I think what I’m most proud of is the variety of local startups and businesses we have in the space. We have a structural engineering company, graphics designers, interior designer, writers, colorist, market researchers, labor staffing, and brand content producers to name a few. So many different businesses and they’re all kicking butt while also raising kids and taking care of their family. We want to do everything we can to support them.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like it’s a perfect place to start a business like mine, and you can see it in the stats. There are many coworking spaces popping up not just in town, but around Atlanta.

Atlanta has such a rich talent pool and new businesses are starting up all time. With that, they need a flexible and affordable workspace. Not only do coworking spaces offer a professional environment at a relatively lower cost than traditional offices, they also offer networking opportunities for business owners, which can contribute to their business growth.

Pricing:

  • Coworking/Flexible Membership – $95-200 per month
  • Dedicated Desk Membership – $325-375 per month

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Harwell Photography (Jeremy Harwell)

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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