Kris Jordan

One of the keys to starting-up is to do things with as low of costs as possible. “Keep costs down”, “don’t spend money”, “improvise” they say. How do you do it, though? How do you find a space to work, which you can call home, that is comfortable, energizing, and respectable? Jobs & Wozniak did it in a garage. Others use dorm rooms and apartments. My choice was an incubator. An incubator is a space with shared utilities, conference room, resources, and full of single offices. Not only are you surrounded by entrepreneurs, but the staff is an incredible resource for connections to lawyers, accountants, etc. you name it.

Once you have the space, how do you make it look professional without spending tons of money? Folding tables have been used in other start-ups, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t bring myself to work off of a folding table. First of all, their dimensions are set. Either it works in your space or doesn’t. Second of all, for a decent one they’re sufficiently expensive. Most of all, they’re ugly. I wanted the best looking space I could create for the least amount of money.

So I built my tables. One piece of plywood, one piece of MDF, a 2×2 rod, some really cheap/thin plywood, a finishing lip, screws, finishing nails, and some paint. Total cost, around $125. Result: two really sturdy 8′x2′ long flat surfaces with a glossy black finish that fit my space perfectly and, for the price, look really good. Pictures soon.

What about the whiteboard? It’s 8′x4′. It’s called white shower tile board and they sell it at Home Depot and Lowes for around $14 a pop. That’s cheap. Sure it doesn’t have a frame or a tray but compare it with $100 for something packaged as a whiteboard and it’s a great solution.

The last method I used for turning an 11′x9′6″ room into a decent working space is paint. Beige walls are so uninspiring. My strategy was bright on two walls and light on the other two. When I say bright I mean green screen bright. Limolicious from Lowes. Paint isn’t super cheap but it is magical for bringing life to a room. Be bold with it.

If you’re ever looking to work in a space with low cost and high quality, those are my top suggestions.