Susan Evans co-founder (and co-janitor) of Office Nomads, the new coworking space in Seattle, continues her story about coworking.

Then I tabled the idea, quit my job and traveled in southern and eastern Africa for 5 months. I had a spectacular time. The idea was to get out of my comfort zone I had created in Seattle and see what happened when I threw myself totally out of that comfort zone and into a new environment. I sought out a serious learning experience (oh and a bit of fun too, I didn’t forget that). I don’t think I realized it at the time, but I think it was a great testing ground for me to see if I could swing a serious change in my everyday life back in Seattle, and becoming a small business owner was an undertaking I wasn’t sure I could handle. Turned out that I loved the change in pace I found while traveling, and loved creating something new out of each day. I was working with what came to me each day and ensuring that days were filled with a blend between learning and celebrating my surroundings.

My travels were successful, thanks mostly to my incredible travel partner and friend who was kind enough to invite me out on such an adventure. This brought me another realization, and I think so much of my hesitation surrounding moving forward with starting a new business was the fact that I didn’t want to do it alone. I enjoy being an independent, confident person, but I work much better in a team. I’m not one for the solo life. I crave partnerships and while I was still out traveling, my traveling partner (who had returned home slightly before me) sent me an e-mail. She had just caught up with a good friend of hers back home in Seattle who was apparently starting up a business that sounded close to what I had described to her as my dream while we were out on the road together. Her friend was also conveniently looking for a partner. By the time I returned to Seattle, I had a meeting over coffee with this guy named Jacob.

Susan