Magazine publisher Jason Watson compared the Small Business Resource Center to a technological upgrade.
“It’s about like downloading an office app,” the newcomer to the center said from a facility conference room. He explained that he had been looking for what the complex offers but had not found it, and was about to give up a couple of weeks ago.
“In my frustration one day, the resource center came up third in a Google search. … I was down here in two hours, and the next day I showed up for work here. It was a no-brainer for me.”
Watson, who publishes Journey and Montgomery Parents magazines, said the decision to move from his home office was made easy by what the center offers: a shared conference room, receptionist, Internet, break room, printer, fax machine and other amenities that were just what he needed.
And there was another bonus that he couldn’t have planned on, but that other tenants already knew about: “The synergy created by entrepreneurs in the same room is something,” he said. “When you see others battle and try to create their dreams, it’s contagious.”
Businesses are able to rent office space ranging from 165 square feet up to 1,900 square feet at prices starting at $177 a month. The center is not only a traditional business incubator that houses many offices, but also includes a co-working space that facility manager Douglas Jones likens to a gym membership.
Recent innovations in technology make the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce facility, which once was the Courtesy Ford dealership, even more attractive compared with a traditional office. Because many modern businesses need less paper, files and equipment, smaller offices are more practical.
