Women Get Down to Business at Co-Working Studio

Embracing the mantra of collaboration, a new co-working studio designed for women by women is opening on San Vicente this month. Paper Dolls Studio, created by Palisadian Jen Mojo, offers access to a work environment designed both aesthetically and functionally to appeal to professional women that mean business.

From full-time tenant offices to monthly member drop-in desks to virtual office use, the studio flexes to meet the needs of each entrepreneur.

“At our core, we are looking to define the way women work together,” Mojo said. “I saw so many women who were seeking independence, flexibility and a way to stay connected.”

Mojo is tapping into a rising trend in co-working that allows entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers to work under the same roof, with access to WiFi, conference rooms, private offices and more.

The number of co-working spaces in America has gone from one to 781 since 2005 and increased 83 percent from 2012 to 2013, while co-working memberships increased 117 percent in that time, according to the most recent report by the NAIOP on workplace innovation.

Thanks to technological advancements, workers are now free to work independent of a corporate office – or even corporations themselves – but there is still a need for a reliable workspace and face-to-face collaboration, Mojo said.

Inspired by her own transition out of the corporate workforce, Mojo seeks to address that need in a way that is uniquely catered to what she calls “power women.”

What began as a series of well-curated dinner parties designed to facilitate real connections between professional women has evolved into a more permanent space where engaged, dynamic, collaborative, make-it-happen professional women can come to do business on their own terms.

“Our members come in all manners of style, from a variety of industries, but all believe that they define their future,” Mojo said. “I wanted to create a space that empowers women, redefines the way we network and creates a physical environment that facilitates it all.”

Mojo said she has seen many of the women in her life leave their corporate jobs to work from home for a variety of reasons, be it necessity or choice, a change in careers or simply to avoid the commute. Whatever the reason, she recognized that many of these women were beginning to feel isolated and were craving interaction and collaboration.

In an effort to find a solution for herself and others, she toured a number of co-working spaces in Los Angeles – only to find that they were either extremely corporate or had the overly open, grungy feel of a basement startup company.

“I noticed a huge gap in spaces for professional women,” Mojo said. “I saw a real need for space that was designed aesthetically and functionally for women. I wanted to create something close to home, somewhere safe and efficient – somewhere you can run errands and still get to work.”

Mojo settled on a lofted space in the heart of Brentwood, which has since been completely redesigned and retrofitted by women she connected with through her women’s networking group.

“From the drapes to the website design, I’ve been connected to all of these amazing women who have worked together to create this space,” said Mojo who said the offices aren’t frilly pink and purple. “When women are comfortable and supportive of each other, it’s not competitive; it’s collaborative and the environment we created is so positive.”