What it's like to launch a freelance legal career, with freelance music lawyer Randy Ojeda

Melanie Marconi, founder and CEO of VIDA coworking space in Portland, Oregon, discusses why she went all-in coworking, why women need particular types of support, and why she feels it's important for freelancers to be with other people.
Find VIDA at www.vidacoworking.com
Melanie's bio: A longtime entrepreneur, philanthropist, and passionate advocate for change, Melanie Marconi is committed to helping women achieve their most ambitious personal and professional goals.

Melanie launched her first company, BDI Development Group, at the age of 23. This mission-driven company is a boutique consulting firm that provides fundraising, event planning, and strategy services to nonprofit organizations across the country. Since taking on the leadership role at BDI Events in 2004, Melanie has achieved annual business growth of 10% to 30% while setting and achieving long-term strategic goals, developing nationwide partnerships, and managing day-to-day company operations. Three years ago, she and her partners launched a spinoff business, Where Will They Stay?, to help clients find and secure custom hotel room blocks for their guests.

In 2017 Melanie was seeking a space for her growing team and realized that there was nothing available to support the day-to-day needs of working women like her and her colleagues. In early 2018, after receiving much social validation of her concept and vision, she committed to building and launching VIDA.

Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Communication, with an emphasis in Public Relations, from the University of Oregon. She is also active in the nonprofit community, having served as a volunteer, donor, and board member for several different nonprofit organizations around the country. She has also presented on productivity and work/life integration to a range of different audiences at workshops, conferences, and through podcasts and webinars.

Since becoming a single mom six years ago to her daughter, Ellie, Melanie has been searching for innovative ways to get the most out of each day. VIDA stemmed from her desire to have all of life’s daily needs in one beautiful space, surrounded by other inspiring women entrepreneurs.
Notable quotes from the episode:
"There's like this energy and productivity vibe that is created when a bunch of people are doing their thing in the same space, even if it's completely different things."