Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone

A few months ago, Coroutine turned two and a half years old. We had spent those years working tirelessly at client sites, predominantly as subcontractors. All that effort did wonders for our balance sheet, but it wasn't going to get us anywhere important. You can build a profitable business through subcontracting, but you can't build a brand.

This wasn't a surprise. Our five year plan called for two or three years of subcontracting followed by two or three years of selling, managing, and executing our own projects. We had taken subcontracting about as far as it could go—it was time to make the transition.

Emerging

In May, our good friend Robert Taylor from Rasberry CRE showed us every non-traditional office space in Memphis. Unfortunately, that doesn't take very long in this city. Even still, we found two places we liked very much.

At the last minute, a friend recommended that we talk to Gwin Scott from EmergeMemphis. We, of course, knew of EmergeMemphis, and as young entrepreneurs, we were sympathetic to their goals. But we always thought EmergeMemphis was a incubator in the dotcom sense of the term. We weren't interested in sharing a stake in the company; we didn't need capital; and, we weren't up for lots of unsolicited advice from strangers.

Man, did we have it all wrong.

As it turns out, EmergeMemphis isn't an incubator at all but rather a home for early stage companies with high growth strategies. To our surprise, we were exactly the kind of company Gwin was looking to recruit. Coroutine had a strong business plan, a history of profits and good decisions, and that certain spark that gives a place like EmergeMemphis its defining character.

And what's more, EmergeMemphis is the rarest of entities—a truly, benevolent force. They don't take equity stakes in their member companies and they don't interfere where they're not wanted. Instead, they offer consistently great advice, some of the best commercial real estate in town, and a community of bright, energetic folks, all of whom want to see you succeed.

It was a no-brainer.

So, we're finally moved in. We've built a couple of gigantic whiteboards. Furniture has started to arrive. The network is coming together slowly but surely. We like the way things are shaping up.

Stop by and say hello.