Innovative Entrepreneurs Hub is a new black-owned workspace providing offices for collaborative and creative projects. Located near LAX Airport, the work hub opened its doors on Feb. 4.
Rashunda Rene, founder of Innovative Entrepreneurs Hub, grew up right here in Los Angeles and had a long career working in corporate America. She worked in payroll compliance and human resources departments, where she learned about owning and operating businesses. With this knowledge, Rene started working for herself on the side as a business coach and consultant. Frustrated with meeting clients at book stores and coffee shops, Rene began researching office space options.
“I was going to bookstores and coffee shops to meet clients, but those places were crowded and loud. I wanted something quieter and more professional,” said Rene. “After a lot of research, I found that there is a model out there that would help me, and people like me. It was a way to work smarter, pull my resources, and provide a creative space.”
The Innovative Entrepreneurs Hub didn’t get built over night. It took four years of planning and researching before the doors opened. The space is now full of different rooms including individual work areas, collaborative work spaces, conference rooms with HD screens, and a greenscreen room for video and photo shoots. There is also a kitchen area with coffee, tea, a refrigerator, and microwave.
One aspect that sets the Innovative Entrepreneurs Hub apart from other workspaces are the business workshops offered to both members and non-members. The company offers five to seven workshops a month on different aspects of business, including marketing, securing government contracts, profit strategies, branding, taxes and accounting, legalities, and more. Many of the workshop speakers are also people of color who work in business.
“There are a lot of models that don’t really cater to our needs as people of color owning businesses. We have our own struggles that are different from others and I want to be able to offer those resources and networks,” said Rene. “We actually started off doing workshops in the community at different locations a year and a half ago. A really big piece of our mission is allowing our members to grow in their business.”
Photo Credit: Prin Mayowa
The hub offers different memberships that include workspace and admission to the workshops, but there are also a lot of options for nonmembers. Offices can be rented daily along with the greenscreen room and conference rooms. The entire space can also be rented out for events. Memberships start at $99 per month and daily passes start at $30. Meeting rooms start at $20 an hour and the workshops are $25 without membership. The space is open for work from 9a.m. to 7p.m. Monday through Friday and 9a.m. to 6p.m. on Saturday. It can be rented for events on Sundays and after hours.
“Innovative Entrepreneurs Hub is a cost-effective workspace. We’re very collaborative, very community focused, and we offer additional business services from business consulting, developing, branding, and more. For us, it’s about being able to help people with their business in a 360 manner,” said Rene.
Rene is offering a free Coworking Day tomorrow, March 8, for women in celebration of Women’s International Day. She is inviting all women to come out to see the professional, sleek workspace and collaborate. Make sure to RSVP for International Women’s Day Free Coworking Day on Eventbrite.com. For more information about membership or the various workshops this month, visit www.innovativeentrepreneurshub.com.
