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Date: 11/20/2023
NORTHAMPTON — When Jeanette Walker takes a business call in her home office, chances are her 12-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever is in the room keeping her company. But as cozy as that is, Walker, a health counselor, misses the energy and enthusiasm in an actual office.
“By working alone, I don’t have the camaraderie of other people, so that’s one reason working in an office setting would be a nice option,” she said. “I would like more in-person contact, but as a startup, I won’t have office space until I can build up the business.”
Walker is part of The Sphere Northampton, an organization connecting women and nonbinary entrepreneurs with the contacts and financial resources they need to establish and grow their businesses.
The Sphere has announced it is receiving a $100,00 grant from MassDevelopment in Springfield to match $100,000 in donations — money, products and services—the group raised earlier this year. The money will be used to renovate part of the historic Parsons Block in downtown Florence, turning it into 1,000 square feet of modern office space.
Up-and-coming female and nonbinary entrepreneurs, who are now conducting business on personal cell phones and in their homes, will be able to use the space for free. The new office setting is being billed as the Sphere Innovation Lab and will offer formal phone lines, desks, cubicles, conference rooms, equipment for Zoom calls, microphones for producing podcasts and cameras for creating marketing material.
“It will be space for business owners to work and to collaborate,” said Megan Allen, co-founder of The Sphere Northampton. “This will give these businesses a space where they can have a physical mailing address that’s not their house. They can have a phone number that’s not their own cell phone number, and they can have access to business services. This will add a level of professionalism to their businesses.”
Renovations to the building are expected to begin in January, with the space opening to business owners by April, said Allen.
The Sphere Northampton is on its way to becoming an official nonprofit organization. For now, it is part of the Downtown Northampton Association. Research and operations are funded by $225,000 in grants from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
The Sphere has just completed a survey of 270 female and nonbinary business owners in the region and Allen said the results show these entrepreneurs are facing prejudice and barriers to key resources.
“Women and nonbinary business owners traditionally lack access to financial resources such as loans and other support readily accessible to white men,” said Allen. “When you’re the only woman sitting at the table, you may not be getting the same attention or weight as other people in the room. We’re looking at those barriers to success and trying to put pieces into place that remove those barriers and allow women and non-binary owned businesses to succeed.”
Banding together in the Innovation Lab is one way the group is trying to overcome obstacles. Gathering in salons is another approach.
“We call our events salons as an homage to the salons of the 18th century when women used to invite others into their living rooms to have heady conversations because they weren’t necessarily allowed to do that outside of the home,” said Allen. “We host events where people can come together, break bread and engage in learning.”
The Sphere Northampton is trying to “bolster economic development and promote a more equitable business environment in Northampton,” according to a statement on the organization’s website. Allen said supporting women and nonbinary entrepreneurs is good for everything from the labor market to charities.
“Sometimes people don’t take us seriously, and we found lots of research about women owned businesses and how they tend to have more jobs, hire locally and put more money back in the local economy.”
As Walker works to get her nutrition counseling business off the ground, she’s relying on the help of other women. It’s her first venture as an entrepreneur, and she’s finding value in being part of The Sphere’s circle of like-minded business owners.
“I’m coming from nonprofit and state work,” said Walker. “What The Sphere is offering is really invaluable to new entrepreneurs. I’m excited to be part of the group.”