Sarah Arnold“Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Most of us believe in the power of collaboration, but one local business is taking the idea to the next level. Located on Front Street in Downtown Marietta in a newly renovated historic building, IncSwell is a collaborative co-working space where entrepreneurs, small businesses, and creatives can come together to scale their passion. Focused on growing and encouraging economic development in the Mid-Ohio Valley, IncSwell offers space to individuals and organizations on a daily, monthly or annual basis. Last month, Clutch MOV decided to call IncSwell home.
“It’s such a great opportunity for the storytellers of the MOV to work directly alongside the movers and shakers in community development for our region,” said Cristie Thomas, Communications Director for Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Outreach Manager for Clutch MOV.
While co-working spaces are more common in larger cities, the need is just as great in communities like the Mid-Ohio Valley where small businesses are primary employers and many residents have the ability to work from home. The convenience of working remotely is often balanced with employees feeling isolated or distracted by family members. A co-working space is a cost-effective way for an individual to have more control over their workplace, without paying for a full-fledged office. Shared amenities, like smart conference rooms, secure access, and high-speed internet add to the appeal.
“I love that [IncSwell] is a space for collaboration. Downtown rental space does not come cheap, which makes it difficult for many nonprofits and small businesses to maintain a presence in the center of everything,” said Angela O’Curran, Clutch Writer and Photographer. “Having this space – a shared, community atmosphere – is inspiring, both for what we do here, as well as the potential to continue building up downtown.”
The building, beautifully renovated by Sixmo, Inc., has three floors available for shared used. While the first and third floor are dedicated primarily to co-working space, the second floor (or the creative floor) offers 1,200 square foot of wide open space, ideal for photographers, videographers, yoga classes, private events – really, any activity that benefits from a lack of walls. 
In addition to the co-working environment, IncSwell has plans to offer incubator and accelerator programs to entrepreneurs and businesses here in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
“I believe competition drives innovation. If you have no competitors, then you have no innovation. You have complacency. You have poor customer service. You have blighted properties. And most unfortunately, you have the next generation of leaders learning to rinse and repeat from the same tired old playbook,” said Jared Perry, Owner of IncSwell and Principal of Sixmo, Inc. “IncSwell fills that competition void by encouraging entrepreneurs and small business owners to make that leap. To bridge the gap between “I think I can” to ‘I got this.’ IncSwell amplifies the key metric in all of this which is, in business, it doesn’t matter how much money your competition has – it matters how much competition there is. The top has to keep innovating or else the deck gets shuffled.”
Clutch MOV is excited to see what ideas, projects, and collaborations develop under the roof of 204 Front Street. Our staff knows that amazing things happen when you bring together talented, passionate individuals. Our team is collaborative by nature, continuously partnering with organizations across the Mid-Ohio Valley to uplift the people, projects, and places that makes this place special. You’ll find our new digs on the first floor, near the back patio, often occupied in the early morning and late evenings hours as we work to bring the stories of the MOV to you!