On an unseasonably warm March day in Minneapolis, I took my lunch to the rooftop deck of my coworking office, chasing blue skies and sun. Only one other person was up there—Janahan Rajaratnam, who owns a software company called Valari Solutions. We’d never spoken before, which wasn’t unusual. After two years as a member of Life Time Work, I barely knew anyone.
As Jan and I talked, we realized we shared the same thought: This rooftop was one of the best parts of our membership—so why wasn’t anyone else using it? Wouldn’t it be great if more members came up here and connected?
That day, we gave ourselves a new assignment. We’d host a monthly rooftop happy hour with snacks, drinks and no agenda, just an open invite to anyone who wanted to come. We initially envisioned this as a summer activity, but since our inaugural event in April 2024, we haven’t missed a month.
What started as a one-off idea has turned into something reliable, even anticipated. In the process, I went from anonymous to familiar in the workspace. People know my name and where I’m traveling next. As it turns out, being part of a community was the missing ingredient in my solopreneur work-life recipe.
A space designed for connection
Jan and I both expected more organic networking when we joined this coworking office. While our community managers create ample opportunities to mix and mingle, members are often wired in and working.
“It just didn’t happen,” he says. “After we talked, it [was] like, ‘OK, if us two feel like this, there’s probably quite a few other people at that same space.’” So we decided to be the spark.
That initial conversation was unguarded. Neither of us had our laptops, and we weren’t trying to work—or even connect. We were just two people who happened to like sitting in the sun.
“It felt like, ‘Oh, I’m not disturbing you,’” Jan continues. “I can just stir up a conversation and see what happens.”
There’s something about the openness of the rooftop space that makes conversation easier. “There are no walls,” Jan points out. “People just go up there to relax. And so if somebody’s up there, they’re [probably] going to… be open to discussion.”
Routine—but with room to flex
At first, we chose a recurring date—the second Tuesday of the month—to make it easy to remember. We liked the rhythm of it. It gave us structure.
“We can plan around it,” Jan adds. ”We can put it on our calendars.”
Eventually, we experimented with different days and found that a little flexibility attracted different people. Sometimes we see 15 people, other times 25. There are always snacks and something to sip, and that’s enough. Because the format is informal and lightweight, it’s easy to pivot.
Even when winter came and we moved indoors to our workspace’s break room, the vibe stuck. It’s just a casual couple of hours once a month where people can stop by, have a drink and talk to someone they might not otherwise meet.
Early on, it was mostly Jan and I holding the space, welcoming people, making introductions and playing hosts. Now, Jan says, “every time we’re up there, more people know each other.” They jump in, make introductions and follow up on past conversations. It’s not just on us anymore. And that’s how we know it’s working.
Chris Hannan attended his first happy hour about a month after joining Life Time Work. Before he’d poured his second drink, he’d volunteered to host the next one.
“I thought it was valuable and fun,” he says. “We work hard, and just an hour or two out of your day once a month is [worth it]. There are a lot of like-minded people… [but] if you don’t get out of your comfort zone sometimes… you won’t get a chance to meet [them].”
He also reflects on the broader value of connecting with others in our coworking space. “Everyone’s story is a little bit different,” he says. “You [see] a lot of successful people, but everyone’s doing [things] a little bit differently, so it’s fun to network and learn that.”
A commitment to conversation
Jackie LaLonde, who’s been a member longer than I have, shows up often, even if it’s just for a few minutes. “I love people, and I love community,” she says. “And I think the more we interact with others and make more friends, the better our world is.”
She also finds the happy hour format conducive to practicing her conversation skills. “It’s good practice for me to get out and talk to people… in an environment where I don’t know people,” she says. ”I want to be a good example for [my kids].”
Both Chris and Jackie offered to co-host a happy hour without being asked. For her part, Jackie simply said, “You guys always do it…. Why should everything be on you? That doesn’t feel fair.”
Other members occasionally volunteer to take the lead, but Jan remains the anchor. He’s the reason we’ve never missed a month—and that consistency matters. “A lot of people know each other, and we feel good that it’s because of us,” he says.
As we rotate hosting, we also play with timing and location. While the rooftop draws the biggest turnout in warmer months, the break room also has its perks. People tend to hover around food, and the island counter creates a natural spot to mingle. Sometimes people who are just walking by decide to stop in, which leads to an easy, organic vibe.
Seen and supported
Pauline Roussel—Berlin-based co-founder of Coworkies, an organization that helps people build careers through coworking, and co-author of Around the World in 250 Coworking Spaces—has visited more than 570 coworking spaces across 70 cities. “Member-led events are usually more popular than the ones led by the coworking team,” she says. “Members want to support members.”
Roussel also shares an anecdote about a member who needed teaching hours for her yoga certification and asked if she could provide free classes. She told the member, “’I would love for you to do it,’” but warned her that they had tried a few times and it had never worked. “You cannot imagine how people showed up when she posted it on the Slack. There were so many people coming,” Roussel says.
Later, Roussel asked members why the turnout was so different than when the team had previously offered yoga. Because this woman was part of a community, people wanted to support her. “We know her,” they told Roussel. ”We want to help her.”
Roussel’s words echo what I’ve felt but hadn’t quite named. When I started attending these events, I felt more visible, seen. Now, people notice when I’m not around—and when I am, they take the time to pause for conversation.
From isolated to connected
Originally, I didn’t set out to build a community—I just connected with someone I didn’t know while sitting on the roof deck. But that small decision made my coworking space feel more alive, more mine.
Our monthly happy hours continue. They’ve turned a shared office into something far beyond what it once was: a community that is entirely unreplicable.
Photo by Gorgev/Shutterstock.com
