Here at the Seattle Metro Chamber, we have to 2,500 companies across the region and 13 different business sectors, from your favorite neighborhood restaurant to brands known around the world. We have started our new member feature program based on referrals. Please help us welcome Work and Play Lounge as our next member feature and tell us who we should feature next!
Margie Haywood, CEO of Work and Play Lounge, said her company uniquely provides work, podcast recording studio, branding photography, and kid-friendly spaces for remote professionals and entrepreneurs. It’s an all-in-one venue space with sweeping skyline views of downtown. It offers holistic business solutions to the community that support, prepare, and inspire people and small businesses to thrive.
How are you/is your business active in your community?
I’ve pursued breaking down barriers while building up communities! I am focused on creating holistic, productive, family-friendly, and inspiring work spaces and venues for work and play together outside of society’s normal racially divided boxes. We offer safe spaces that don’t divide the rich from the poor, the minority from the majority or the young from the elders. Through applying racial equity and inclusion in all we do, we are successful in attracting a diversity of people, which fosters collaboration. I use my voice as a bridge between decision makers and communities to repair, uplift and encourage leadership growth for all.
What does your Chamber membership mean to you/your company?
Being a part of the Chamber has meant opportunities to meet new people and collaborate strategically on helping build the business economy in new, innovative, and diverse ways. It has been like having my own cheerleading squad, rooting me on, elevating my brand and supporting my advocacy work, which has helped me grow my confidence as a businesswoman and speaker in new refreshing ways. Being part of the chamber will help me to continue to grow my vision, skills, strategies, and collaboration with others, which will help me accomplish my goals of increasing my funding sources, expansion, and furthering my mission of creating more for-profit businesses that invest in overlooked communities by providing safe spaces, jobs, resources and opportunities for others to advance.
What does an equitable and inclusive regional economy look like to you?
Although my model doesn’t fit in one industry box, this is the first Black, woman-owned co-working space in Washington state and one of 57 black-owned spaces nationally. This should not be the case. An equitable and inclusive regional economy would look like changing the qualifying criteria in banking and commercial leasing that has contributed to the generational wealth in the Black and Brown communities. Women are also hugely affected by these practices. Work and Play Lounge is taking an untraditional approach to close these gaps, by connecting people in our community with a support network to maximize their potential with low barrier access to not only resources but access to no-strings attached funds up to $500 to help with the basics business expenses, from headshots to marketing materials, that help open the doors to business growth.
Thank you to Work and Play Lounge for being part of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce network.
If you would like to learn more about how to be featured in our member features series, please contact Cori Lumens.