Five Years of The Pearl Works: What I’ve Learned
And just like that, it’s been five years since we opened our doors. What a journey it has been.
Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in five years of tending The Pearl Works.
The simple things can have a big impact.
I’ve gone through seasons of doubting the impact we have at The Pearl Works. Seasons where I felt like I had something to prove, like we needed more events, more impact, more work. What I’ve learned is that the simple things often have the most impact. A good morning hello when you walk through our doors. A simple invitation to step away from the computer and connect with other humans over a cozy beverage. A chance to share what you’re working on.
There are so many incredible people who work within these walls, and their presence and contribution are what make TPW unique.
You don’t have to do it alone.
For the first three years, I ran TPW mostly solo (with some incredible support from my family), and by the end of that stretch, I was BURNT OUT. The vim, vigor, and excitement I used to pour into The Pearl Works had faded, and no amount of external validation could cut through the fog.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to have incredible team members and supporters join The Pearl Works. I’m deeply grateful for each one of them, no matter how long they were with us, because I learned sooo much from every single one. Stepping from solo operator into leader is a steep learning curve. But after a lot of trial and error, I know in my bones that The Pearl Works isn’t meant to be tended by my hands alone. This space and this community need the time, energy, and care of other talented people who see the value of physical spaces where people can connect, learn, and grow.
There will always be curveballs, and what a gift they are.
I used to get really thrown off by curveballs, and I was hard on myself for not anticipating or controlling them. Now I know they’re part of the process of learning to build and create in this world. Every curveball, mistake, and mishap over the last five years has been my curriculum in learning how to build, create, and lead a business. As uncomfortable as they can be, each one has shown me exactly what I needed to see about myself, about our operations, and about the people we serve. What a gift it is to have experiences that show me what I don’t yet know and where I have room to grow.
It’s okay to want to grow.
When we first opened, people often asked whether we planned to grow and open more locations. At the time, my answer was a firm NO. I wanted us to be a small community coworking space.
Looking back, I can see how scared I was. Scared to admit what I didn’t yet know how to do. Scared of who I’d have to become to hold a bigger vision with greater impact. Part of me judged scale and believed that growing would mean losing the meaningful community weaving we do here.
Now I see that I really do want to grow The Pearl Works. I want more people to experience the magic of a community space that is human, supportive, collaborative, and creative. A space where builders, doers, and remote professionals can come together and know they’re not alone in what they’re doing. I want to build a business that creates real value for our members and guests, and I want that value to flow back as abundance for me, my family, and the team we’re building here. I’m learning that for The Pearl Works, growing regionally is a key part of creating that overflow.
I can’t control how this unfolds.
I used to think success in business meant planning out every little thing. Architecting the arc of our growth and pushing, pushing, pushing to make it happen. But The Pearl Works has its own will and its own desire to support this community, to grow, and to hold and nurture the visions that want to be created on the Monterey Peninsula. I can influence, contribute to, nourish, and cultivate that vision. I can show up for all the learning it takes to bring it into reality. But I can’t control it.
We’re five years in, and we’re just getting started.
Our mission is undergoing a bit of a metamorphosis. These five years have been a whole lot of trial and error. We’ve learned along the way, and now we’re reweaving our structural foundation and deeply listening to what this community needs in preparation to grow.
Cheers to another five years of The Pearl Works. I hope you’ll join us on Friday, October 23rd for our celebration party!