Natural Affinities: Thinking Outside the Cubicle

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"MOST PEOPLE DON'T say they enjoy coming to the office," says Raj Aggarwal, president of Joint Concepts, a succesful design and business strategy company. "But I love it."

Aggarwal, his employees and about 30 other companies run their businesses out of Affinity Lab, a shared office space tucked away in a second-story unit above the bars and clubs of Adams Morgan. But this office isn't a sea of suits and ties waiting for Hawaiian-shirt Fridays, and it doesn't have mandatory conduct code reviews or co-workers silently counting down til 5 p.m.

In fact, it isn't even really an office. It's a home for designers, web developers, PR professionals, real estate agents, nonprofit workers, writers, thinkers and anyone who has an idea, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and who thrives on community.

But it's more than just small businesses sharing a same room. Affinity's designed to help a start-up or small business, by encouraging lab members to develop, connect and grow, together.

These "quality rascals" — as put lovingly by Affinity CEO Charles Planck — share not only a conference room and a printer, but also vendors, clients, advice, inspiration and each other's skill sets. The mix of entrepreneurs and small business owners turns every day at Affinity Lab into Hawaiian-shirt Friday.

Think of the Lab as the office for cool kids. Brightly colored walls bear local artists' works. A team of scruffy-yet-perfectly-coiffed Lab members collaborate and clack on their laptops on shared couches. Over at one desk, a documentary filmmaker is screening another Lab member's video. The office funny man redecorated the walls with posters of Butters, his favorite South Park character.

"This is a 'dream team' of enthusiastic and hungry entrepreneurs," says Planck. "It's easier to embark on your own dream if you're in a room with others doing just that."

Plank and Berit Oskey founded Affinity nine years ago after they started Articulated Impact, a web development firm. They ran the business out of Tryst Cafe, just a few stores down from where Affinity Lab is now. As their number of contracts grew, Plank and Oskey knew they needed to leave their adored coffee shop behind and get into a (gulp) office.

"We got the space and thought other companies may want to share it," says Planck. "There was a new creative entrepreneurial type in the neighborhood." They moved in, developed a business model, and started Affinity Lab. Through word-of-mouth, small business owners and curious freelancers began knocking.

Planck calls Affinity Lab "an entrepreneurial launch platform." "We are an on-ramp to becoming an entrepreneur, instead of leaping off a cliff," he says. "The common denominator is a 'pay it forward' mentality around here."

"I've heard the terms co-working, incubator and a shared office space," says Oskey. "I prefer 'thinking accelerator.'" Oskey and Planck ensure a tight-knit group by organizing meetings discussing anything from current events to political banter to griping/boasting about their respective projects.

"It's a collective of progressive minds, so conversations usually start off pretty basic and lead to a complex tangle of ideas," says Philippe Chetrit, the Lab director who rounds out Affinity's three employees. "Once we had a conversation about a member going to Comic-Con, which turned into a discussion of what kind of superhero we each are."

Affinity also uses an online networking site, named Ning, where Lab members share their projects and post tips for job efficiency, funny videos, interesting articles, and work requests, and locations for upcoming happy hours. Affinity hosts photography shows with art from its vendors. Its bands play in the office, throws themed parties, and even creates and produces an original DC learning festival, Learnapaloozadc.com/.

Who wants to venture to Affinity's land? "People who get lonely [working from home], and the cat starts talking back," says Planck.

But it's not just office-less freelancers who choose to work at Affinity.

Paul Scandariato, director and CEO of IntelliScanner Corporation, was thinking over brunch at the Reef about whether he could feasibly run his business out of D.C. with his team still in North Carolina. "They [Affinity] had a very faded sign at the time. All I could make out was "Affinity." I searched for it [online], and it became part of my decision to come to D.C."

Scandariato has been running his successful, three-office company out of his rented desk at the lab for more than a year and a half. "One of the disadvantages of running your own company is that everyone, well, works for you," says Scandariato . "At the Lab, nobody works for me - we're all in the same boat."

It's the "same boat" mentality that Affinity lives on. The mix of members means constant discussion, guidance, trusted contractor recommendations, input and feedback. Compensated consultation can be paid through the budget or over beer across the street, but the work that comes out of these alliances is nothing but professional.

"I feel like a spectator. It's amazing," says Chetrit, "They don't even know they're merging and collaborating."

Aggarwal came to Affinity knowing no one: "I was down on my luck, and I offered free design work for a shared desk." He went on to start a company that now spans three desks (with two or three employees sharing a desk). "As soon as I walked in, I got about 80 percent of my business." Raj attributes much of his success to the Lab's vibe: "The best thing is the language [here]. It's a vehicle to create effective change. When I came here, I met people using that language."

The language is about to become part of D.C. vernacular. Affinity has secured a lease near Union Station to open Affinity NOMA next year. "This is the way business will be done in the future," Chetrit says.

Regardless of Affinity's impact on the standard business models, one of the key components is enjoying oneself at work. "Sometimes you can't give all the benefits that an employee may need," says Aggarwal. "We make up for it by being in a fun office."

Written by Express contributor Robyn Mincher
Photos by Lawrence Luk for Express