Feature image: Roving Rainbow pictured in Fruitworks coworking space in Canterbury, Kent.

We like to make people smile and work with others who do the same. We love working with positive people and organisations and making a difference through our campaigns. We recently decided to add a little symbolism into the mix. So, we bought a Jellycat rainbow, who we’re calling ‘Roving Rainbow’, but who will have bonus names too (we’ll come on to that). Roving Rainbow is getting out and meeting people and, as smiling rainbows who can hug apparently do, cheer them up. The rainbow is also a symbol of radiance and inclusivity.

We had the idea for Roving Rainbow when we were thinking about the journey people starting up in business go on (we’re weird like that). Often, founders of small businesses can move from idea to side-hustle, to working from a bedroom or study in a home, or a cafe, to coworking spaces, rentable offices, and – when you get rather more massive – bespoke, fully owned headquarters. Hence Roving Rainbow’s first destination being Fruitworks coworking space in Canterbury, where business people and others come to find the focus and #headspace to succeed. Or a good environment to perform, instruct and learn, with other like-minded people.

The coworking or flexible workspace in that journey can be a key stage, where the distractions and dysfunction of working from home are replaced by working from a purpose-built or adapted business facility where focus is truly possible and you can meet like-minded people. As we first learned from Aimee, Jaya, and Sophie at Newman Flexible Workspace in Bromley, the welcome by staff is one of the aspects of a coworking space that sets the tone,

Roving Rainbow’s label name is ‘Amuseable Rainbow’, To us, he, she, or they are more flexible than that. As Roving Rainbow roves, there will be temporary Rainbow names inspired by others. Friendly people who are up for a bit of fun and a picture! So, at Fruitworks, Roving Rainbow became Shannon Rainbow, after the smiling coffee shop waitress pictured above. More will be coming, if they are up for the distinction! One of the lovely staff in Newman Flexible Workspace in Bromley, and Community Manager George at Islandworks in Sheerness. There are more images from Fruitworks, including Shannon Rainbow having a cup of coffee, below. Plus Tony and Paul, management at Fruitworks, and just as welcoming as the cafe staff.

Part of our journey has involved communicating new ways of working, progressing from bedrooms to boardrooms, and from working from home to working flexibly. So the importance of these locations, and the existence of support organisations such as the Federation of Small Business (FSB) and Enterprise Nation, and business networking groups, is all the more striking to us. So too is the importance of inspiring figures, fun, and positivity. Who and where is your Rainbow?

We’ll be having fun with Roving Rainbow. Watch out for these hashtags: #RovingRainbow and #RainbowWho.