A recent article from the Houston Business Journal revealed that Houston is the second most expensive commute in the country.

The article references a study from EducatedDriver.org that measured how much workers will spend on vehicle operating costs and how many miles commuters will drive in a lifetime. The average lifetime cost for commuting in Houston? $174,314.

WorkLodge’s first pitch night followed Gabriel Week which highlighted FT5K, Mr. Thakur’s non-profit organization, which builds homes and provides schooling for orphaned children in India among other things.

The driving motivation for pitch night was to grant one very deserving non profit the chance to have their own office space for the year to focus on growth and developing their company to its max potential.

Ah, the sacred elevator pitch. This is it – your one opportunity to make a great impression on an investor, the key to the future success of your business.

Want to make sure you don’t blow your chance? Here are eight things investors never want to hear in an elevator pitch.

If you’ve been around WorkLodge recently, you’ve no doubt heard about Gabriel Week. It’s the culmination of our core mission.

“Changing Lives.” It may sound like a vague directive driven by positivity, but at WorkLodge, it is our DNA. It is our heart as a business to truly change the lives of others wherever possible. Sometimes it’s through large initiatives, but most of the time it’s through daily interactions we have with our Members, Partners, and Friends.

“Transformational coworking company is focusing on giving back in a big way.”

WorkLodge, a local coworking space that “changes lives” is announcing its first annual “Gabriel Week”, a week–long initiative to give to those less fortunate in a powerful way. As part of its mission to “be generous”, WorkLodge is giving one non-profit organization free office space for a year.

WorkLodge’s primary non-profit partner, The Gabriel Project, is an organization with a mission to help the ones that have been forgotten by society, both locally (in our own communities) and beyond (around the world). While building orphanages in third world countries – with plans to build more, the Gabriel Project is flying the flag to bring more awareness, while encouraging others to give back in their communities.

Staying lean and agile are important aspect’s to a growing startup. Profits are hard-won in the early years and it makes little sense to throw them away on expensive overhead. Any way to trim the proverbial fat without impacting performance and sales is welcome to young startup owners and entrepreneurs.

Should you lease an office space or work from home? In some cases, neither.

Looking for a coworking space may be the perfect flexible solution for startup owners concerned about their bottom line but who need some features generally provided by an office location.