There's been a lot of talk in the media lately a­bout a lot of topics we find pretty relevant to what we do here. The first is entrepreneurship. The second is co-working.

All over the world, from The Hague to Lima, entrepreneu­rs and freelancers alike are discovering the benefit of co-working. No longer banished to a corner of the home where distractions like laundry, Netflix, the loving clamour of children make it difficult to focus. So too the coffee shop where the cacophony of socializing strangers can prevent the achievement of "the zone". However, when a group of people all working on projects get together in a "co-working" space, specifically designed to mimic the comforts and focus-positive environment of the office without actually feeling like a traditional office, things get done. Connections are made between experts, amateurs and students benefit from the opportunity to ask for help, the development of a network comes natural. Put that network to work and ask Kevin Ciesielski what can happen. Bucketworks Entrepreneur's Greenhouse is designed for exactly that. All the comforts of an office - wifi, printer, fax, phone, mail delivery, downtown parking - on your terms, on your time. Want to learn more about how you can join the Bucketworks co-workers? Click here.

This proliferation of people willing to take risks to see their ideas come to fruition in Milwaukee is growing. The focus of our regional leadership is changing as their eyes turn to the creative and technology-related businesses and entrepreneurship. We think this is a step in a very positive direction.

Just south of us in Chicago is a really great example of the success of a creative and technology company,  skinnyCorp, an umbrella corporation dedicated to the creation of "interesting web communities." The company's most notable business is Threadless, an online social network and creative outlet for designers. “With the help of our community, Threadless selects and prints hundreds of amazing new designs each year awarding over one million dollars to artists around the world.” Other projects of skinnyCorp include NakedandAngry, YayHooray, and ExtraTasty. On August 6th, presented by Moander Law Firm and hosted by Bucketworks, Web414, and Spreenkler; Chief Technical Officer of skinnyCorp, Harper Reed will speak. Reed bills himself as “an engineer and architect heavily involved in social networks and open source development.” We think you'll find this an amazing opportunity to see what can happen when an entrepreneurial and creative web business really finds a foothold and takes off.

But outside these walls there's something really cool going on:

Movies on the Square at Bayshore Town Center

Click on the images below for more information on events

Wait Until Dark FINAL WEEKEND! July 25 & 26 8:00pm, Three sinister con men converge on a Greenwich Village apartment to retrieve a doll stuffed with a fortune in heroin. Susy, a blind woman who has unwittingly come in possession of the doll, is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse. But Susy knows she can level the playing field … if only she can WAIT UNTIL DARK. Starring Ruth Arnell, Matthew Patten, Brian Richards, Gloria Loeding. Randall Anderson, and Nate Press. WAIT UNTIL DARK is a production of Mark Hooker’s Spiral Theatre, directed by Doug Giffin. Performance dates are July 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8:00.

Web Design Meetup - Web Storefront Roundtable Thursday, July 24 7:00pm Web Design Meetup is designed to connect web designers in the Milwaukee area! Come to this Web Design Meetup to compare tools, languages, and techniques; trade advice on careers, rates, and freelancing; and share cool websites. Make valuable contacts as you mingle with new friends!

skinnyCorp Speaks Wednesday, August 6 5:30pm Chief Technical Officer of skinnyCorp, an agency apart in the field of internet design and commerce using democracy and community to build interest networks, Harper Reed will speak about skinnyCorp and its projects. Presented by Moander Law Firm and hosted by Bucketworks, Web414, and Spreenkler. skinnyCorp is an umbrella corporation for the creation of “interesting web communities” including Threadless, an online t-shirt retailer and community of designers which select the best designs for printing and sale. Other projects of skinnyCorp include NakedandAngry, YayHooray, and ExtraTasty.

Web414 Meeting Thursday, August 14 7:00pm The Web414 group consists of amateurs and
professionals interested in building and improving the web today and in
the future. We are a diverse group including designers, programmers,
publishers, and entrepreneurs - all with a common interest in creating
the new web.

Professional Member Potluck Sunday, August 24 Professional Members are the people who use Bucketworks almost every day, to make our art, our businesses, and our success. We're the core. And so we're hosting a regular monthly event so we can meet each other, share our visions and missions, and also learn about the changes planned for the environment, what to expect, and how to use it. Click on the link above and RSVP!

The Membership Link - click it!

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The Bucketworks staff would like to thank the Schley family for their gracious hospitality in allowing us to retreat at their beautiful lake house in Mukwonago. It was much needed escape and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts.

pic courtesy of KeVroN

Retreating Bucketeers from left: Kevin Ciesielski, Sharon & David Lerman, Jenn Turner, Patrick Schley, Tegan Dowling, Brian Miracle, James Carlson (not pictured: Intern Emily Meinhardt)

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