Why coworking firm for women, Rowan Tree, chose DC

The DC region of the US has an issue with too many coworking firms servicing the area, but regardless, longtime friends Kate Viggiano and Amy Dagliano say they have found a space in the suburbs specifically for women entrepreneurs which is untouched by the saturated market.

Enter Rowan Tree, a space in Herndon,Virginia, for women in their early 30s to early 60s who work in remote jobs or run their own businesses. It fuses together traditional coworking (workspaces, meeting rooms, private call areas) with “co-growth” offerings (wellness activities and professional development). It’s a model born, they said, from lots of homework.

The partners met with Loudoun County’s Small Business Development Center to validate their concept. They surveyed hundreds of women about what they need most, personally and professionally. They sought advice from other players in the space. They hosted focus groups called “Cheers and Chats.”

When they looked at 10,000-square-foot spaces to build out private offices, they quickly learned it was “financially a massive undertaking,” Dagliano said. So they scaled back their vision and landed on a 3,000-square-foot lease at 280 Sunset Park Drive in Herndon.

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