Dear Amy Stockwell and Jamila Rizvi,
I am the host of Man Business and Chief Barista Etc (manager) at Village Coworking in North Sydney.
Thank you for starting the discussion about Man Business on Mamamia recently. I have always encouraged open discussion, am happy to take on feedback and have continuously worked hard to promote all businesses on the North Shore run by women, men or both.
Village coworking, the host for Man Business, has been a proud advocate for small business on the North Shore. With little support from council, Village has provided a platform and event space for many local networking events and workshops. We also host a lot of female networking events and now man style events.
While you did not give me the opportunity to comment in your article, nor did Mumbrella, I have openly said that we made several errors in our event copy at the start. While our humour was intended to be tongue in cheek, it was not received as such. I quickly admitted our fault and changed the website, you can read my blog post about me admitting my fault CLICK HERE.
The new event series is focused on events styled for businessmen (hopefully good ones), and in no material does it state that it is “men only” networking. It’s about things men enjoy and want to talk about. If you like sport, craft beer, whiskey or boutique wine we don’t stop you from buying a ticket and you will be welcomed.
Given the rise of women-only networking events, a lot of traditional networking events have been squeezed out of the market. Men also want to network and grow their businesses. We have also found that many men attending a man business event would not normally attend a networking event and enjoy the low key event we put on.
Village, and I, will continue to support women in business. We also hope to continue to offer a unique event for men in business. While we are excited that women-only platforms fight for necessary change, men also deserve the opportunity to enjoy a new craft beer with likeminded people and talk about man styled topics. This is not intended to be threatening or exclusive, it is simply an event tailored to a particular group of people.
You have my contact details now, so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like an interview so that the complete story can be told.
Thank you for starting the conversation. We have appreciated the positive feedback we have received in relation to our events, and we also have appreciated those business women who support our events and see them as non-threatening, and I note that many have encouraged their husbands/partners to attend the events.
Kinds Regards,
Sean Grobbelaar
Village Coworking & Man Business Host.
