Today, I’ll be talking about The Exchange, located right in Bentonville, Arkansas. If you’ve ever come across it and don’t know what it is, The Exchange is a startup hub where you can either rent out a space or go as a visitor. Though there are several similar places scattered all over Northwest Arkansas, The Exchange is by far the coolest, so let’s explore it a bit more in-depth.
The Exchange is a startup hub located in Bentonville, Arkansas. It connects entrepreneurs and enterprises by offering co-working spaces where up-and-coming businesses can further develop their ideas, learn from experienced mentors, and reach out to the community.
The innovative decor and open-concept setup really sets this venue apart from its competitors. As soon as you enter, you’ll see a large spiral staircase leading up to the top level where startups can build their offices and create a pleasant working environment. So, if you’re in Bentonville thinking about bringing your innovative ideas to life, keep reading to learn just how much value The Exchange can offer your startup.
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Everything You Need To Know About “The Exchange” in Bentonville, Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas has recently become a breeding ground for up-and-coming entrepreneurs, many of whom have contributed to the community by founding their own innovative startups.
As a result, immediate steps have been taken to accommodate such a large influx of up-and-coming talent. For example, many start-up hubs have been built throughout the region, especially Bentonville, in an effort to allow new talent to work in an inspiring, accessible space while also benefiting from the help of experienced mentors and creating a sense of community.
Of these, The Exchange is one of the most popular choices, boasting modern decor and an open-concept design created to help new talent bring their ideas to life. However, the space is also often used for local events that bring the whole community together. That way, startups are not only better able to network and reach out to potential shareholders but also to reach out to the general public.
This also means that if you’re not an entrepreneur and simply looking to explore a new space or event, you can always hang out in this cool startup hub in downtown Bentonville. Many of the gatherings held here are open to the public, so I highly recommend making an appearance. You might end up meeting some new people or getting inspired.
How the Exchange Helps Local Startups
If you’ve made it thus far, you’re probably wondering how exactly a rental space helps up-and-coming businesses grow, increase, and expand their customer base.
For starters, this collaborative hub offers the networking opportunities, support, and resources that most start-ups need to thrive. The fact that it’s a shared working space where multiple businesses can work and thrive allows each of them to get inspired and benefit from the cooperative atmosphere that is created.
Moreover, The Exchange offers a variety of amenities to its members, which are designed to make working life easier. These include event spaces, conference rooms, private offices, and co-working spaces. It also offers access to various support services, such as professional, personalized mentorship, business coaching, legal consultation, and financial advice.
And those fun events I mentioned earlier are much more than just a get-together — they’re a chance for these up-and-coming entrepreneurs to connect with the community, network, and appeal to their customer base. These events often include industry experts and successful entrepreneurs, so the renters also get a chance to learn from the best and access tried-and-true tips to help them make their way right to the top.
If you’re part of a startup focusing on an outdoor-based business, you can check out the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). GORP is a business incubation program targeted toward helping entrepreneurs in the early stages of business development. To learn more about this fantastic program, check out my post on GORP and how it benefits the community.
Bentonville is also home to the global headquarters of Walmart, so the location of The Exchange is a huge advantage in and of itself, considering that there’s already a large customer base and plenty of experienced businesspeople to learn from in the area. Startups that choose The Exchange always have a leg up when it comes to learning how to properly scale their business.
Also, I have a 3-day itinerary that can help you decide what activities to do if you’re overwhelmed by everything Northwest Arkansas has to offer.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a foodie, a sports person, a sightseer, or want to spend quality time with your kids; I have something for you. Check out the link below to learn more:
https://www.allthingsnwa.com/3-day-itinerary-northwest-arkansas
Businesses That Collaborate With the Exchange
Several successful businesses have emerged from this startup hub, namely Startup Junkie Consulting, and RevUnit. However, don’t be fooled by my heavy use of the word “startup” throughout this article, plenty of already-established businesses use the “The Exchange” working spaces too. These include:
- Virgin Hotels
- United Van Lines
- Purina
- Toll Brothers
- Sam’s Club,
- Zappos
- AutoZone
- Walmart
Location
The Exchange is located in downtown Bentonville, more specifically, 409 SW A Street. So, if you’ve ever wanted to build your startup working from a modern, conveniently located space right in the heart of the city, this is the place to be. The same goes for those looking to attend a fun event but don’t want to go too far out of their way to get there.
Membership Options
If you liked what you read so far and want to make use of The Exchange’s space and services yourself, you’d be pleased to learn that there are several membership options that can accommodate a wide range of budgets. These are:
- Community membership. This is designed for those who want to take advantage of the hub’s events and resources but don’t need a dedicated workspace. Those with a community membership can still use the shared spaces on a drop-in basis.
- Co-working membership. This type of membership allows constant access to co-working spaces on top of all the benefits of community memberships. In this case, you’ll have your own dedicated desk in shared workspaces.
- Private office membership. As the name implies, this type of membership gives access to a private, lockable private space.
To learn more about membership tiers and which would best suit you, contact exchangebentonville@gmail.com.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re an up-and-coming entrepreneur looking for the best space in the city to get your business started or simply someone who likes to support local talent and attend an interesting event now and again, you’ll love The Exchange in downtown Bentonville.
The space serves as a start-up hub where talented people from all walks of life can network and get inspired by one another. So, if you’ve ever come across the name “The Exchange” and wondered what it was, hopefully, the details above have given you some insight.
