It seems that “the new normal” makes socializing and meeting people face to face scary and almost impossible to be as true as it was once again. Many people think that companies, especially small ones such as start-ups will move away from working in an office due to social distancing measures and the cost reduction that results from working from home.
The question is: has anyone asked the people that worked from home and maybe still do all this time? Probably at the beginning it seemed all was nice and smooth, and it even seemed you have more time for your family and/or daily chores. After one week, we all wanted to get back to an office. Apart from being able to focus on just work and being able to finish the things we started, there is also the social factor. You really feel the need to talk to a colleague, to chat a bit around a coffee in the morning, and let’s be truthful, that is how big ideas are born, just talking face to face with someone.
Amongst all office or workspaces options there are out there, the coworking option ns seems to be the best one to choose especially today when life seems so “interrupted” and unsure. And here below you can find those 10 reasons that are enough to make you choose a coworking space for your business.
Networking
Especially when you are a freelancer or a startup at the beginning of its journey making new connections, meeting new people is extremely important. Let’s be clear a Zoom meeting is done with those you know and plan to meet for a specific subject. This isn’t networking and meeting new contacts, possible business ones. The same rule applies also when you rent an office of your own. When there are many companies in various fields working in the same space, there is no way you will not be able to make new connections that will possibly lead to getting new clients or developing new partnerships. Even more, let’s say you are a developer and you need a lawyer which specializes in royalties and two desks down the hall you discover there is one because you hear them talking to a client. You are both there, so there is already a kind of connection between you two, so you can ask for their help.
Internet
This part might seem funny, since anyone has Internet in their own house. The fact is that coworking spaces have invested a lot of money in powerful internal networks and fast Internet connections. Since they need to be ready to accommodate a great number of people and all those people will surely use the internet, they have also made sure the connection is stable and can support all connections at once. A coworking space doesn’t know how many renters will have at once and how many of those will take their connection to the highest, so they need to make sure all is working nice and fast.
This kind of connection and subscription plan is usually extremely costly and impossible to get when you have a small office in a small rental space. Therefore, with just a monthly rent you’ll get that fast Internet also.
Amenities
All coworking spaces have a lot of amenities included in the quote of the monthly rent. All utilities are included in your rent, there is no need to pay anything more. Another advantage is that not only they are included in your rent, but they are never your problem. You do not need to add a reminder to your schedule to not forget to pay the electricity or heat. All utilities are handled by the administrators of the coworking space. Most such spaces have also common areas that offer coffee and coffee machines, tea and even snacks. Some such treats require payment, but the great advantage is that they are in your building on the same floor with you, you just need to walk a few steps and have a snack for lunch.
Many coworking places have network printers and scanners and they are included in your monthly quote. There is a limit of copies or scans, but they will probably be more then enough for your needs.
All coworking places offer special meeting rooms if you need privacy or you need to meet with clients. The only thing you need to do is to schedule your meeting to a specific room. Large coworking spaces also organize events and offer special promotions for the renters.
Low costs
Every business in the world wants to have low administrative and logistics costs and high profits. Many are more inclined to invest in research rather then work space, and when your business is at the beginning or it has some other high costs that you cannot avoid, you will need to think of making your rent lower.
Due to sharing the same space, the costs will have the same advantage any other shared thing has, a lower cost due to distributing it to many.
Socializing
One of the great thinkers of ancient times, Aristotle once said: the man is a social animal. Nothing is truer than that. Yes, we were somewhat lucky we crossed a pandemic and social distancing in the Internet era. We had a chance of keeping in touch with others, but as we would soon find out, that was just not enough. People need to “escape” their normal environment to be able to socialize to their fullest. No matter how big and great your house or family is, there comes a time when you need to get out and SEE people.
There is no better place then a coworking space to get social. Those are people you do not really know, they are not friends or relatives, but you share common traits, and the most evident is the fact that you’ve chosen to work in that exact space.
Work without distractions
It is incredible to be able to work in your house: you have time to begin a washing cycle or cook something or put some of those papers and documents in order and so on. Then there is the great time you spend with your kids being always near them and able to help when they need it.
But let us be honest and realize that this is not the best option n for the work we do. It doesn’t matter if you are a freelancer and work for yourself or you are a member of a team and an employee, there is a time you need to be by yourself or with your peers. Doing stuff for the house is great, but it takes a lot of time and it shifts your attention and focus. And being with your kids is great, but even for them being there all the time and every little minute could seem strange and it will not be an advantage for either of you.
Work and personal life need to be distinct so that each be fruitful and happy. Not being able to separate those two parts of your life might result in frustration and lack of happiness.
Scalability
When you start a business, you could never know how big it would get. You might rent an office that proves to be too small or too big in just half a year. The greatest advantage of a coworking space is the option of scalability. All coworking spaces offer various rent options, from getting just one desk to getting a full office space with walls and all.
Support
When your printer is broken or the Internet is down, it sometimes seems like the end of the world. You need to do something really fast and you cannot find the time or luck to get the perfect solution. But when you rent in a coworking space, all things that surround and support your work are handled by them. Yes, your laptop is yours and if it breaks it is your issue, but the Internet, coffee machine, copier, printer, etc., are all the administrators’ problem. And because that is a problem for everyone, they will fix it very fast.
Flexible schedule and work hours
If you want to rent a desk for one hour every two weeks, then a coworking space gives you exactly this. The way they see their rent options is perfect for any teleworker or person trying to start a business. There are options to rent by hour or by month, but you also have yearly rates that are of course more advantageous.
Probably, the biggest amenity this kind of space can offer is the fact that you only pay for what you consume. If you consider that two hours per week is enough for your, you will pay just for those two hours. You will not have to find a monthly rent you can afford because you will only pay a few hours.
Location
Since coworking spaces need to be generous to accommodate a lot of people in the same space, but also offer the option of getting your own walled space, they need to be placed in buildings that allow this. Also, they need to offer the majority of people, a space that is closed to important transportation nodes or parking spaces. Therefore, the location of coworking spaces is usually either in central zones or in those parts of cities that are in commercial or financial districts.
Do not be fooled by those that say the office is dead. It might be true for those big office buildings, but social distancing is just another advantage of coworking spaces. When space is large, you can place desks at long distances, and there is no long-term commitment when it comes to coworking. You might need just a few works per week to meet with your team or to work with no stress or noise around, and the coworking space gives you exactly that.
