Should Your Business Join a Coworking Space?
By: Georgette Eva
Coworking spaces and communal work offices are growing in popularity, their use ranging from larger chains to local boutique spots, and entrepreneurs are looking toward these spaces to take their businesses to the next level. Whether you’re starting your own business or freelancing, a coworking space is a great way to level up your company. If you’re still undecided, here are a few ways that coworking can help make a difference.
1) Stay up-to-date with your industry.
Some coworking spaces host a distinct industry in their communities, like fintech, fashion, ecommerce, and travel tech. A coworking space with a particular theme can be a great way to immerse yourself in your industry, stay inspired, and be in-the-know when it comes to new trends.
Best of all, you get support from your industry peers and can talk shop with them. Who better to understand your pain-points with big changes and current events than those in the same boat?
2) Grow your network.
I joke that coworking spaces are like Cheers, in that “everybody knows your name,” but it’s heartwarmingly true. Coworking spaces are a great way to establish a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and creators in one accessible place.
Seeing each other every day at the coffee station or at happy hour will let you connect in natural settings, help you learn more about each other’s projects, and enable you to potentially cross-pollinate for collaborations. You never know if someone can help you with content, have ideas on how to grow your email outreach, or know of events you should join.
[Related: 6 Creative Gifts for New Entrepreneurs]
3) Keep laser-focused.
It sounds like a no-brainer, but coworking spaces are great places to stay productive, as opposed to working from home or a cafe. Wifi, coffee, and community are basic tenets of any good coworking space, so you don’t have to worry about the connectivity issues of a coffee shop or staying on task like when you’re working from home.
The atmosphere itself is infectiously productive. You’d be surprised by how seeing your coworking neighbors take phone calls, host clients, and work on new projects can keep you similarly focused and on-task for your day.
[Related: Three Reasons You Should Create a Zero-Based Schedule in 2018]
4) Look and feel more professional.
For any starting company or freelancer, having a dedicated desk or workspace looks impressive to potential clients and investors. It also can boost morale for you and your team. Sometimes it’s better to brainstorm for your next quarter or build that sales dashboard when you’re in an inspiring workspace, rather than a cafe or your apartment.
If joining a coworking space looks like a big investment at this time, reach out to a space and ask if they have a free day trial or day or weekly rates. You can also see if there are coworking apps that can help you test the waters before committing.
[Related: 10 Critical Apps to Help You Grow Your Business]
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Georgette Eva is the Community & Events Manager of Croissant, the app that gives access to coworking spaces on-demand and makes the world your office. She works out of several coworking spaces throughout the week and loves meeting new people to cowork with.
Originally published at www.ellevatenetwork.com.
