David Friedland
Once upon a time, every single company was set up in a tiny office that costs thousands of dollars in rent. The aim was simple: make enough money to expand into a bigger office. Eventually, make it to the top of a skyscraper in a penthouse office suite fit for a winning business. The size and location of the office meant a lot to most companies. It showed status, wealth, and power.
However, these days, things tend to be a little different. People are setting up companies out of their bedrooms, working remotely, traveling around the world whilst working, or working in a coworking space rather than buying their own office. In this article, you will learn more about these coworking spaces and which might be a good option for you and your business.
What Is a Coworking Space?
As the name suggests, a coworking space is a collaborative or collective of workers sharing one space. They may know each other, they may not. They may work in the same industry, they may not! The variables are endless. The only constant is that none of the companies or workers own the office they are in, they rent their own little slice of it.
This usually means that the building is owned or serviced by a third party. Usually, this other company owns, manages, and looks after the building, whilst offering short-term or flexible space leases to the companies using their building. You can hire space as an individual or as a company. And, as you will see, there are plenty more variables to choose from. Read on to see what might suit you.
Industry-Specific Spaces
Many companies these days like to go for industry-specific spaces. Companies like Techspace explain how their offices are “a community for pioneering technology teams,” meaning that all the companies using their offices are technology-focused. This helps to create an atmosphere that suits these kinds of companies. Many businesses find that this boosts creativity, productivity, and workflow.
If you have a very specific company and feel that you’d like to work surrounded by like-minded people in an industry-specific space, this could be the kind of place you are looking for. You may find the extra inspiration of being in an industry-focused building helps increase your output.
Open Space/Hot Desking
One of the most common coworking spaces is the open office setup. This is the type of coworking space you might think of or visualize. Often, this can be referred to as “hot desking.”
In hot desking setups, people or businesses pay for a certain number of employees to work from them, or they may pay for a set amount of time in a coworking space. Once you’re in, you can sit wherever you like, talk to whoever you like, and work with whoever you like. These are flexible, open, collaborative spaces. Of course, if you want to get your head down and work in a corner on your own, that’s totally fine too! In these spaces, you may find communal kitchens, coffee machines, and more.
Short-Term Office Hires
Similar to open coworking spaces, there are also office blocks divided into many smaller offices, which can then be individually hired. In this setup, you will share the floor or building with other companies but have a more private working experience. There won’t be communal working tables or shared sofas, but instead, you’ll have your name on the door and a quiet place to work. This will likely be more expensive than simply jumping into a coworking space. However, if you have an important project to finish or some clients to meet, these short-term hires can be really effective and useful.
Coffee Shops
Finally, there are also thousands of individual, independent coworking spaces in all major cities. Many coffee shops offer coworking spaces and deals for those who want to use them. In many, you pay just a few dollars per hour or per day to use the wifi, drink however much coffee you want, and meet whoever you want. These spaces are obviously open to anyone, so won’t be super private. But, for those who work freelance, they can be truly excellent ways to get loads of work done without committing to a long-term coworking contract in an office building.
These main types of coworking spaces should appeal to you. If you’re an independent person working on small projects like writing or social media, a coffee shop vibe or hot-desking setup could work nicely for you. If you are a rapidly expanding business, look at tech-specific spaces or maybe some short-term office hires.
