There has been a significant increase in the amount of coworking spaces appearing all over the country. Statistically, the amount of people using a coworking space has risen year on year. We thought we’d take a closer look at why coworking has been gaining popularity and what you as a freelancer or small business stand to gain. We discussed the increase in self employment and freelance work in our previous blog.
Firstly, what is coworking? It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot but what does it actually mean? There are a few definitions out there, but we thought this summed it up nicely.
‘Coworking is working together under one roof, using the same resources but for different companies.’
Keep you and your business looking and feeling professional.
When freelancing or working as part of a small team, we often start out with an idea at our kitchen table. Part of growing your business can be making the decision to leave the kitchen behind and venture out to the big wide world.
We’ve all been there. Meeting clients at random coffee shops and cafes. Coworking spaces can provide that professional feel to your meetings. They will often provide meeting room spaces with refreshments for you to host your clients comfortably and professionally. A lot of the time, they are located in a central, convenient location, making it easy for your clients to meet with you.
As your business begins to grow, you’ll probably want to start thinking about having a fixed office address to protect your privacy. Using a coworking space, you will often be able to utilise virtual office services, giving you a fixed address and phone number and potentially storage for your business. Not only this, it will increase your company’s legitimacy.
Meet and collaborate with others in your field.
Coworking spaces will often house others in a similar position to yourself. The spaces are much more than just a desk in a building. Newer offices tend to boast a modern environment to boost a creative and productive atmosphere.
Put your brand in front of people that can help you with exposure. You never know who you might find in there, too! There might be just the service you’ve been waiting for to move your business on to the next level. Users of coworking spaces often have access to additional events, workshops or seminars to help you grow as a business. All of these events are a fantastic way of meeting like minded professionals both in your industry and others.