Comments on: What to Look For in a Co-Working Space

By: Can You Apply Your Day Job Structure to Rock Your Writing Routine?

Can You Apply Your Day Job Structure to Rock Your Writing Routine? — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:10:53 +0000

[...] inception of the co-working space is a godsend to entrepreneurs. They allow you to leave the house for an office-like destination and [...]

By: Genevieve DeGuzman

Genevieve DeGuzman — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:31:00 +0000

Coworking is NOT simply renting a shared office or executive suite. Watch out for rental companies that want to capitalize on the trend by associating themselves with the coworking movement. While these shared offices have more flexibility in terms of length of lease, rental space, and services offered than regular offices– they often end up feeling like cubicle drones. Not exactly an exciting place to work.

For me and my team, the downsides of the shared office/executive suite included:

* Not too much interaction. As with traditional office buildings where employees from different companies don’t interact much with each other, the executive suite doesn’t provide too many opportunities for camaraderie and collaboration.

* May be pricey. Depending on your location and amenities available, rates can start at about $149 and above per day.

* Impersonal. The décor is usually generic, and you can’t redecorate. There’s not much you can do for your own company branding either.

If you’re a freelancer, startup, or small business or organization looking to move into a shared, collaborative workspace, try checking out a coworking space near you! Coworking spaces attempt to capture the best of different workspaces— the flexibility of a home office, vibe and energy of a café, and facilities of a traditional or serviced office— and bring them together with an emphasis on collaboration.

With a coworking space, you get all the pluses of a shared office or executive suite without the downsides.

One concern that businesses have with joining a coworking space is that the open layout doesn’t leave room for much privacy. But we found that many coworking spaces now offer private offices, too, along with the usual open desks. So you get your privacy and independence in an environment that promotes collaboration and networking between companies and individuals.

To read up more about coworking, check out Deskmag’s ‘Five Must-Read Books About Coworking’ (http://www.deskmag.com/en/five-must-read-books-about-coworking-161), The wiki.coworking.info page has great resources, too.

Genevieve
co-author, “Working in the UnOffice” http://bit.ly/rxI8TI

By: Greg Miliates

Greg Miliates — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Having a space where you can be excited and motivated to work is key.

Being self-employed for nearly 5 years, and having worked out of my home for most of that time, I’d say that having a space outside the home where you can focus (I have 2 kids, so working from home after they’re home from school is next to impossible), and where you feel motivated is hugely important.

Early this year, I decided to lease a small office which includes free high-speed internet, and I’ve been very happy with it. However, it took me a while to find a suitable space. A lot of offices I saw were either expensive, dated and depressing (and expensive!), or too loud.

For my particular business–software & database consulting–I don’t need a receptionist, copier, or other amenities of a traditional office, but I do need a quiet place where I can have conference calls. I’ve tried making phone calls in coffee shops, and found that the ambient noise is too distracting, and I was concerned about the background noise and music making me appear unprofessional. So, I got my own office.

The office works well, but it is lacking in social interaction. If you’re more of an extrovert–but can still get your work done–then a coworking space may fit the bill.

One last point: if you’re starting a business, don’t assume that you need all the amenities of a traditional office. I use Skype and/or Google Voice for all my calls, use GoToMeeting for conference calls/demos/presentations/remote troubleshooting, use EchoSign for e-signing documents, don’t use faxing (or if I absolutely needed to, could use a service like MyFax), and use my mobile phone for scanning documents and converting them to pdf for e-mail. All these services are cheap or free, so don’t burn through your cash paying for stuff you can do without (like a landline) and can get for cheap with even more benefits.

Wherever you decide to work, there are plenty of free and/or low-cost tools to help you start & run your business for far less than possible even a few years ago; I have a whole page of recommended free/low-cost tools & resources on my blog: http://startmyconsultingbusiness.com/tools-resources/

Greg Miliates
http://www.StartMyConsultingBusiness.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:35:00 +0000

“Coworking” is a hot term right now, but flexible workspaces have been around for over a decade. (Disclosure: I work for an Inc. 5000 company that has multiple flexible workspace locations… in addition to my side hustles, true Brazen style!)
Some tips I would also add on to this list:
- Security: Many shared space facilities don’t have dedicated desk or office options, thus causing a problem if you want to keep equipment, files, etc. there.
- Address: A big advantage of some facilities is the ability to receive mail at the building address. Seeing as most states require business licenses to have an address that isn’t a PO Box, you could potentially use a facility for your mail instead of including your home address if desired. You can also send and have packages received at many facilities – great for when you’re on the road and can’t sign for a package.
- Meeting Rooms: Many facilities offer professional meeting rooms by the hour, half day, or full day. This is a great option if you need that professional appearance for a big meeting, but don’t want the commitment of a longer-term deal.
- Reception services: I realize not everyone needs a receptionist or someone to greet your guests or have them wait in a lobby for you. This seems like a luxury that many solopreneurs or start-ups don’t need, but in some cases, it’s included with your services – even if you are just using a meeting room for a day. If you work in an industry where image is everything, it’s a nice thing to have, even if it’s not a necessity.
- Telephone service: We are all mobile today – totally get that. We have cell phones that have Google Voice on them and we can receive calls on multiple numbers. Hopefully success brings lots of calls coming in, and multiple people working for your company. Having a separate phone number and a receptionist who handles, screens, and then patches your calls to wherever you specify is a convenience that many business centers include with their services as well.

In the end, you need to work in a place where you’re most productive, can have a sense of community, is convenient to your house, and projects the image that you need to take your business to the next level. Whatever that place is to you – it’s out there somewhere!