Taking the plunge into starting a new business can be daunting. Where do you start? How do you find clients? How do you find help? It costs HOW MUCH to run an office? Everything can add up quickly, and there’s really only so much google can help with (especially if you’re in this on your own). The amount of issues that a coworking space can solve for a new business might surprise you, though. Some of them might be issues you haven’t even run into yet but can get ahead of by seeking out a coworking space!
Networking Opportunities This is one of the main things that a coworking space is vital for. Finding new clients or people who can connect you with new clients is hard when nobody has ever heard of your business. Getting word out there about what you’re doing is one of the biggest hurdles to get past as a new business; word of mouth is quite literally priceless. In a coworking space, though, there’s tons of people who understand what that’s like. They know how much of a resource they are and even better, they want to help you. They want to see you succeed and are more likely to go out of their way to mention your business and connect you with clients and resources.
Community A sort of secondary aspect of the above is the social community you can gain in a coworking space. Yes, there are tons of people you can interact with from the perspective of growing valuable branches on your tree, so to speak. But just as important is the social aspect of it. Being a new business can be solitary. Sometimes there’s only a couple of you, sometimes you’re on your own entirely, and this can become a lonely way to go about your day. Coworking spaces provide a morale boost to yourself and your employees. There is consistent and reliable evidence that productivity is higher in work environments that allow for or, even better, actively encourage socialization. Socialization leads to ‘knowledge spillover’, the natural exchanging of ideas among individuals.
Collaboration And, through ‘knowledge spillover’, folks in a coworking space have prime opportunities for collaboration. You’ll find people from all walks of life brought together by the common goal of accomplishing something. As you talk and interact, you’re likely to naturally fall into collaborative discussions. But there’s also a ton of opportunity for intentional collaboration. Maybe you’re a real estate agent and you hear about a mortgage broker within the space, and now you have the chance to seek them out and see if you can collaborate on a project or share clients. Maybe you’re a writer working on a crime novel and you hear somebody across the room discussing their previous time working as a police officer and now you can beeline for them and get all the dirty details of a crime scene. The opportunities and possibilities are endless.
Low Overhead All of the above are probably going to happen at some point. They’re ingrained in the nature of the coworking space. However, they aren’t concrete and predictable–the degree to which your wallet will thank you is. When you pay into a coworking space, you don’t have to worry about the air conditioning, water bill, furniture, office supplies, repairs, or general maintenance. Those are some of the most basic financial responsibilities that come along with owning your office space, and sometimes even with just renting something out of an office building. In a coworking space, you just pay your membership fee.
Professional Image One of the things that can be hard as a new business is being taken seriously. You don’t want people waving you off after the wrong first impression! And being able to sit clients down in a nice, clean, well furnished, warm place with coffee and snacks can set the right tone for a good meeting. There’s no way to go back and change a bad first impression made by a messy and cramped home office or a meeting in a cafe with tons of people and uncomfortable chairs. Even the most basic coworking space can provide you with this type of amenity. You and your clients will be surrounded by business-minded individuals and the right tone for a productive meeting.
What it comes down to in a lot of ways is the ‘bang-for-your-buck’ type of resources you can’t find anywhere other than a coworking space. They’re a unique and valuable tool for anybody branching out into their first few graphic design jobs, digital marketing gig, photography company, or any number of business ventures. Starting a new business is a time for excitement, so make it easier on yourself and join a coworking space that will serve all of your needs and then some. You’ll never know until you give it a try!
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