Coworking space as a concept emerged in the early 90’s during the dotcom bust. A concept popularized by Techies, it often meant freelancers, consultants or even groups of people connected professionally, get together and work, without a formal structure to it. However, over the years, the concept has evolved and matured such that 2 decades later, it has redefined the way business is done in most parts of the world today.
There are still misconceptions about this entire notion of being in a coworking space. Myths that commonly surround business discussions about coworking space in terms of productivity and success ratios. In this blog today, we attempt at bursting some of these myths to explain what has changed significantly about coworking space.
Only freelancers and techies use Coworking space – While there’s no denying the fact that technology start-ups and freelance consultants dominate a fair share of coworking office space today, that doesn’t limit a new wave of business professionals such as solopreneurs and flexible working to embrace the concept and make the most of it. In fact, employees from larger organizations also prefer working outside the office confines since any location is equipped with tools and facilities to work uninterrupted. Companies do not invest anymore in office spaces in remote locations but explore virtual spaces or coworking spaces for its employees.
Coworking after all is a shared office space – Coworking solves several problems. For independent professionals, it is an ideal office space to maintain productivity against cultivating homegrown innovation. It also brings in diverse people from different fields to interact and form cohesive business groups that will eventually help in optimizing resources for every business unit. It also lends a professional touch to your corporate address to external stakeholders to build in required measure of seriousness and importance.
Coworking is a “big city” concept – Ironically, it is a concept flourishing in smaller cities where several business communities come together to form a collaborative business environment. In fact, coworking spaces are ideal for remote location as it solves the problem of office spaces in a jiffy. No wonder that start-ups, entrepreneurs and large companies find a firm opportunity in coworking spaces in such locations.
Coworking spaces are noisy – A buzz of activities and energizing environment, in fact, provide the much-required stimulus to work productively. All coworking spaces have private office space too, for people who may need higher privacy or space for closed door conference calls and meetings.
Isn’t renting an office better than Coworking Space – If it is a small sized team that wants to work together in a confined space, renting an office space is an ideal choice. However, for businesses that need an office flavour without any liabilities in place, coworking spaces provide the perfect solution. It is the flexibility that counts for smaller businesses since it lowers fixed costs of business.
Coworking spaces offer an office style environment fostering entrepreneurial autonomy in a structured set-up. Networking, business tools and flexibility are huge benefits for solopreneurs or entrepreneurs in business today.