When you think of all the times you felt like avoiding the office to get a chunk of work done or just blast something out under a deadline, the idea of sharing an office, voluntarily, seems like pure madness. That said, the positives outweigh those negatives and far beyond when it comes to sharing a workspace with like minded folk. There are plenty of reasons working in a hub of activity will lead to better companies. Here’s just 10 reasons to consider working in a shared office, as opposed to doing it alone.
Saving Cash: A top priority for bootstrapped startups. Obviously renting an office will cost far more than joining a co-working space, but consider the additional savings. For example, Wi-fi, coffee, electricity, furniture etc. All are an incredible overhead a new business can ill afford.
Productivity: Working in an office will increase productivity, not just as a result of peer to peer interaction, and gentle competition, but purely working around a consistent schedule will improve the time spent dedicated to the project you are working on. Plus, getting up to get to the office can be good for you!
Learning: Not all co-working hubs offer classes like the Hive, but if you are lucky enough to have access to daytime workshops covering helpful topics for your business, get them while you can. You may even get the opportunity to offer your own class, which can provide an additional channel for promoting your product or service.
Support: Nothing grows confidence like a support network that succeeds when you do. That eternal backing from your peers fosters real confidence and can assist in reaching those important goals.
Comfort: Let’s be honest, it’s all well and good to hang out in your jimjam’s ‘till mid morning, or loitering in starbucks with a couple of coffees to support your wifi feed. Though, nothing creates comfort better than the security of knowing your membership entitles you to wifi access, chair, desk and kitchen facilities on demand. Allowing you focus on the important technicalities of building your own business.
Chance of opportunity: Consider the chance of coming across key people to help you create leads for your ongoing business. When you are open and available to opportunities, success is more probable. Opportunities are constantly available to us, but it’s in our actions that determine the follow through.
Collaboration: Whether you’re looking to expand or new partnering opportunities, your community will be the source for great people, who can help your business grow. Collaboration on all levels can positively impact on your business operations.
Events: Whether you’re looking to run a networking event, or attend some social gatherings, becoming a member, can offer better access to on-site networking nights. Furthermore, co-working spaces will often run weekend hackathons which is a great opportunity to get involved as a mentor or participate as a competitor.
Social: Yes, there’s lots of work happening, but around others provides great space for being social. There are constant streams of conversations happening, not to mention the access to online forums and mail streams, where ideas and discussion exist to include and inform the growing network.
Creativity: You’d be surprised at the level of creativity that can come from working with others. Bouncing ideas around can move things along at great pace unlocking ideas and generating new powerful concepts.
Find out more about the Hive’s different options to join the space and co-work.