Sharing WorkSpaces Sharing Ideas
Working alone in a spare room at home, shut away from the buzz of mainstream business, the budding author is trying to finish her novel. Working from home is a good business model for her. It’s cheap and she can work through the night when the spirit moves her.
But if that same person was launching a new online business, think how much better it could be for her to be sharing a big space with others. She could be enjoying the energy and synergy of similar enterprising business people. She could be brain-storming ideas with a network of new entrepreneurs surrounding her on a daily basis.
Welcome to the trend of “co-working.”
Diversity and Synergy
The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran an article on ‘co-working,’ highlighting a group of independent web developers, writers and graphic designers sharing space in Melbourne with a fashion designer and her sewing machine.
These unlikely bedfellows enthusiastically supported the practice of sharing their working environment. By sharing space they said they brought together a diversity of talent and experience in one location and at the same time they enjoyed the synergy when working with interesting people. They said working from home or a serviced office just wouldn’t be the same.
When co-workers are in close proximity they are able to offer advice and even develop business opportunities together. The common denominator seems to be the energy of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Co-working in the Technical Age
Co-working is not exactly new, artists have worked in shared ateliers for centuries, but it is an emerging trend for technical and website-related businesses who want to move away from working in isolation. Whether it means sharing a warehouse, commercial office space or an unused factory, the idea is to allow members or tenants to take rooms, desks or working spaces for hours, days or months on a pay-per-use basis. Freelancers and contractors now have an additional office space choice which is both cost-effective and flexible.
Virtual Desktops
Freelancers can enjoy the benefits of shared spaces on an ad-hoc basis because we have the ability to carry documents with us wherever we go. Websites are often optimized for easy reading on a smartphone or a tablet. Web-based storage sites offer free data storage. Cloud computing is turning our iPad into a virtual desktop and making it even easier to access our data when on the road. The PC no longer ties us to one spot.
Combining Skills for Mutual Success
Website builders, although they may hate to admit it, are usually not great website designers or graphic artists. How convenient it could, therefore, be to have a team of collaborators with different skills stationed nearby.
If you are ready to get started in business and want to be around other like-minded people, sharing an office or desk spaces as a co-worker could be the answer to keeping your costs low and your spirits high.
