Fortunately, the idea that co-working is comparable to hanging out in a student bar, is not a widely held misconception. But for readers who remain amongst the few with that opinion, this post aims to set the record straight! Read on for clarification that co-working really is a valid option for people who want to run a successful business from a flexible office base.
First of all, here’s a definition of what co-working is; it’s the provision of a desk in an open plan setting next other desks for people from other companies.
That was Then, This is Now
Perhaps, twenty years ago, the first co-working spaces were haphazard and noisy, but that’s not the case now.
The idea behind co-working became a reality as technological advances allowed people to access their emails from more than one place. Towards the late 1990s, technicians could set up internet networks for desktop PCs to log into a home server in another place.
Jumping forward to the 21st century, the advent of laptops and more recently tablets, together with wifi and cloud provision, has made working almost anywhere feasible. Growth and development of co-working spaces has logically occurred hand in hand with the easy availability of fast wifi
Over time, with demand and a competitive market place, the provision of professional places to work away from home has evolved into refined, comprehensive packages. These are explained further in our Ultimate Guide to Co-Working.
Now It’s a Global Phenomenon
With Deskmag reporting over 300,000 people working in over 6000 co-working spaces in 2014, nearly a third of a million people can’t be wrong. The global push to further develop the trend is so great that co-working conferences are planned in California, Canada, Australia, Spain and even as far away as Bali.
Co-working spaces are available in a variety of guises. Deskmag also reports specialist centres for musicians and for travel bloggers. Perhaps it is this which has made people wonder is co-working just a student bar?
The answer is simply that, as with any business decision, it’s important to investigate the alternatives before deciding what’s right for yours. Not all co-working spaces may be appropriate for the services you offer. For example, the Old Broadcasting House in Leeds provides a forum for web design specialists, but if your business supplies anything other than state of the art web technology, it would be far from ideal.
The majority of small and large businesses will find co-working in places like Carrwood Park far more suited to their needs. For a better understanding of what services to expect and what to ask for, have a read of the previous post What’s the Difference Between a Serviced Office and Co-working Space.
As well as being a great place for SMEs to be found and build their profile, employees of many larger companies can be seen at a co-working desk.
Richard Crawshaw, Regional Sales Manager for SIBCAS, which is based in Stockton-on-Tees works at Carrwood Park. He says, “I’m the only sales rep for my company in this area – so it’s nice to talk to other people.”
Fast Company reports that many companies like Google, Twitter and Amazon see the benefits of flexible working for staff based away from their head offices. These much loved brands built their reputations on hard work and adaptability, not by leaning on bars. If it’s good enough for them, the chances are high that it’ll be a good move for you too.
