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5 Reasons You Should Embrace the Coworking Revolution

22.08.2014
Workers at The Hub Islington, one of the first co-working spaces in europe. Photo by: Impact Hub https://www.flickr.com/photos/thehub/

Whether you’re a self­-employed creative professional, or you run a small, shoestring startup, you’ve probably heard about the coworking phenomenon. So, what’s the big deal? In basic terms, coworking is a shared working environment where several people work in the same open space. New coworking hubs are popping up in major cities all over the country. From Portland’s Collective Agency to San Francisco’s Coffee and Power, more and more independent workers are moving to the coworking model. The big question is Why? In this post, we are going to unpack five major reasons coworking mightbe the right choice for you.

Five Reasons to Embrace Coworking

1. Instant Collaboration:

When you first walk into a coworking space, it’s not unlike walking into a new job. It’s filled with complete strangers, and odds are that there are some house rules you need to follow and some general information you need to learn. But in most cases, as soon as you get the basics and start meeting people, the collaboration is almost instantaneous. You will meet people who want to know what you’re up to and how they can help, and before you know it you may be making really cool things with complete strangers.

2. Low cost Office Space:

Many people make their way to coworking spaces to ditch the banality and isolation of a home or private office. In many cases, coworking spaces offer cheap membership fees that give you access to a desk spot, meeting rooms and wide range of other office like things that will help you to be your most productive.

3. Happiness:

According to a deskmag study, well over 75 percent of all coworking professionals said that they were more motivated (85 percent) and had better interactions with others (88 percent) in a coworking environment. Translation? Coworking can provide a level of workplace happiness previously unavailable from your 9 to 5 or isolated home office experience.

4. Business Growth Potential:

Since there are so many working professionals from a wide range of industries, you have access to potential clients. As you network, you may just find yourself in business conversations that result in new, paying work. In the coworking environment, every conversation is an opportunity to grow your freelance business or startup.

5. Learn New Things:

Most coworking spaces host free seminars, micro conferences and other educational opportunities for their members. You could learn anything from the basics of agile development to new web design methods to business growth tactics–at no cost, right there, in your own office.

Conclusion

The big idea here is wrapped up in innovation. As you collaborate with living, breathing human beings in a fun, relaxed work environment, you are empowered to seamlessly innovate new products, services and ideas. Don’t miss out on a big opportunity to take your ideas to the next level. Find a coworking spot near you and start collaborating today.