The Coworking movement is taking traction around Australia with more spaces popping up around the country.
So, what is Coworking I hear you ask?
“Coworking is a style of work that involves a shared working environment, often an office, and independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those Coworking are usually not employed by the same organisation.”
Coworking is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, startups, entrepreneurs or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is also the social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with like-minded talented people in the same space.
When deciding to launch a new business idea the thought of fronting the cash to rent a space, locking into long leases, paying for utilities and extra insurance is an expensive hassle. It takes months of figuring out if the overhead is worth it. Coworking spaces give you a perfect option in a way that you won’t be breaking the bank. There are a multitude of places popping up all over Australia – NewportNet is one of them.
Coworking spaces offer different packages for desk rental, meeting rooms, seminar space or office space for you to rent by the day, week or month. Many also offer mail collection service as well as a physical address for your business cards, which is great for freelancers if you don’t use your home address for your business.
The great thing about Coworking is the fact that it allows you to get out of your house! The spaces allow you access facilities catered to your business needs. If you want a certain number of hours to work outside the home just for client consults it’s fabulous. To be able to tell clients “I am always in my office on Tuesdays, so if you need anything just give me a ring and you can drop by, ” gives your clients a sense that you are running a successful legitimate and accessible business. For those of us who have clients across the globe NewportNet also offers 24 hour access with some of our packages.
Coworking spaces offer a level of professionalism at a discount rate. Which, to many startups, entrepreneurs and freelancers, means everything. There’s nothing worse than if you are in the middle of a Skype session and your three year old runs in and yells “mommy I went poop on the potty!” or your spouse yelling down the hall asking what is for dinner.
Working from home pretty much guarantees that 75% of your workday is alone. By being in a Coworking space you are breaking the isolation and distraction of working from home while building a relationship with your fellow coworkers even though you might not be actually in the same business. Wi-Fi connection allows you utilize the breakout areas and hang out while you work on your laptop. Most Coworking spaces have kitchens and offer free coffee and home made biscuits. Being in these offices basically allows you to network without even putting in an effort. If you have a sign up in your office, people that are working in the adjoining spaces can see what company you run. This allows that you’re constantly having a place to market yourself without physically being there.
So why not take advantage of the free trial day that many Coworking spaces offer and get out of the house for a day. You might find that you have one of your most productive days so far.
