Coworking is a remarkable concept that will enable many additional citizens to pursue their callings in entrepreneurship without the pratfalls of the prior 2 eras, the blue & white collar industrial ages.
No longer will the price tag, complexity, or fear of having to sign a multi-year lease, or rent to (eventually) own agreement be a stumbling block to the dream to be in control of your income stream(s); you’re now sharing costs & concurrently joining an entrepreneurial tribe.
What is coworking?!
This is a superb definition
Think it over: We’ve really only had this option for little more than a decade. Running parallel to the astonishing rise of social media & the proliferation of smart devices, co-working grew from humble beginnings.
At this point, choosing to become a member of an existing co working space, whether it’s new, or well established, tags you as a late ‘early adopter’ or at the onset of the ‘early majority’ class(es) of business owner/professional.
Intrigued to know more? Please click here.
Options for your business’ physical presence
All things being equal, there are 4 choices:
- Work from home. The flexibility of merging personal & professional lives under 1 roof always has appeal. Yet, if you’re a mom-preneur, have other neighborly commitments, or are easily distracted by the mass media, you might want to ask the hard question: will you be productive, or will you be ‘’busy’ ?
- The ‘coffee shop’ = office. Whether its an independent cafe, Starbucks, or Panera Bread, maybe you arrive early in the AM, order coffee & bagel, set up your notebook/tablet in the far corner near an outlet, & start working; that remains viable for some amongst us.
- Conventional ‘bricks & mortar’. Some business models & professions simply must have their own physical space: Medical office/clinic? Restaurant/bar? Retail, esp. a clothing store?
- And, then, there’s coworking. This article breaks down common options that most any space in your metro area will, or already is, offering.
“We break down walls so that we can breakthrough in our businesses!”
Plusses of Coworking
Choose from the 4 above; none are ‘wrong’ – each option will appeal to someone & that someone might be you. However, let’s focus on the benefits of coworking.
You quite likely will …
- Save a significant amount
- Opt into various perks ( who doesn’t love ‘complimentary’ coffee?!? )
- Find flexibility ( month to month arrangements are commonplace )
- Learn how easy it can be to ‘barter’ services &/or products with your community/tribe
What if …
… co working hasn’t yet come to my area?
Take heart: many visionaries haven’t yet pushed outside the top 25 metros.
As always, there’s a trail of ‘breadcrumbs’ that the profit motive will enable, bringing facilities to your city.
One pioneer shares his vision – click here to read a short Q&A w/ him.
How Does Co Working fit into the Gig Economy?
Jim Collins, in his terrific book, ‘Great by Choice’, taught us to be able to zoom in & zoom out.
Let’s zoom out …
… & answer this Q.
- 1st, co working is similarly flexible. Do your research & check as many options as exist in your area; most spaces heartily welcome entrepreneurs who don’t want to sign multi-year deals.
- 2nd, the Gig economy spotlights project ( ‘gig’ ) based ‘work’; so does a co-working space. You can run this type of business easily & find much joy in the process
- Next, this economy encourages interdependence, as does the coworking option. Your ‘benefits’ ( insurance, investment vehicle/s ) could very well come in a barter agreement with a sales pro who offers them to solopreneurs & sits right next to you in the space.
- Last, your ability to be cash flow positive is accelerated; you can keep your prices aligned with your ideal avatars & earn more without having to pay steep lease or rent payments.
Suggested Profiles
Using hashtag #coworking as a starting point, I suggest 3 Twitter handles worth a follow:
If you happen to be in, or looking to move to, central OH …
… the options are a plenty! Here’s a quick primer on some tip top choices:
Fantastic ‘All in 1’ Resources
As with any topic, the internet is a treasure trove of goodness, when used for altruistic means.
Co-working is no exception to this mantra. Here are a handful:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-rise-co-working-spaces/
* the BEST. The infographic on the above from December 2018 is amazing!
Top 60 CoWorking Blogs, Websites, & …
From coworking spaces to who is …
In the Gig Economy, Coworking spaces …
In short …
- What exactly is coworking? Let’s explore.
- 4 options you have for locating your business.
- The positives of choosing coworking
- Coworking’s a big trend, yet it’s not everywhere yet. It will be, though. Stay tuned!
- Coworking & the Gig Economy are ‘fellow travelers’ = deeply interrelated.
- The Twitterverse, unsurprisingly, has valuable handles worth following
Thank YOU for reading!
SJ Barakony is a serial entrepreneur, futurist, & connector.
He lives in Ohio & is the Founder of Service Before Self Leadership: An Educational Solutions Provider.
He offers four highly customizable solutions to encourage families, individuals, faith institutions, & business owners to create & cultivate lifelong learning cultures in our homes & workplaces.
He’s been a guest on an educational podcast; been interviewed for an online small business community; is a guest blogger for Innovate NA; and has been an invited speaker five separate times for HECOA.
He believes strongly in youth & social entrepreneurship: He continues to serve two chapters of the YEA program (student mentor, mock judge, ad hoc consultant ) & has co-facilitated a session of the SeaChange Accelerator program.
He serves as the TDD for Cleveland & Columbus (Ohio) for the H7 Network.
He also recently became an educational advisor for Tessr.io, a startup in the exciting world of blockchain/cryptocurrencies that will be establishing a cutting edge educational foundation.
