How Coworking Spaces Can Help Small Businesses Ramp Up After COVID
Businesses and entrepreneurs are searching for new ways to ramp up after the volatility of this year. Many are reevaluating business needs, overhead costs, and how best to grow their businesses. A solution many have found is utilizing coworking space. What is coworking space?
Wikipedia defines coworking as “an arrangement in which several workers from different companies share an office space, allowing cost savings and convenience through the use of common infrastructure, such as equipment, utilities, and receptionist and custodial services”. Wikipedia adds that coworking is “a 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 people who value working in the same place alongside each other.”
Coworker.com says “Coworking is not just about the sharing of infrastructure and cost, it is about belonging to a community, accessibility and sustainability. Coworking is the new way of working and sharing. Coworking spaces are designed to provide a productive and collaborative environment for their dynamic inhabitants and created without corporate constraints on what is perceived to be an “office” environment offering flexible memberships to suit most needs.”
So how do businesses and entrepreneurs use coworking space to their benefit?
DaVinci is a company that matches up people needing meeting rooms or office with providers of those services, such as Office Evolution of Flowood. In a recent article, entitled “How to Use Coworking Spaces to Restart Your Startup After Lockdown“, Patrick Spencer of DaVinci shared some important thoughts about how entrepreneurs can use coworking spaces to kickstart their business as we all recover from the impact of Covid.
Spencer identifies several benefits to be had from coworking spaces as we all seek to fuel economic growth as quickly as possible:
REDUCE OR ELIMINATE PERMANENT IN-OFFICE WORKSPACE COSTS
Long-term leases for commercial office space can raise the cost of doing business, especially for entrepreneurs and significantly for solopreneurs, those who work alone. A multi-year commitment for an entire office suite may cost up to twice what a fully furnished private office (with access to meeting rooms, kitchen, etc.) may cost in a coworking environment. After adding on utilities, WiFi, telephone and copier costs, most of which are included at co extra cost for coworkers, the traditional commercial office lease can quickly become much more expensive.
FACILITATE PROJECT TEAM MEETUPS
Coworking business centers like Office Evolution of Flowood, often have meeting rooms and conference rooms, equipped with
cameras, microphones and speakers, to facilitate digital meetings, often on the fly! Traditional commercial leases, while already more expensive than most coworking, require entrepreneurs to purchase, program and maintain expensive technical equipment to facilitate group meetings. With coworking, members sign up for a conference room (usually included in their office membership) and just begin to broadcast their meeting anywhere in the world!
ENGAGE WITH OTHER STARTUPS
One of the unexpected pleasures (and benefits) of coworking is that of being surrounded by other entrepreneurs. While coworking business centers are not business incubators, they share many of the benefits of incubators – the ability to bounce ideas off another nearby member, organize brainstorming sessions, or sharing leads and referrals. Often, long-term business relationships and friendships are organically formed in this environment.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you’d like to explore how working in a local business center could help facilitate your business recovery or continue its growth, call 769-333-8822 or email Adam Horlock, Business Center Manager, at flowood.ms@officeevolution.com.
Whether you live in Flowood, Pearl, Brandon, Richland, Florence, Byram, Raymond, Clinton, Jackson, Ridgeland, Madison, Gluckstadt, or anywhere in Rankin, Hinds, or Madison County, choosing Office Evolution Flowood will help you be more professional, productive, and profitable.