Together alone: what is coworking and why is it so popular?

One of the leading and largest items of expenses when starting any business is office rent. It should look presentable, located in the centre of the city and have a convenient infrastructure. As a rule, a startupper cannot afford such a place. And it will be best to rent a spot in the coworking centre.

Sense of community for moderate pay

The term “coworking” means “working together”. Workplaces in such centres are located in large office premises, equipped with everything necessary for work – furniture, computers, high-speed Internet, office equipment. The workplace can be rented for any period – day, week, month, or even several months. It all depends on the needs of your business. Each coworking office must have a seating area, with a sofa, drinking water, where you can brew tea, coffee and, of course, eat cookies.

Visually co-working is not notably different from the usual office: there is an open space with workplaces, a conference room, a kitchen. The only difference is that you work in it for yourself, and not for hire.

What services can be obtained in coworking centre

All coworking centres provide approximately the same list of services:

• the workplace rental;
• high-speed Internet;
• use of conference rooms;
• office equipment rental;
• use of demonstration equipment (projectors, screens);

Advantages of coworking

Perhaps you thought, why spend money on the opportunity to work in open space office, if at home it can be done entirely free of charge? In fact, only a small number of freelancers, whose activities are not related to personal meetings with customers can fully work at home. Besides, renting a workplace in the coworking office has a lot of advantages.

Maximum productivity

At home, we are distracted by domestic affairs and relatives, which prevent us from concentrating on work. A working atmosphere has been created, which helps to focus on business and work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Security

If your job is related to the reception of clients, this may be dangerous at home. After all, you do not know who will come to your house … In coworking centres, you will be surrounded by people, and therefore safe.

No related costs

Renting a workplace in an open space office, you do not need to buy and maintain office equipment, its use is included in the price. This is very convenient if you are just trying yourself in a new direction.

Community-minded

At coworking centres, you can at least communicate with interesting people, and at the most, find valuable business contacts for cooperation.

Personal growth

Coworking offices periodically conduct lectures and training for their clients, where they can gain new knowledge and skills.

The most famous world coworking centres

Wework

The first and largest coworking, which has now become a global network. Its founders have relied on an alternative to offices at the height of the financial crisis in America. The idea quickly became popular outside the country. Now Wework has offices in 13 countries. The business is estimated at 16 billion dollars.

Regus

It is another transnational coworking company, the main competitor of Wework. The company provides unfixed mini-offices around the world. It was founded in Brussels and is now represented in 104 countries of the world. The workforce has 8,700 employees, and the company’s shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2014, the Regus Group’s revenue amounted to 1.676 billion pounds.

The Work Project

Future coworking with locations in Hong Kong and Singapore. Its design is reminiscent of a luxury hotel. Common areas are decorated in golden-grey colours: floors, walls and furniture made of light wood. The design also has a local flavour, which is emphasised by blue rooms and paintings on the walls.

Author:

Yulia Ublinskykh,

Co-Founder and Marketing Director at GoBeauty Studios,

GoBeauty Co-owner and PR manager