The Global Coworking Blog – Page 11

Two Simple Ways to Build Community

You can help build community in your coworking space by doing two simple things: ask and promote.

Coworking is not just about freelancers sharing desks, chairs, and wi-fi. It’s about connections, interactions, conversations, collaborations. In a word, coworking is about community. Independents working together is a testament to how coworking both fosters and sustains community. And you can help build community by doing two simple things: ask and promote.

1. Ask
Believe it or not, if you ask someone for help in a way that’s respectful of their time and knowledge, you’ll probably make their day! What better way to build community than recognizing the awesomeness in others?

Ask another member to join you for coffee. Grab coffee or lunch with another member—perhaps someone you don’t yet know very well; snack breaks never hurt anyone.
Ask another member for help or feedback on one of your projects. And perhaps offer to treat them to the aforementioned snacks in return for their time!
Ask other members for some funny. Does that sound kinda silly? It should! Ask your neighbor if they’ve read a funny blog post or seen something funny lately. Laughing is always a great way to connect!

2. Promote

Fistbump lion — Promoting is like fist-bumping.

We’re not talkin’ about smarmy self-promotion. Oh no. We’re talking about promoting others. As you grow your own business, you can contribute to your coworking community by helping to promote others—in small and big ways. It’s kind of like a community fist-bump.

Comment on fellow members’ blog posts. Many freelancers members have blogs, whether personal or business. Pop by every once in awhile to leave a comment.
Retweet or share on Facebook another member’s latest website design or their latest article. If you think a fellow freelancer is doing interesting work, share that work with your networks.
Refer work. You’re writing content for your client’s website, and they mention that they need help with website design. There’s probably another member (or four) that you could potentially refer work to.

The great thing about asking and promoting is that it works like community karma: if you ask and promote others, in turn they will likely do the same for you.

Image Credit: Flicker – otama | sarah sosiak

Space Catalyst 101

As a brand new space catalyst, I am riding the highs and lows of the early process. When I began fleshing out the idea of starting a coworking community in my town, my mind was buzzing with the excitement a new project brings. I envisioned the utopian community, the modern and functional workspace, and the throngs of interesting people who would want to be a part of it all. And of course, in this Hollywood-esque reverie, everything falls magically into place. The community forms itself. The ideal coworking space (situated on the best block of downtown) effortlessly falls into my lap. Funding flows freely, and there are no proverbial “bumps in the road.”

Then, the actualization process begins. Queue the squealing brakes.

As there is not a set standard for what makes a successful coworking space, I found myself absolutely inundated with information…and questions. So many questions. Where do I begin? Will people join? Is my town ready for this? How much is this going to cost? You get the picture. So, instead of trying to sort through it alone, I sought wise council and joined the closest coworking community to me.

My best advice to anyone who is thinking of starting a coworking space is a.)hire a professional, and b.)find a space that you would like to mirror (and hang out there.) Consulting with a successful space owner is the best investment, of my time and money, I have made thus far. I have a wealth of knowledge and experience being poured into me with every meeting. My incredible consultant has helped me form a plan, find a starting point in the process, and-most importantly- informed me what holes not to step in. I have made new contacts, been informed of resources that I never knew existed, and given homework to complete throughout the week. There is nothing, but nothing bad about getting the beef from someone who has been through the process of starting a coworking community and made it work.

I’m still in the process. I still have my sights on that dreamy vision of the perfect coworking community, but now I have a plan to get there. And with the help of a person (dare I say…new friend) who has paved the way before me, it just might all come together some sweet day soon.

3 Things You Need To Cowork Successfully

You might find it hard to believe that groups of people sitting together in the same room can really be productive. While it’s true that coworkers often have super-human talents, they also have some tricks up their sleeves.

Those new to coworking are often amazed that groups of people sitting together in the same room can really be productive. While it’s true that coworkers often have super-human talents, they also have some tricks up their sleeves.

Headphones

If you’re a freelancer that’s been using the local coffee shop as your office, you already know the power of a set of earbuds. This amazing device plugs into your computer in a matter of seconds, delivering the sweet sounds of your favorite musical artists. Or newsprogram. Or motivational speaker. Most importantly, it will drown out the chatter of those with a lighter workload on any particular day.

A To-Do List

Nothing helps put your mind on the fast-track to success like a prioritized list of tasks. Some days at Cohere, we’ll designate a white board as a “public to-do list,” so that the entire community can see what the other members are working on. Who knows? Someone might have a tip or suggestion about how to tackle that bothersome project.

An Open Mind

If you’re thinking about coming down for your first day of coworking, it’s important to keep an open mind. Those that have recently transferred into the freelance life might not expect people to laugh and converse at their workspace, or to have someone offer to help with a professional problem- but these things happen all the time during coworking. Be flexible, realize that successful days come in all shapes and sizes, and be ready to soak up all the community has to offer you.

Cohere is a membership-based collaborative workspace & coworking community for freelancers, entrepreneurs and remote workers in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Image Credit: Flickr – pastaboy

Study on Coworking: The Coworker

Very few academic studies about coworking and coworkers have ever been carried. Berlin university student Lukas de Pellegrin set out to change this by conducting research on coworkers, setting out three important questions: who are coworkers, how should their workspace look like, and why?

He harvested responses from the users of coworking spaces in Berlin, and Deskmag is publishing the results. The survey is the forerunner of a worldwide study in which readers can participate.

This first survey was conducted in Berlin coworking spaces, like here at Studio 70.

The typical coworker

The typical Berlin coworker is self-employed, male and 31 years old, at least on average. Almost all coworkers are self-employed – more than 95%. Women make up 40% of coworkers. The majority of coworkers are between 30 and 40 years old. Very few are older, and slightly less than half are younger, most of them in their mid to late 20s.

Coworking Spaces are centers for programmers and web designers

Coworking spaces in Berlin have established themselves as centers for programmers and web designers, who together make up almost half of all users (42%). Yet those looking for translators or architects will also find plenty in these workspaces.

The working life of a coworker is one of projects. And most projects run for an average of six months. Many also work on shorter contracts – 25% of all projects take less than two weeks.

Loyalty to coworking spaces lasts much longer than a project

Coworkers are very loyal to their coworking space. The overwhelming majority identified very strongly with their space, and have been there for just under 18 months. (although most coworking spaces are not more than 18 months old). When a coworker chooses to leave a coworking space they do so quickly, within three or six months of arriving. Those that have been there a year often remain for much longer.

Coworkers told de Pellegrin that the thing they expect most of coworking spaces was the opportunity to interact with other self-employed people. Many coe for the interesting mixture of different professional fields. They don’t want to work at home, and see coworking spaces as a simple solution. One in twelve coworkers are on a temporary stay in Berlin.

Looking for new connections

However, the low cost of coworking spaces is the most important deciding factor when selecting a certain place to work. The second criterion was the possibility for chance discoveries and encounters with people that could have a positive impact on future work. Interacting with other people yet still remaining autonomous was the third-most important factor.

Another important factor is short travel distance. In Berlin, coworkers rarely commute more than four kilometers to their workplace, and the average distance is three kilometers. More than half go by bike, one in three uses public transport, one in five by foot, and only one in ten by car.

Once there, they make most use of a computer and desk, kitchen facilities, printers and filing cabinets. This is followed by leisure facilities and interactive spaces. Most also go to restaurants or snack bars nearby for their food.

The most important factors for coworkers are low cost, new (unexpected) connections, interaction, and staying autonomous at the same time. More pictures on Deskmag.

Starting a worldwide survey

The results are the basis for a worldwide survey that de Pellegrin will start with in the next few months at the 600 or so coworking spaces worldwide.

And users can participate directly. How do you feel about the results? What important questions were overlooked? What do you want to know more about coworkers or coworking spaces? You can send your questions and comments to Deskmag, or simply tweet on our Twitter page. Your contributions on Twitter will be included in the survey. The results will be published soon.

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[email protected]

By Carsten Foertsch

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Lukas De Pellegrini is about to graduate in architecture. His home university is Berlin’s Technische Universität (TU Berlin).

Deskmag is a magazine about the new places we work, how they look, how they function and how they could be improved. We especially focus on workspaces which are home to the new breed of independent workers, such as coworking spaces, private shared studios and executive offices.

3 Coworking Benefits for the Entire Family

Guest post from a member’s husband. Coworking has far reaching benefits beyond what individual members gain from the experience of coworking.

Since my wife has started coworking it has unexpectedly improved my life in a few ways, and it has nothing to do with additional income. It has increased the quality of our life here at home, making me a huge fan. Not that we want to get rid of her, but we are thrilled that she is coworking! Here’s why:

1. Quality one-on-one time with the kids

I work all day and have few quality moments with my boys during the week. I get home during the chaos of dinner and bedtime routines. On coworking nights, my boys and I set up the living room like a movie theater, turn off all of the lights and wrap up with blankets and popcorn. We watch fun movies and eat candy that my wife probably wouldn’t let them eat during the day. We call this “Boy’s Party” and it’s the highlight of our week.

2. Decreases guilt/increases balance for personal activities

I am an avid fly fisherman and the river is my sanctuary. Being able to get out with my flyrod is really important and recharges me. With my wife having a dedicated night for coworking, I’ve been able to have a dedicated fishing night. It’s a great balance and we don’t feel guilty for having our own personal interests.

3. Moments of peace and quiet

On the nights that my wife coworks, after the kids are in bed, the house is silent. There’s nobody to talk to, there’s nothing to think about. It’s a treasured moment of true peace and silence, which is much needed after a long day at work. It’s quite relaxing and restful – everyone should have a few moments to themselves to decompress.

You’d think that with our busy life and day’s full of activities that my wife leaving for night coworking once a week would be taxing, but it’s not. It actually helps us balance some important aspects of all of our lives.

4 reasons to avoid being “Home Alone”.

EXPENSES: Sharing resources in a coworking space (coffee, electricity, water, photocopies, phone & internet) lessens your individual burden of having to purchase all of this for your home office.

PERSONAL LIFE / PROFESSIONAL LIFE: Separating your job from your domestic life is the Rosetta Stone of the 21st century. Do you think it is good idea meet all of your customers & partners in your home office?

PRODUCTIVITY: Ask anyone who works from home about having to endure their neighbors, children, traffic noise, home sellers, postman, the washing machine. Almost all professions need a quiet, creative and inspiring work space.

LONELINESS: In isolation, a creative mind takes very little to become blocked. The synergy of a couple of coworkers helps you reach your fullest creative potential.

Coworking: Solution for Moms to Grow Small Businesses

Enjoy this guest post from coworker Kristin Mastre on how coworking gave her much needed balance between being a stay at home mom and a small business owner. Having my cake and eating it too.

The other day, my kids and I were attending a birthday party for one of my older son’s preschool friends. As the kids were running around jumping in bounce houses and sliding down slides, another mom and I had a chance to chat.

“Congrats on all of the progress you’ve made with work! You deserve it. You’ve worked really hard. There are quite a few moms around town who are envious that you have it all. You have a balance of staying at home, but still working in a career both at the same time. A lot of people wish they could do the same.”

It was an incredibly flattering compliment, and it wouldn’t have gotten it without the help from my fellow coworking space members. I can live that double life while night coworking. I do have a great balance with home and work. I get to take my boys to everything they want to do – karate classes, attend school field trips and park days; I also plan meetings, collaborate and grow my business and passion. I get to have my cake and eat it too. Being a work-at-home-mom is isolating and frustrating, often times feeling like you’re talking to yourself (or the walls). When I was at my lowest point in motherhood, I joined a moms group and became an active member, essentially saving my sanity. When becoming an entrepreneur, it seemed like a natural step to join a coworking space to network with other professionals. Fortunately, my coworking space had the best membership for me where I could still keep my flexible work-at-home lifestyle and cowork with other local freelancers at the same time. It’s great! One night a week I leave the boys at home with their dad so they can have “boys party”, watching movies and eating popcorn. They enjoy sharing their special bonding time together. I get to pack up and head off to coworking where I get an incredible amount of work done while forming business relationships that are taking my career to the next level. Without my membership, my business growth would take a lot longer, not having those vital professional connections. Also, my kids would be missing out on some important one-on-one time with their dad. We really do have the perfect balance that way and it wasn’t difficult to obtain, thanks to night coworking.

Coworking: Not Just for Big Cities

Coworking is considered by many to be an urban movement, with most coworking activity located in big cities.

But our recent census of U.S. coworking facilities shows that roughly 20% are located outside of the 50 most populated U.S. metropolitan areas (MSAs). And over 40% are outside the 10 most populated areas.

Examples of smaller cities with coworking facilities include Asheville (NC), Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Lincoln, Santa Cruz (CA) and Ft. Wayne.

We also found that a growing number of coworking facilities are located in suburbs – some well outside the urban core.

Altamont Coworking www.altamontcowork.com , for example, is located about 50 miles east of San Francisco in Tracy, CA. Another example is Satellite Coworking www.thesatelliteinc.com , located 31 miles south of San Jose in Felton, CA.

It will come as no surprise to those familiar with SF Bay Area traffic that both of these facilities stress the advantages of using their space instead of commuting.

Other suburban coworking facilities, such as Converge Coworking www.convergenj.com in Union, NJ, are located in closer-in suburbs.

The growing geographic diversity of coworking facilities reflects the broad appeal of the coworking movement.

Steve King is a partner at Emergent Research and is leading their current coworking study. www.coworkinglabs.com

5 Features To Look For In A Coworking Space

If you have more than one coworking option to choose from, or you need help comparing the features of a coworking facility to those of an executive suite or dedicated office space, here are 5 things to look for.

By Angel Kwiatkowski

1. Comfort and Ambiance

Ok that’s two, but they go hand in hand. The worst thing about working in a traditional office space or (gasp!) cubicle jungle is that they aren’t comfortable. Fluorescent lights, worn out desk chairs and stark white walls belong in hospitals, not your everyday workspace. Check out the space’s website and look for pictures of the interior. If you don’t find any, it might be because they’ve got something to hide.

2. Multiple Workspaces

Does everyone have to crowd around the same table? Do you have to fight off other early risers for the “good desk”? A prime coworking space will provide different places for you to work, so that you can choose the environment that is most conducive to your productivity on any particular day. Couches, tables, open and enclosed desks, nooks and comfy chairs all within ten feet of a white board? Yes please!

3. Conference Space

Freelancers and small business owners are constantly having meetings. Lots of them. Being a member of a coworking community means that you no longer have to take these meetings in crowded coffee shops. Make sure you find out whether there is a classy looking room with a closeable door for you to use. If you take a lot of meetings and there’s no meeting space, it might not be the right facility for you.

4. Multiple Membership Plans

The whole reason people are attracted to the idea of freelancing or owning their own business is because they feel trapped in the traditional 9 – 5. What’s the use of coworking if it isn’t flexible enough to fit into your life with ease? Look for coworking facilities that offer multiple stages/styles/levels of membership. This will ensure you get the most out of the experience and your investment.

5. Good People!

It’s called coworking. That means more than one. Every space has to start somewhere, and there are always those days that everyone stays home, but the people are the most important part of coworking. Find out how large the membership is, what kind of work the other members do, and ask the space owner/host/curator which days tend to be busy or empty. This can help you plan which days you want to come for quality interaction.

5 Ways Coworking Could Save Your Small Business

A lot of people are talking about coworking. But does it really make that much of a difference?

Starting a business isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. Most entrepreneurs are so interested in keeping the bills paid, they forget how vital things like fresh air and conversation can be to their business’ success.

If you’re debating whether or not to give coworking a try, here are some compelling reasons to experience work outside the home office:

1. Motivation

Joining a coworking community is like getting a double shot of motivation right in the ticker. It might surprise you to know that there are people that will find your ideas/talents/products impressive and constantly encourage you to reach for more. They are called coworkers, and they are waiting to assure you that there is a reason to keep going.

2. Networking

Aside from those special souls that were born for cold calling, have you ever met someone that really enjoys networking events? There’s all that awkward glancing between face and name tag, painful small talk about the catered food, and the inevitable fumbling for the business card.

When you’re a coworker, networking ceases to be a traumatizing monthly event and instead becomes a natural part of your daily conversation. Each day, you’ll be sitting next to someone new, with a whole set of talents, ambitions, and business contacts waiting to be discovered.

3. Bartering

Money tight? Working in a community of small business owners and freelancers means that everyone can relate to clients who ignore invoices and struggling bank accounts. But instead of breaking down, coworkers barter. Chances are, within 20 feet of your laptop you’ll find someone that’s willing to trade you graphic design work for some help with marketing, or new head shots in exchange for a snappy press release.

4. Outsourcing

(No, not like that terrible show that replaced Parks and Rec). If you’ve got more work than you know what to do with, there’s no need to give up sleep or force your family into indentured servitude. As a coworker, you have a built in pool of talented, motivated people all around you that will probably be interested in picking up your slack for pay or barter. Not only will your clients think you’ve developed super human powers because of how fast things will get done, you’ll gain major karma points in the freelancing community.

5. Creativity

Traditional businesspeople swear by “location, location, location.” For coworkers, the mantra is “ideas, ideas, ideas.” Writer’s block, brain farts, and design paralysis are no match for a community of creatively endowed people. If a problem project has you stymied, try shouting it out to the built in focus group seated all around you (check to make sure they don’t have their headphones in first). You might be surprised at how quickly you’ll have more ideas than than ever.

Wanna give coworking a try? Claim your free day pass to Cohere Community and prepare to be wowed!

Flickr Image Credits: KHawkins04 | ShashiBellamkonda