Coworking spaces for freelancers & small business: What’s in it for you?

This is a type of work that revolves around a shared environment where individuals or teams from different origins work in an open office environment owned and run by an independent agency. Coworking spaces are often rented out to individuals by the hour, day, week or any other negotiated time frame, and are vital in saving small business and individuals on major lease commitments and help to greatly save costs on office space.

In many cases, this technique is used as a strategy to save dollars by smaller organizations or freelance individuals. For example, if a small business is growing in a particular city and receiving client work a on a regular basis, but not enough to open a second office, an organization may choose to rent a shared location for project work or meetings in that city to achieve localization, and provide a higher quality service without long-term commitment.

Another use of a joint space is to operate a very small team in startup phase until a steady income stream is achieved that can support growth. Often coworking spaces see seed-funded startups as residents which can result in a very strong entrepreneurial environment. Many spaces will be flooded with technology start-ups in particular, and have proven able to raise some of the most successful and sustainable technology firms from across the globe. Such united work spaces can be found in many cities, a who’s who of technologies next generation, with many great companies incubated in such environments.

Collective work environments do offer excellent cost savings, a chance for experience and volunteering opportunities, but you must consider whether a Joint work establishment is right for you. We suggest asking the following questions:

- Am I able to work independently with potential distractions?

- Do I have a goal in place while I am at a shared work location?

- Have I outgrown a mutual work site, or am I simply not ready for one?

- Is this Joint work space the right one for me, or is there a more suitable location in my local region?

- Even though coworking spaces are affordable, can I afford it?

- How long do I intend to use the space for? Short-term, long-term or temporarily? Is a cooperative work scene the best strategy for me?