I believe we will see a Billion entrepreneurs in the next 20 years. I’m not talking about the classic definition of an entrepreneur building a big company – I’m talking about the freelancer, part-timer, and the independent. Yes, corporations will live on, but innovation, disruption, and the future lies in the hands of the entrepreneurs. At the center of this movement - and it's already here - we see major changes in how, when, and where people work. This is the rise of co-working and you should do it too.
So, what is co-working?
It’s quite simple. If you’ve ever spent more than a week working from home, you’ve likely noticed that working from home, or alone, is not as easy and wonderful as it might seem. You get bored. You are a social animal. You need people to feel good. Co-working is just working together and better with others. (If you are new to co-working, check this resource for definitions etc).
For the last twenty years, you’ve noticed more and more people working at coffee shops. If you live in San Francisco or another major tech hub, it seems as if no one has an office anymore. In the last five years, co-working spaces have been popping up all over the world. You can easily find one in this directory. It's easy to get going: You can rent a desk, a room, or just pop in for the day. Most places offer coffee, meeting rooms, and comfy couches.
While in-person co-working is terrific, co-working doesn’t have to be in-person. Loads of people co-work online and cross-borders. It's not as refreshing as the real thing, but the co-working concept is really more about sustainability and community building than anything else.
Why is it so great?
The pure creative energy that comes from co-working is just terrific. You meet new people, collaborate, and you constantly are refreshed by the environment and energy that drives co-working spaces.
Networking is super easy and some of the people in your space might buy or sell services to you – in person. That’s just a superb way of building value, right?
Our next space for Fabric will be a co-working environment. We’re looking at downtown Los Angeles and we’re looking for a street-facing retail space. If you know the perfect space or you want to join in, get in touch. Let’s make it happen!
Great post! It definitely feels like there's going to be a shift in how we work as more people become freelancers, part-timers, and independent workers.
But I also want to point out that coworking spaces are starting to see an influx of telecommuters and other remote workers, too-- essentially employees of companies looking to work remotely but who don't want to work from home.
Coworking really works for a lot of different people. For a recent book we did on coworking, “Working in the UnOffice" (Night Owls Press, CoworkingGuide.com), we talked to everyone from the usual digital technology and graphic design freelancers that flock to coworking in droves, to the more unusual inventors, innovation consultants, and even telecommuters working remotely for big corporations. Some of them have been in business for years, with polished operations. Others are bootstrapped shops, or people throwing their hats into the ring as “accidental entrepreneurs” because of the recession.
What makes coworking so great for a wide swath of professionals is what sets it apart from your usual, cookie-cutter shared office space. Aside from the energy and networking opportunities, here are other benefits we found:
* ‘Accelerated serendipity’ galore. Just by exposure to other people, you discover something new without trying— be it a new Ruby on Rails tweak, a PR secret, or the best restaurant for sushi. And you get to meet new people, new clients, and find new resources the same way.
* Collective brainpower. In his book, “Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration”, Keith Sawyer says that acts of collaboration, not solo flights of genius, are the key to breakthrough creativity. When you hang around a coworking space, where collaboration is not only encouraged but also cultivated, you get the opportunity to harness your coworkers’ collective brainpower.
* A professional venue— and outlook. Not only do you get a business address, you also get a professional venue to host meetings with clients and colleagues.
* Shared resources. If you need to get things done on the cheap, coworking spaces are the place to do it. You don’t have to fight for a spot, all the equipment and space you need to run a business is there (printers, Wi-Fi, conference rooms).
* Opportunities for bigger projects. With access to people working in different fields, you can now nab bigger projects without worries about biting off more than you can chew or hiring new people. In fact, you can simply outsource the parts you can’t handle to your coworkers.
Overall, there’s the sense of belonging that we derive from being part of a broader group. You aren’t just renting a desk or office space, and you aren’t just around people for the sake of being around people. Throw people in a room— you may get a lot of staring and then a quick shuffle to hunker down with laptops and smartphones. Throw people into a coworking space— something else happens entirely.
Additional reading on coworking - check out Deskmag's 'Five Must-Read Books About Coworking' (http://www.deskmag.com/en/five-must-read-books-about-coworking-161). Shareable.net is also a good resource on collaborative workspaces.
Genevieve
co-author, Working in the UnOffice (http://www.CoworkingGuide.com)
Posted by: Genevieve DeGuzman | Monday, October 24, 2011 at 10:14 AM