The life of an entrepreneur / freelancer can look very appealing to those on the other side of the fence in permanent, full time employment. The ability to work your own hours, to choose your own clients, to pick where you work from, can all see very appealing to someone who goes to the same office every day.
However in reality, it is not always sunshine and lollipops for entrepreneurs and freelancers. The flip side of the above can inconsistent paychecks, projects being cancelled without notice, and perceptions around the credibility and stability. Now whilst the challenges related to finances and consistency of work can stay with entrepreneurs and freelancers for most of their careers, there is something that can be done to give your business more credibility and stability.
The latest trend when it comes to working and work spaces, is coworking. And coworking spaces have become very popular with entrepreneurs / freelancers due to the services they provide and the flexibility that comes from working in a coworking space. These services can all go towards providing relatively new business with an office space that breathes stability and credibility.
Some specific services of coworking spaces that support entrepreneurs / freelancers are:
Professional Image
Coworking spaces provide all the necessary facilities to give your business a professional edge. These spaces provide all of the facilities that you will find in a traditional office space, without the need to commit to long term office rental. From meeting rooms, projectors, high-speed internet, and communal gatherings for networking and collaboration, all you need to do is invite your guests and WOW them with your professional office space.
Virtual Office
Coworking spaces do not just choose the location for their space on a whim. Most coworking spaces choose heavily populated Central Business Districts to open their spaces. They choose areas that are close to public transport, cafes and bars, so they are an attractive offer to potential clients. They also choose Central Business Districts for the location, specifically the address itself. Most coworking spaces allow their clients to use their physical address for their business cards or for registering their business entity.
Networking Opportunities
The beauty of coworking spaces is that they are filled with like-minded individuals spanning different industries and different growth periods in their businesses. And due to the communal set up of co-working spaces, they allow for natural interactions with these linked minded creatives. From this you might meet your next business partner, or seek advice on how to grow your business.
Environmentally Friendly
The idea of coworking can be seen as very friendly to the environment due to the communal nature of a coworking space. A coworking space will have multiple small to medium clients working from within the space, which overall means a reduction in the carbon footprint of each company; compared to if they operated under separate roofs. With so many clients that come in and out of their space every day, they need to focus on being efficient when it comes to electricity, waste disposal and recycling. Most coworking spaces are also operated out of new buildings and with millennial staff, so a push to be an eco-friendlier business office can be very apparent.
Flexibility
Coworking spaces work so amazingly for entrepreneurs and freelancers, because they offer cost effective services that come on flexible terms. Most spaces will allow prospective clients to take a tour of the space, test out the Wi-Fi and perhaps even work for an hour or two for free before committing and making a payment. This allows for the prospective client to make a good evaluation of the space and make sure it will fit their business model.
The operating model that most coworking spaces follows, is where you are charged by either the hour, day or month for the services offered. In this operating model, the longer you commit to working out of a coworking space, the cheaper the price can be. For entrepreneurs and freelancers, flexibility can be worth its weight in gold, as it provides an avenue to test the market with new business ideas.
Coworking spaces provide the most modern and forward thinking environments when it comes to places to work. With the output of entrepreneurs and freelancers, quite often being forward thinking ideas and solutions to current day problems, coworking spaces continue to be the ideal workspace partner.