Coworking spaces are a great way for professionals to connect and collaborate. With a greater transition to work from home, more and more people are looking for spaces close by where they can occasionally host meetings, get work done, and connect. They’re also an excellent place for businesses to find new hires and talent.
In fact, more than half of all millennials say they would rather share office space than work from home or at traditional offices in an office park. But before you open your own coworking space, there are some important things to consider. Here are some tips that will help you create the perfect space for freelancers, work-from-home employees, and entrepreneurs.
Determine What Your Coworking Space Is For
Before you create your coworking space, it’s important to determine what the space is for. Is it for freelancers who need a quiet place to work? Or do you want to offer a semi-open community space where people can mingle and collaborate while they work on their projects? Does your coworking location have a specific purpose, like providing an affordable workspace for students at nearby universities or serving as an incubator for young entrepreneurs working on early-stage startups?
Make Sure You Incorporate the Following In Your Coworking Space:
Desks
Each person needs a desk when they come to your coworking space. Having a desk where they can spread out, drink coffee, and sometimes make phone calls is important. Some co-working spaces have a mixture of tables, private desks, and desks where you can make calls.
Somewhere To Eat
You probably don’t want people eating at their desks, so the best thing you can do is offer a space where people can go and enjoy a meal. Whether they order something from DoorDash and have it delivered or bring their own meal, a dedicated place to eat is critical.
A Place To Store Belongings
No one wants to walk away from their things only to discover it’s been tampered with or stolen. Giving your coworkers a place to store things can help them feel more secure while they are working in your space. Using modern lockers can help with this.
Parcel Delivery
Who doesn’t want to get mail where they are working? Offering mail services is another way to stand out among the other businesses in the crowd. When you have a secure parcel locker for your members, you can receive packages during business hours and hold it for them until they come to pick it up.
Design for the People Who Will Come
Keep in mind the kinds of people who will use your space the most. Will it be the budding entrepreneur? What about the person who works from home but struggles to focus on work in their home office? Maybe your space will cater to parent-owned businesses, and you’ll include a place for childcare.
Freelancers and independent contractors have different needs than workers who need to be online during specific hours. Coworking spaces are also filled with an extensive range of knowledge and expertise, so you’ll want to make sure that your space meets the needs of all these potential users.
Choose the Right Location
Location, location, location, right? In the case of coworking spaces, where it’s located matters a lot. You don’t want to put a co-working space in a location with no parking. Likewise, you don’t want it to be in the middle of nowhere. Being easily accessible is critical to the success of your coworking business. Sometimes, the best location will trump whether you have the best amenities as long as you at least have the basics.
Invest in Good Internet
No one wants to work remotely with a bad internet connection. One of the most important investments in your coworking space should be in the internet. You want to choose a reliable provider, and make sure you purchase enough bandwidth to handle a large number of people all working at the same time.
A solid connection is an absolute must for any coworking space, and one of the biggest reasons why coworking spaces fail. It’s a problem that can easily be solved with a little research, though. Security is also another issue. You want to do your best to secure the network from outside people who would want to cause harm to your users.
