Coworking spaces are wired hubs of innovation that are radically changing how and where work gets done. These spaces are not just Starbucks coffee shops on steroids, but flexible modern workspaces that are fostering a sense of community among the mobile workforce. The coworking movement has been embraced in cities like San Francisco and New York where there are large concentrations of entrepreneurs and startups companies.
The idea of coworking is to create a communal workspace that inspires creativity, innovation, and enables productivity. A coworking space is a creative think tank, educational network and collaboration system that offers traditional workspaces, conference rooms that can be rented, and workshops for educational development. The infrastructure of these spaces enables startups and independent professionals to share desks, resources, and ideas with other like-minded people versus working at home alone. With the help of collaborative tools like dropbox, Google Docs, and Skype, working remotely in shared spaces is feasible.
What are the benefits?
- Reduced Overhead Expenses — You can rent daily, monthly or yearly the services or space that you need without committing to long-term office space lease agreements.
- Stable Environment — In a coworking space you’re operating in a stable work environment with reliable Internet access. If you have an important meeting, the noisy environment of coffee shop and/or the potential loss of an Internet connection is no longer a concern.
- Collaboration — When working independently there are times you will need to bounce ideas off someone. Coworking communities are typically a diverse group of thinkers that could include designers, strategist, developers, creatives and entrepreneurs that can provide valuable feedback.
There are some really cool technologies to connect you to flexible workspaces. For example, Worksnug is an augmented reality mobile app that can connect you to available workspaces from your iPhone. Loose Cubes is a visual online directory with over 1,000 workspaces located worldwide to determine the space that best fits your needs.
Coworking Spaces: Some of the prominent examples of coworking spaces in New York and San Francisco are Hive at 55, New Work City, Citizens Space, and Hub So Ma.
Hajj Flemings is a weekly technology columnist for BlackEnterprise.com, Founder of Brand Camp University, and the author of the Brand YU Life. As a speaker and brand strategist he works with some of the largest brands covering the topics of branding and digital technology. Check back next Wednesday for his next column.