Although working from home appeals to all types of small business owners, including entrepreneurs and creatives, the arrangement has some shortcomings. For example, home-based workers may at times feel lonely or detached. Space can also pose a problem, especially as a business grows.
Increasingly, start ups are abandoning their home offices in favor of shared office space. By making this choice, they gain many of the benefits of a traditional office while still controlling costs. As more people have good experiences with their co-working space, more home based business are taking note.
The following benefits of shared office space can help businesses owners make an informed choice that best fits their needs.
Community
By getting out of the house and into a shared space, business owners can meet new people, putting an end to long, dreary days in the home office. The sense of community can by itself stimulate creativity and productivity. Furthermore, as coworkers get to know each other, they can share ideas and build long-lasting relationships.
Structure
Entrepreneurs and creatives who work at home find working late easy. After a while, they may discover that doing a few extra tasks every day negatively affects their personal life. A co-working space can change that because they usually have scheduled operating hours. In other words, business owners who share office space often have a way to limit how much they work.
Resources
When small business owners choose a co-working facility, they gain access to resources commonly found in corporate settings:
- Coffee.
- Break areas.
- Meeting rooms.
- Printers.
- Copiers.
- Scanners.
- Fax machines.
- Computer monitors.
- Cleaning services.
Space
Business owners often need to extend their capabilities to sustain growth. This can mean that they need more space to work. When they hire employees, space becomes even more of a problem. A co-working space allows small companies to easily acquire space where their team members can also work.
Location
Many clients may regard meeting in a home office as unprofessional, especially if they have to walk through a residence to get to it. Even worse, many neighborhoods are inconvenient to businesspeople during the workday. Co-working areas are often located in the heart of commercial districts making them accessible to clients while presenting a professional look and feel.
In summary, business owners are increasingly choosing to abandon the traditional home office in favor of the benefits offered by shared office spaces in co-working facilities. Follow #getconnected and visit Meet Work Connect to learn more.