Top 10 Tips for Finding the Best Coworking Space

Top 10 Tips for Finding the Best Coworking Space

If you’re hunting for a coworking space, I have some good news. They have exploded in popularity over the past few years.

For those who are unfamiliar, coworking spaces allow people to work independently alongside one another. It’s a nice change from the dreary office cubicle and gives workers flexibility, social interaction, and resource access.

However, deciding which is best for your business model can take time with so many options.

But don’t worry. I’m here to help! 

Many freelancers and startups have opted for a shared space rather than setting up shop in an office building. Not only is this option cost-effective, but it also has a ton of other benefits too.

1 – Find the Best Coworking Spaces in Your Area

While this is still relatively new, coworking spaces are already gaining popularity in the United States and worldwide. According to the U.S. Census Bureau data, there are currently around 5,000 coworking spaces across the country and 20,000 worldwide. 

Like many types of office spaces, Coworking spaces offer different features depending on the type of business that utilises them. However, they all generally provide a shared workspace where members can meet with clients and colleagues, collaborate online, and share resources like office supplies and equipment.

While coworking spaces have their advantages, there are also some drawbacks. The first is cost. Second, figuring out precisely what you’re getting can be challenging. But coworking can be a great opportunity if you’re looking to start a new venture, expand your current business or get together with some friends and work side-by-side.

Make Sure It Has the Right Environment

“The environment you’re in when you’re trying to sell and do your best is critical,” says Mark Tully, vice president of business development at R/GA. “You need to feel comfortable.”

There are many reasons to work from a coworking space, and you should research to ensure you’re getting the best environment for your needs. 

• Is the space clean? 
• Does it have easy access to food and coffee? 
• Will the space offer free Wi-Fi? 
• Is it accessible by public transportation? 
• And finally, what are other people there doing?

Be Flexible – Don’t Put Limits on Where You Can Go

Your coworking space doesn’t have to be on the fifth floor of an office building. I have had clients set up shop in the back room of their kitchen or garage. Just don’t limit yourself. If you work in a place with ample space but need more, move elsewhere! There are several coworking spaces in the city where you can take advantage of their amenities and still work from home, so there is no reason you can’t switch spaces.

Coworking spaces aren’t just limited to Silicon Valley or major cities. They’re sprouting up all over the country and the globe. But the biggest challenge for any entrepreneur who wants to take advantage of this trend is finding a suitable space that fits their needs. When looking for a coworking space, it’s essential to consider its physical location, proximity to public transit, ease of parking, and whether there are good coffee options nearby. If you don’t find a suitable space within a short radius of your workplace, it may be worth trying out a temporary setup.

Go for a “Welcoming” Atmosphere

I’m not a huge fan of corporate culture, but I believe in creating an inviting environment at work. Coworking spaces can be a place for creativity and collaboration. It doesn’t have to be a sterile place like an office. It can be a friendly place where people feel comfortable taking breaks and completing their work. There are many ways to make your coworking space feel more inviting.

For coworking to take off, there needs to be a friendly atmosphere in the spaces where people meet up to work. Being friendly, kind, and helpful with your guests is essential to ensure they feel welcomed and comfortable while working there. 

Think of how you’d like to be treated in a coworking space. Would you want to hang out there? Would you like to bring clients? The atmosphere and ambience you provide will impact everyone who works in the space. So, how do you ensure that your coworkers, clients, and potential customers feel welcome?

2 – Consider Your Personality

Considering your social or solo preference is critical when deciding where to work remotely. Many people who can’t get along with others but also work alone find coworking spaces ideal because everyone has a common interest yet does their own thing. An office environment gets people comfortable getting to know each other.

People go to coworking spaces for a variety of reasons. Some need the workplace and don’t care about the community or anything else. Others strive for productivity while meeting new people and connecting to their local area. The truth is that every coworking space is unique.

They have different personalities. Some are talkative and open, while others are quieter and secluded. Every coworking space caters to various people’s needs, and you should find one that matches your needs.

Determine What You Want from the Experience

The best coworking spaces are those where people want to spend time in them, plain and simple. If a coworking space isn’t providing value, you won’t want to spend time there. The next step is determining exactly what you want from your coworking space. Is it flexible? Quiet? Nice?

Knowing what you want out of everything will help so much! For example, if you enjoy being around certain types of people while working, look into who uses that particular space most often before committing to a financial commitment.

And make sure to be aware of how easy it’ll be to use their equipment and the payment plans they offer before signing up, too!

3 – Pick the Right Coworking Space

Coworking spaces are great for entrepreneurs to dip their toes in the water of a shared work environment. If you’ve noticed how frigid it can be working alone or on the side with others, you know that it can get lonely pretty fast. This is the perfect opportunity to surround yourself with other business-driven people so you can learn from and bounce ideas off each other. Or maybe even merge your companies if you’re looking for a fresh take on things.

This is something like an incubator but for less tech-focused creators. A coworking space allows you to collaborate and socialise whenever necessary — it’s up to you how often that’ll be.

But before all that, make sure the place fits your team’s needs for anything productive to come out of it. Ask yourself:

1. Will this place even be convenient enough for me to use?
2. Are there too many distractions?
3. Does this place offer too much space?
4. Is 24/7 access super important? Or just a perk?

What Does The Culture Look Like Around Here?

If you love being around passionate people who are crazy about what they do, this might be right up your alley. Coworking spaces offer members opportunities every week/month/year (whatever their plan) to meet and greet people from all different walks of life — which then turns into freelancers meeting freelancers, remote workers meeting remote workers, and oily salespeople meeting oily salespeople.

Workers also have plenty of chances throughout each day (if they’d like) to get away from their desks and try working somewhere else around the building to test their brain’s health when put into new situations.

A workplace culture survey was conducted by Spacesite — a coworking firm —and filled out by more than 3k freelancers/remote/independent professionals who work remotely or in one of these public offices (or both). The most common reasons for working in coworking spaces were that they’re cheaper than traditional offices, provide flexibility and convenience, and offer networking opportunities. 

Of all the concerned parties who filled out the survey, 42% said coworking was their preferred work arrangement over a traditional office space. They also used it the most while travelling (50%), freelancing (28%) and while on break from a conventional office (27%).

Choose Between Individual Rooms and a Shared Workspace

While it seems the best choice, having your entire business in one location isn’t always ideal. For one, renting one big office is more expensive than smaller offices spread out across the world. Second, When people see that you have a shared workspace, they know that you are not just any new company with a great idea but a real business with flesh and blood employees. Another thing to note is that less time will be spent cleaning up after yourself, saving costs on supplies.

Light makes all of the difference in an office space. It’s been proven that employees get more work done when the sun is shining and are generally happier overall. Nobody wants to work in a cold warehouse with fluorescent lights buzzing above their head all day; this will result in miserable workers who cannot wait to leave at 5 pm every day. Therefore, choose a workplace with lots of natural light pouring into it and add some plants here and there for good measure.

The most important part of an office space is its ability to make you feel comfortable and unwinded so you can focus without interruption. At least find yourself somewhere well-lit with lots of natural light to stay alert and focused throughout the day without distractions coming your way every few seconds. If noise does prove to be an issue for you, there are several ways to cancel out background noise so you can just focus on what needs to get done.

4 – Network, Network, Network

We all know that coworking spaces have loads to offer—with Wi-Fi, printers, power outlets and sometimes even kitchens and lounges. However, the human connection is the most powerful benefit of being in one. It’s not just about resources and equipment; it’s also about being around other humans.

We have your back if you’re a founder or an employee at a company looking for new people to connect with. 

And if you already work out of this office, you know how incredible these people are. They love what they do, which makes everyone feel comfortable every time they pop in, say their staff members.

There's a unique mix of founders, owners and staff members dedicated to delivering the best service to their clients. And while this group has always been open to hearing ideas from guests, they're also excited to meet more community members who want to join their movement.

5 – Go Beyond the Internet for Reviews

There are plenty of coworking spaces, but if you’re considering switching to a new one, you need to do your research. The problem with online reviews is that they can be biased, and those biases tend to favour the free stuff. Most of the time, people only care about whether or not a space offers free printing or coffee.

It’s possible to go beyond the internet when finding coworking spaces. You can use a local directory instead. Find a free directory that lists coworking spaces and companies that provide support and resources to members. It’s a valuable tool for finding coworking spaces in a particular city or town.

Know Thyself

If you’re looking for a coworking space, you should know what coworking is, why it matters, and what it means for you. Most people who join these organisations are professionals in their respective industries (tech, design, and creative) and want to get together with peers to help build each other’s businesses.

Many coworking spaces are membership organisations, meaning there will probably be some sort of fee attached – this might be needed if you want access to the community’s shared amenities like conference rooms, printing services, and high-speed internet access. Suppose you’re just trying to network with industry peers, though – search online for local coworking spaces that offer incentives!

6 – Look for Coworking Spaces with the Most Social Proof

Social proof is something that you can use to help with your decisions. It’s when people see that more people have done one thing and decide that they should do the same.

For example, if a person sees three other people leaving the office at 5 p.m. and not working from home, they’re more likely to go.

Coworking spaces are great if you don’t need an entire office environment, but they aren’t always the best choice. A lot of the value of a coworking space comes from having others around you. 

They are almost like gyms, except it’s for getting work done rather than pumping iron. While a coffee shop or bar can sometimes be conducive to this atmosphere, many other coworking environments better support this situation.

Be Careful Of Expensive Offers

One of the reasons why coworking spaces can seem like such good deals is because they’re only offered so often at limited periods. That means that lots of people take advantage of them. 

But many unscrupulous coworking space owners know no one knows what a reasonable price for one is and, therefore, aren’t offering the same quality for the same price as their competitors.

7 – Consider Your Needs

What kind of work environment does your company need? Do you need open spaces or private rooms? Is flexibility important?

I used to think co-working was for people with big ideas and energy. I always heard it’s great because it makes you feel productive. 

But co-working is about more than just getting stuff done. For instance, some members simply want to be around other people instead of alone at home all day. Others are in between jobs and have tons of time but need leads. They want a space to work until they find the next thing.

Find A Space That Fits Your Budget

Finding an affordable coworking space isn’t easy — but it can be done. Some options cost a fraction of what traditional offices charge per month.

There are coworking spaces across the world that cater to different budgets. Some offer no-frills desks for people who don’t need a place to show clients and coworkers. Others have private offices and cost more than $400 per month (yes, really). And some charge less than $200 monthly for everything you could imagine needing in a workspace.

Make Sure There Is a Kitchen

It may surprise you as much as it surprised me when I first heard it, but the kitchen sets many coworking spaces apart. It’s where members meet new people, network, get stuff done, and eat meals. 

Plenty of new players entered the market this past year with plans for lobbies full of kitchenettes or kitchens in their meeting room areas. While that trend may continue, we believe every location should include at least one kitchen for all members.

8 – Take Advantage of the Coworking Environment

When you work in a coworking environment, you can work smarter, not harder.

According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, employees are more productive at the office than at home. This is because “social” aspects of office work simply don’t exist in your living room or bedroom. These elements include shared knowledge and ideas, collaboration and socialising with colleagues. 

Collaboration is massive right now for entrepreneurs. They often meet in coffee shops, work from coworking spaces, and even rent homes to share their ideas with fellow entrepreneurs. In these environments, people tend to listen to one another more carefully than they would in a traditional workspace setting.

Another thing that sets coworking spaces apart is their ability to foster creativity and collaboration due to the open nature of the space.

Learn from Others

It’s pretty easy to be self-centred when we think about ourselves and our businesses 24/7/365. Being too self-focused has caused some entrepreneur’s businesses to fail altogether. Your success must gather advice from others who’ve already achieved what you seek.

People who’ve accomplished big things have often done so through learning from others who came before them. And most successful people are happy to share their lessons with those seeking guidance.

Plenty of resources online will help you learn the basics of running a business. Still, very few business owners give their advice and lessons learned in these communities — especially if it's free advice in a coworking community! So do yourself a favour and learn from other people's mistakes to avoid making them, too.

9 – Join Local Groups on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has several coworking groups on its roster, though most focus on the coworking community in Europe and North America. However, some target other parts of the world, including Australia, Brazil, and Spain, so search “coworking” in your LinkedIn homepage search bar to find these groups.

Freelancing from home is great for building your freelance business, but joining local groups on LinkedIn and actively participating in conversations related to your field will broaden your horizons. Whether it’s about starting a local meetup group or just going to events where you’ll meet a mix of local freelancers, you’ll be part of an active community of like-minded professionals. We’re all in this together!

10 – Get Connected with Potential Coworkers

People often overlook that networking is not just about finding prospective clients but also about making connections.

According to Getting Connected, the number one reason people don’t join professional organisations is because they feel they have no reason to be joining any organisation or that the organisation's activities don’t interest them. The key to getting connected says Getting Connected, is knowing that you always have something in common with someone. Once you start meeting people, you’ll find more reasons to stay connected.

The same goes for social media channels, which are used as tools to connect with new contacts. But to do this effectively, you need a strategy and plan for using these channels.

Why Community Matters

Community is crucial for any coworking space. It’s also one of the most undervalued aspects of coworking spaces. A coworking community comprises individuals who like each other’s company, want to help each other and look for opportunities. By offering all these opportunities, a coworking community allows its members’ growth and productivity to thrive, an underrated aspect we sometimes forget when considering coworking spaces.

Make Sure Your Coworkers Can Get What You Need

While some tips mainly focus on your personal needs as an individual worker, your coworkers should understand your needs and what they can offer you. If anything is lacking in their offerings that you need to work efficiently, then maybe this isn’t the suitable space for you. Don’t hesitate to ask questions until everything is made clear to both parties involved; ensure that you’re serious about your work requirements rather than being considered a bother by constantly asking questions. They’ll want to make sure you’re comfortable!

Conclusion

These ten tips will help you find a coworking space. Some spaces will be better than others; it’s all about figuring out which amenities and benefits you want. You’ll also need to think carefully about what features will boost your productivity the most. Honestly, there isn’t much else you can do. I mean, yeah, sure, consider whether you can tolerate your future office mates and other people that might pass by. And yes, checking if local transportation is available when you’re travelling wouldn't hurt. Anyway, let us know what you think!

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