The workplace is an ever-changing feast and one of the main items on the banquet currently is co-working spaces. Growing in popularity all the time, co-working spaces are ideal for start-ups, self-employed freelancers and entrepreneurs working independently.
If you are considering setting up a co-working space in the Midlands for freelancers and entrepreneurs to hire, Flow can help. We work to create great working spaces that boost morale, enhance productivity and deliver higher profitability.
Create valuable connections
Co-working spaces are being set up by a range of businesses. Start-ups with a modest number of employees can give their team a base where they can work amongst others and enable the business to generate revenue from the building space they don’t currently need but may well grow into. For social enterprises, bringing people together to collaborate and share ideas is often fundamental to their aims to make the world a better place and so it makes a lot of sense to create a co-working space in the heart of their local community. Large businesses are also setting up co-working spaces, enabling them to rent out existing or new premises to smaller businesses and freelancers to generate extra income and build mutually-beneficial connections.
Breathing new life into old spaces
Older buildings are enjoying a new lease of life as property owners seek to monetise and make use of spaces not currently in use. A renovated warehouse or factory makes a cool location for a co-working space adding to it’s appeal. The result is often a space that combines history with modern design, making them attractive and interesting places to work.
A range of facilities
Co-working spaces typically offer a range of facilities. As well as the expected areas of desks and seating for individual work, they will usually offer a mixture of meeting rooms with presentation facilities, booths and huddle pods, and seating areas for groups discussions, project work and collaboration. They may have individual pods for concentrated quiet work and calls. They will also provide, of course, superfast Wifi, printing, storage areas and kitchen facilities.
It’s not just office basics these spaces provide, many awesome co-working spaces also feature a central hub of facilities. These may include a café with trained baristas for all the coffee lovers, a stylish bar for meetings or after work drinks, a communal lounge for socialising and breaks, a games room with items like a pool table or table tennis equipment, a fully equipped gym helping users keep fit and active, or a rest area with hammocks and comfy sofas. They may also offer event spaces that can be hired out and offer discounts on neighbouring services.
A rich sense of community
A great co-working space not only enables individual entrepreneurs and businesses to work effectively and comfortably, it gives them opportunity to interact with others. The networking, ideas discussion and skills sharing that takes place helps to build a valuable sense of community and support the success of all of the co-working space users.
Motivation and focus
One of the big benefits of co-working, especially for sole traders and freelancers, is that businesses can share their experiences of going it alone with fellow entrepreneurs and motivate each other when focus is starting to wane. Co-working spaces are now well-known for helping freelancers and entrepreneurs to grow their business faster and allowing them to network. Many are finding it easier to obtain new clients thanks to the word-of-mouth process and don’t have to worry about the distractions and temptations that can come with working from home.
Contact Flow Office today
Of course, designing a co-working space is a bit of an artform. Ensuring the space works for everybody, and that the appropriate amount of furniture and meeting rooms are available takes some planning. This is where we come in.
If you are currently in the process of creating a co-working space or want to discuss how you can make co-working be successful in your current environment, then please get in touch. We have the know-how and experience to make it happen. You can reach us by calling us on 01922 453488, sending an email to sales@flowoffice.co.uk or by using the form on the website.