Up and running, but feeling a little lonely working on your own? This is a common complaint of solo entrepreneurs, and one that’s easy to fall victim to. But, many business owners are finding a solution to this problem by looking at co-working spaces, a growing trend across the UK and the US. Here are a handful of reasons why co-working might just cure your cabin fever:
Improving Your Communication Skills
When you’re working on your own, you might find your important communication skills start to get a little rusty. Then, when it comes to meeting clients or talking on the phone, you find you’re out of practice and not coming across as well as you’d like. Co-working spaces give you the daily interaction with other people you’re missing and help keep your communication skills sharp when it comes to talking to clients and customers. Check out this infographic from STL for a rundown of the most important communication skills, and why they’re so vital to a successful business.
Separation of Home and Working Space
Co-working spaces vary from space to space. But, a common theme to most is the open-concept combination of casually home but officially business, meaning there may be lounging areas, a common eating/kitchen space alongside the far more official looking a conference room and walled offices for those needing more privacy and structure. For some entrepreneurs, although we love the idea of working from home and have the entrepreneurial freedom to “work from anywhere” stationed in our minds, the reality is that your space may not be large enough to designate an office that is distinct from the rest of your residential quarters. For others it may be a case that their business is mobile and allows for a lot of travel, so the co-working option gives them an official home base wherein they can forward their mail and meet clients.
More Professional Appearance
As much as we like to think that working from home gives us the comfort to roam as we will in our PJs and sweats, we are often uneasy by the discomfort of having to meet up with a client and risk appearing a little less professional we operate from the sidearm of our loveseats or kitchen tables. A co-working space can lend some credibility to your business profile and give a far more professional image. Now this does not mean that all businesses have to perform at the standardized level of office-desk-chair, which is what many clients are used to, but for many, having an office-type environment to welcome and engage the public is the best choice. A neutral meeting place in no way infringes on the privacy of your home. You may need to “meet your clients where they are” meaning, they may not be as comfortable in your armchair as they might be in a chair that swivels.
COMMUNITY
The water cooler is alive and well, even in this electronic world of text messages and emails. A great stress reliever are the benefits of not-so-mindless chit-chat and where better to do that than around the proverbial “water cooler”. Social engagement face-to-face will never get old, whether in the lunchroom, common area, over lunch at the neighbourhood hotspot, engaging in that day’s events, latest celeb gossip, or sports scores can truly rejuvenate your creative flow, can put you in a better, more positive mood.
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