If you’re just getting started with your own company, you might be unsure of the best place to work. Is it your desk at home? A corner of the local coffee shop? Or on the couch with your PJs on? (That last one is a viable option, but only very occasionally.)
We belong to a fast paced era where everything needs to be made available to us in a jiffy. The same is applicable to our workspaces as well. Gone are the days when we would rent out a space, pay deposit, spend almost a month on setting it up. We want something ready-made, where we can just sit and start working, without worrying about anything else. Also, a place where we can work together, independently… Recently, I got to know about one such new collaborative working model where I could feel comfortable and welcomed and hence decided to try it out.
Yes, you guessed it right; I am talking about coworking spaces. These spaces are cosy and I am always received with professionalism but also with a touch of informality. Apart from having my own little desk always available, I have access to phone booths for my Skype sessions and a lounge area with a pantry where I can satiate my hunger pangs. As they say, working with the fridge nearby and the sofa just a few steps away can be a boon.
In other words, though I am not at home, but I feel at home!
The greatest advantage that a coworking space offers is cost-effectiveness. My workspace setup costs are cut down. Why would I want to spend more on a traditional office when I can get the same space and facility in almost half price? Providing an office space is just one aspect of it. The main focus lies heavily on fostering community, and providing services that enable businesses, including start-ups, entrepreneurs and even divisions of larger enterprises, to thrive. The mission is to help us members make a life, not a living.
We dream of an office wherein the moment we walk in, the space energizes us. There’s thoughtfulness behind every small thing. What I especially expect is meeting amazing open-minded people and create wonderful connections in such a short time. Coming to work should never feel like a task. And the space where I work out of, believe me when I say, I don’t want to leave from work! With a latte in one hand and my work bag in another, I saunter in and out of my workspace literally anytime! While calling it a day, I also at times spot people who just walk in to the space and are likely to be there till sunrise. It’s a sight I certainly wouldn’t have seen back at my old office space.
The coworking space I work out of is Of10, a place that has a quintessentially new age vibe and where I meet co-workers like friends, who have even helped me with setting up my business!