One of the biggest perks of entrepreneurship is the opportunity to work from the comfort of your own home. However, while working from home might sound like a dream come true, it can sometimes make for an unproductive environment. Some freelancers and entrepreneurs find it difficult to establish a line between work and home life. When you’re face-to-face with the domestic tasks that require your attention, not to mention the occasional presence of your family, it’s a struggle to find the motivation to stay productive throughout the workday.
More freelancers and solopreneurs are turning to coworking spaces to boost their motivation and to work from a more professional-feeling environment. But those aren’t the only reasons why coworking spaces are attractive to solopreneurs. Take a look at some of the top reasons you might want to consider a membership at a coworking space.
Reason #1: Improved Productivity
While home offices seem ideal in that they’re relatively inexpensive and extremely convenient, you can end up feeling isolated. Your home can also distract you with constant reminders of your personal life outside of work—in the middle of drafting an email, you might hear the buzzer from your washer, your dog might decide he needs to go out at that exact moment, or maybe you notice just how badly you need to vacuum and start to procrastinate by cleaning the house instead.
Coffee shops can eliminate your home distractions, but will introduce a host of different distractions, like noisy patrons or the clatter of dishes, espresso machines, and blenders. A coworking space offers a more inspiring and distraction-free professional setting, where you can interact with other entrepreneurs or keep focused and to yourself in a private office.
Reason #2: Designed Workspace
Coworking spaces can provide almost any type of work environment you might need. Most will have open, collaborative spaces, private meeting rooms, or furnished offices available for short or long-term rental.
You can typically find dedicated desks with locked storage as well, so you can keep supplies you use on a regular basis in the workspace rather than lugging them back and forth. No matter how you work best, almost any workspace preference can be accommodated by a coworking space.
Reason #3: Professional Address + Meeting Space
A coworking space provides you with a professional address, separate from your home address, where you can have all of your business-related mail delivered. Most spaces offer a safe and secure package recipient service, so you can rest easy knowing your business-sensitive mail won’t be disrupted.
Coworking spaces also allow you to hold professional face-to-face meetings with clients, customers, or prospective employees. No more business meetings scheduled at your dining room table or in a noisy coffee shop—instead, you can lead a client or prospect into a professional meeting room. Many coworking spaces will also have a system in place to easily book meeting rooms so you know you’ll have a guaranteed space for your most important meetings.
Reason #4: Services + Amenities
Many solopreneurs forget about the common luxuries of an office environment when they start to work from home. Access to fast wifi, countless outlets, and networked printers, scanners, and copiers is often a perk of a membership at a coworking space. Amenities like unlimited coffee, filtered water, and snacks are often available as well— all a part of your small membership fee.
Reason #5: Cost Efficient
A membership to a coworking space can cost a fraction of what you might pay to lease office space. Some memberships can cost as little as a few dollars a day, and don’t require long-term commitments.
Coworking spaces are also furnished, eliminating the need to invest in any office furniture, and, as mentioned above, they are typically equipped with other modern office amenities as well. This can include superior IT and network support and infrastructure—something many solopreneurs may overlook.
Reason #6: Scope for Flexibility
Another significant benefit of investing in a coworking space membership is the scope of flexibility it allows to accommodate growth. Should you decide to hire more staff, you can simply add more seats to your membership, rather than shelling out a fortune for a new building if you leased a small office space.
The same flexibility is beneficial if you need to cut down on your staff as well. In a regular office environment, you would never be able to lower your rent just because you downsized your team. Coworking spaces will allow you to give up any extra space you’re not using at the time.
Reason #7: Networking Opportunities
Extended isolation can be hard even for the most introverted workers. Coworking spaces provide you with the opportunity to work in a communal environment, and promote social interaction with other entrepreneurs in your community. Some coworking spaces may even offer weekly events like happy hours or professional development sessions.
In addition to spending time around other inspiring independent business owners, coworking spaces may even put you in contact with your next investor, future partner, or board of advisors. You never know who you might run into when you join a coworking space and start rubbing elbows with others like you in your community.
Working from home can be great—if you can find a way to stay productive. But if you’re looking to increase your motivation by pursuing your business dreams outside of your home, a coworking space could be the perfect next step. Schedule a tour with Victory Workspace today!
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