5 Myths of Coworking

The Five Big Myths about Co-working

Myth 1. "Coworking is the same as Shared Office space"

Coworking solves many problems that shared office doesn't tackle. Usually, well-run coworking space tends to have a community filled with companies and individuals with different, but complimenting skillset. Sometimes, they're geared towards a particular goal (e.g. fashion or game development). The idea is that a coworking space is optimised to increase the chance of success of your business. Shared offices have many of the financial savings of coworking, but there's less emphasis on collaboration.

Myth 2. "Coworking is only for tech startups, entrepreneurs and freelancers"

With the rise of flexible work, people who work remotely for large companies are starting to see the benefit of working in a coworking space. Tradtionally, coworking has been seen as a place for startups and entrepreneurs. But there's no reason why a contract worker or employee of companies can't get benefits from coworking (such as a sense of belonging and social enrichment). Coworking spaces often have great teleconference facilities, and this can further aid workers needing to telecommute with their companies.

Myth 3. "Coworking only works in big cities"

Coworking can definitely function beyond the bigger cities. It can be hard for small businesses to feel very isolated when first starting out their business in a small, remote town. What they lack is a sens of community and peers to learn from. By introducing coworking to smaller towns, you could increase your chance to network with the right people. A sense of togetherness and helping each other is especially cruscial for businesses based in smaller city centres.

Myth 4. "Coworking spaces are noisy and distracting"

For some businesses, it can be an adjustment process to work in an open office. Some people may initially find the additional noise and environment a little distracting. But for many businesses, the extra buzz is fundamental in increasing their likelihood to find new opportunities. When you are more open to how other businesses operate, you can start being more creative with your own business. It's like getting out of your ivory tower, and interacting with the wider world.

Myth 5. "Coworking spaces are only for office-type workers" 

Recently, BizDojo has opened a new coworking space called "MakerSpace". It's aimed at businesses who are focused on making and producing product and goods. This is a great space for fashion designers, furniture deigners, craft-makers and so on. Coworking is no longer the sole-domain of office workers and increasingly we're finding new areas such as hospitality jumping on the coworking bandwagon.

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