How Coworking is Helping the Startup Culture Thrive

Businesses have evolved across the board since the pandemic, which includes the startup culture. Read further on how coworking has helped them.

 

Coworking spaces are playing an important role in the post-pandemic workplace as the intermediary between home and a return to the office, and as an alternative for those who wish to embrace a work-from-anywhere model that might help them cut commute times, reduce employee density at the office, and strike a healthy balance for remote teams.

 

But coworking spaces are also an invaluable resource for smaller companies and startups looking to get out of their living room, and into a space where their team can physically collaborate.

 

While the pandemic has put a hamper on small businesses, they may be making a much-needed comeback in the post-covid era – and predictably, they need the right space to grow. While the fully remote model has proven its efficacy time and time again, especially in the era of social distancing and non-physical contact, it certainly isn’t without its drawbacks.

 

Not everyone can afford to work from home without sacrificing their productivity – and in many cases, their sanity. Coworking spaces present themselves as not just a middle ground, but as the superior option for companies lacking the financial security to seek their own long-term space – or startups with enough funding to secure a small main office, but not enough to grow their talent roster past its limited floor space.

 

We’re going to explore how startups can thrive through a coworking space – and how the collaborative nature of coworking can positively impact startup culture.

 

Financial Freedom

 

If the pandemic has left a lasting impression of any kind in workplace culture, it’s that the time for the ubiquitous nature of the common office space is all but gone.

 

Hundreds of thousands of office workers are lamenting a return to the old office space, and while there are certainly many people who missed it, there are just as many who wish to work from home or from anywhere else at least some of the time, and a few who prefer working entirely remotely.

 

While remote work is nothing new, it’s the upcoming hybrid models that might prove the most innovative, and the most agreeable. Startups have been desperate for ways to maximize the pace at which they’re growing and reinvest as much of their profits into production and expansion as possible.

 

By severely slashing the costs of setting up shop, coworking spaces continue to enable startups to develop and foster real in-person camaraderie without the upfront cost and monthly financing headaches of a fully-fledged long-term commercial real estate lease.

 

That financial freedom is invaluable in a post-pandemic economy that has left most people’s pockets ravaged, and prospects bleak. As funding becomes harder to come by, any space that allows a small company to get started and work without a hefty down payment can act as a massive boon.

 

The Ultimate Incubator

 

But the benefit to a coworking space doesn’t stop at “it’s just cheaper”. Coworking spaces are fundamentally different from traditional offices in that they yield the floor to several different teams and individuals, from small teams belonging to a larger company using the space as a temporary satellite office, to other startups, to freelancers and independent contractors.

 

What this ultimately translates into is an environment where the figurative professional gene pool is massively expanded, with representatives on every possible point of the gradient. Even at times of social distancing, this sparse contact can allow for unforeseen yet advantageous collaborations, impromptu brainstorming sessions, overheard conversations that turn into potential partnerships, and more.

 

Coworking spaces tend to be a melting pot of developers, programmers, writers, marketers, graphic artists, designers, and more. These spaces know that, and all the good ones use it to their advantage by intentionally fostering a positive and collaborative work culture where no one is encouraged to actively network or force connections, but everyone can feel free to socialize and interact as in a normal office.

 

Some coworking spaces host teambuilding events, and leverage the décor, ambience, and amenities to cater to specific crowds and complementary company cultures.

 

While the bare bones of any coworking space are the basic professional needs – lots of floor space, private meeting and conference rooms, a common area, high-speed internet, kitchen areas or drink and snack bars, functional and comfortable office furniture – it’s the additional amenities by which a coworking space sets itself apart, including artistic set pieces, a living and breathing (plant-based) office environment, nap rooms, video game rooms, outdoor areas or a spacious balcony, art and color choices, and more.

 

Coworking spaces save startups and small businesses from relying on coffee shops and impromptu office setups in the bedroom while trying to build a business in its early stages. Instead, these companies can collaborate in a professional setting for a fraction of the price of their own commercial real estate, forego the headaches of managing and setting up shop in a brand-new office space, and focus entirely on what matters the most: the business.

 

The Benefits of Utilizing Multiple Coworking Spaces

 

Coworking spaces are more than just a steppingstone for companies working their way up to the point where they’ve “made it” into mainstream success. Established enterprises and corporations leverage flex spaces and coworking spaces as financially sound alternatives to setting up a new office in a region they otherwise have no presence in, and startups can do the same, branching out across the country by setting up shop in multiple different coworking spaces.

 

The money saved on finding and managing your own space can go towards doubling or tripling your presence on the market, meaning you’re never limited by office space when trying to scale up your business. It’s still up to you to decide when the right time to scale is, though.

 

Coworking spaces can help startups save money, afford to host your team in a single physical location, and smoothly enable a hybrid work model to keep yourself as mobile and flexible as needed in the early stages of the business, all the while taking advantage of exclusive amenities and lucrative opportunities.