Everyone knows how cheap, flexible and convenient shared offices are for start-ups. Many fledgling companies leave incubators and go into a shared, serviced office as it’s the next step towards that huge company HQ (or at least a long-term lease). The size, short notice periods and built-in equipment and utilities are known benefits, but there are just as many “soft” advantages to shared office spaces.
Some people might think it sounds a bit frat-like, and wonder if any work ever gets done. Of course it does, but there’s lots of fun too.
- The banter
If you put lots of freelancers, entrepreneurs and microbusinesses together, there’s going to be some great dynamics – without a lot of the competitiveness and in-fighting that promotion-pit offices can engender. There’ll be lots of interesting talk, new viewpoints and daft in-jokes, as well as maybe some sparks of cross-industry genius.
- You’ll save on coffee and biscuits
If you only have one or two coffee machines in that office space in Heathrow, you’ll all have to club together for your caffeine fixes. There’s also the baked goods – oh yes, the baked goods!
- Completely free networking and collaboration
A shared office space is essentially like a regular office, just with lots of diverse enterprises doing their thing. There’s open communication – over the cheap coffee – and you get to know just about everyone in the place. More established businesses have to pay handsomely to access the brightest and the best contacts – you just have to pay your rental and chip in for the Machu Picchu – just remember, no decaf!
- The talent pool is ever changing
This is a good and a bad aspect of shared offices. You get to know a great bunch and then they move into bigger offices and you miss talking every morning. On the upside, chances are they’ll be replaced by another great bunch with their unique talents and ideas. Make sure you keep in touch!
- The camaraderie
Every one of you is either a freelancer or a start-up, all trying to get by. You know what it’s like to lose a round of funding, or to worry about your patent. Just having people around to encourage you, to pass on contacts or tips and to offer condolences is priceless.
- Lifelong friends
As you have no doubt heard, it’s not what you know but who you know. Coming up together in an incubator or a shared office means you forge lifelong friendships with your peers. You all know where you’ve come from and so further down the line, when some companies are more successful than others, or offer a sought-after speciality, you can tap them up for help or advice. Remember, you may be the more successful one, so don’t be backwards at coming forwards. You never know when you’ll need to ask for a favour from an old chum.
These are just a few of the many benefits of sharing office space with other start-ups. If you know of any that aren’t covered here, tell us about them!
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