We all know what it feels like to work from a cramped cubicle, to deal with office politics and nosy, bothersome co-workers. And we know it’s not something anyone should look forward to. Now that co-working spaces are here we know you might be wondering “would it be like my 9 to 5?” and that’s the question we hope to answer with this post. So Come along as we detail what it feels like to work from one of the foremost co-working spaces in the world – Wework shared office space.
YOU GET TO SNAG CLIENTS ALONG THE WAY
Most of the people that use WeWork shared office space are entrepreneurs, remote workers and freelancers and what’s the one thing these three have in common? They all want –no no scratch that– they all need customers/clients or else they’ll fall behind on their bills pretty fast and that’s bad, very bad.
But the good thing about WeWork shared office space is that you can land clients just by being a member. Because let’s face it a good number of your fellow tenants are also entrepreneurs who might require your services.
WeWork member Yewande Odusanwo, Chicago-based founder of Zora Digital said she started using WeWork when she launched her business in 2016 and it gave her business the initial traction it desperately needed.
“Through WeWork, I was able to pick-up my first clients” She said, “since WeWork has a
community board where members can post consulting gigs.”
So if you’re just launching your business and have no clients yet, it might be worth it to try WeWork you’d be surprised at how many clients you’ll be able to snag.
With a single membership you can also travel to other WeWork spaces nearby and scout for clients there too.
The money might not be in the six figures yet but at least it will help with rent and other costs.
YOU GET TO WORK WHILE YOU TRAVEL
One thing that sets remote workers and freelancers apart from the rest of the pack, is that they are location-independent, they can choose to work from just about anywhere as long as they have all the work tools they need. In fact a lot of people jump on the freelance bandwagon because it gives them the freedom to travel wherever they want, whenever they want.
It turns out there’s a name for such people, they are called digital nomads. If you fancy the digital nomad lifestyle it means you’ll need to be able to work from a lot of cities in the world.
If you are not a nomad but the need suddenly arises for you to travel from time to time, you don’t have to worry that your work will suffer. WeWork has you covered, with branches (either open or coming soon) scattered over 119 cities in 37 countries ranging from Austin in the US to Manila in the Philippines to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
“I like the fact that I can use a WeWork space when I travel.” Says Odusanwo “I have used WeWork spaces in New York, Seattle, and Detroit as my office when I’m away from Chicago.”
All you need do is step into any of their spaces and you can expect to be allowed in and given access to all the amenities.
Another WeWork member Daleep Chhabria Founder of Growth Forte said it made meetings possible no matter the part of town her clients are located she takes the meetings to them.
“The number of WeWork buildings around the world make it easy for me to
access a building when I’m traveling across town for meetings.” She said.
YOU GET TO WORK FROM A GOOD LOCATION
Let’s face it we human beings are a superficial bunch.
If two people doing the exact same business hand you their business cards and the address reads a commercial area of the city for the first and a no-name rural area for the second, you are more likely to perceive the first business as more successful, more deserving of your attention and more trustworthy because they can afford that location.
In exchange for a fee, WeWork gives you a location that will improve your perception in the eyes of your clients. So you can confidently tell clients that you work in an exclusive area of town and you get to watch their eyes widen with admiration.
YOU GET ACCESS TO COOL AMENITIES
This is one more thing you can expect at any WeWork shared office space locations in the world.
There are a lot of places where you can potentially work as a freelancer, a library is one of them. Most libraries will provide you free WiFi (no matter how slow) but it might not provide a printer. A coffee shop might not have enough power outlets for you to plug your laptop, heck, all the tables might even be occupied.
Where I’m going with this is that most of these places– libraries, restaurants, parks, coffee shops and so on– are not designed with the remote worker in mind, hence they do a bad job of meeting your needs.
WeWork spaces on the other hand, are specifically designed to cater to your needs they literally pamper you. “The coffee is fresh, the fruit water is amazing,” says Melisa Ceilkel WeWork member, Organizational Business Consultant and CEO of Let’s Get You Organized! “it’s easy to book conference rooms for live workshops, events, and meetings. And they constantly have local vendors serving food, drinks, or goodie bags.”
YOU EVEN GET TO SAVE MORE MONEY
Let’s consider the alternative, working from a Coffee shop, or restaurant you’ll have to get there early because if you don’t you might not be able to get that perfect spot, (you know, the table that’s least noisy and closest to one of the few power outlets.)
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If you have to regularly use a table at a coffee shop you’ll have to buy something from them perhaps a few cups of coffee and donuts or blueberry muffins (depending on how long you plan to stay) which by conservative estimates would cost you anywhere from $15 to $20 per day, that’s about $450 per month
With WeWork, however, you get access to all the amenities(coffee and donuts included) for as low as $190 per month, that’s about $260 that you can save or spend on other important things every month.
YOU CAN GET REALLY PRODUCTIVE
Why do people rent WeWork office spaces? So that they can get work done, but to do that they have to be able to focus and block out as much distractions as possible.
WeWork realizes this and tries to make their spaces as conducive as possible for work.
For instance, they have phone booths for people who need to talk in private. And Locking privacy booth for breastfeeding moms.
Also you don’t need to think about cleaning, fixing a leaking tap or a broken AC as you would if you had rented your own traditional office.
“I’ve noticed that when I’m working there, my ability to focus increases along with my productivity.” says Shea Bailey founder of Bailey Shea Designs.
And when you need to jump on a quick conference call but can’t find a vacant phone booth you can use Krisp to cancel the typical, “say that again?” and “I’m hearing an echo.” that comes with conference calls in a noisy place
CONCLUSION
Are there any particular perks you feel we might have left out? If so, we’d love to hear from you please hit the comments section.
