Why you should care about the co-working movement:

Coworking, only becoming popular a few years ago, is a growing movement of small businesses and entrepreneurs all working under one roof. What makes it different than a normal office is that none of the workers are employed by the same company. Yes, it’s all independent working…but in the same building. While it is still a new concept, there are over 400 coworking spaces spanning over six continents.

How did it get started? In 2005, Brad Neuberg organized what is considered to be the first co-working sapce, a location in San Francisco named the “Hat Factory.” The “Hat Factory” was home to three technology writers, but people could come in daily and work. He was also a co-founder of “Citizen Space,” which was the first “work only” coworking space.

Most coworking spaces have desks, cubes and/or offices that can be rented out part-time or full-time. Residents or tenants usually share normal office amenities including a conference room, printer, kitchen, lounge area and wifi.

Coworking has grown rapidly in popularity because it offers some real benefits over traditional executive suites or virtual offices, is less expensive and is far more flexible for a larger group of workers in today’s market. Coworking spaces have sprouted up in most cities and continue to grow.

Who is coworking geared to? Entrepreneurs, small business owners and people who work at home. Yes, working at home has its benefits (like working in your pajamas and working whenever you want), but it’s also distracting and hard to work at your maximum capacity. You might also be lonely without having other people working around you. Working in coffee shops might be fun for a little while, but also too distracting with everyone walking around and talking. But, when you surround yourself with other creative, hardworking entrepreneurs, it is much more likely you will work hard as well.

What are some other benefits of coworking? Networking and making friends, of course. Many companies are so niche specific that they need to outsource some work. Do you own a successful website but don’t know how to create a smart phone app for your website? Maybe there is a programmer in your coworking space who can help you with that. Do you need someone else to help you with SEO? Maybe there is an SEO consultant who can help you with that as well. You can find top quality assistance (or even collaboration) without even stepping foot outside.

Here are some recent articles that explain the growth of the Coworking movement:

INC Magazine article on Coworking:

http://www.inc.com/articles/2010/01/co-working-spaces.html

USA Today article on Coworking:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-03-18-coworking18_ST_N.htm

Nashville Coworking on Colab in the Nashville Business Journal:

http://nashville.colabusa.com/colab-energizes-stagnant-downtown-nashville-office-market/652

Coworking Wiki:
http://wiki.coworking.info/w/page/16583831/FrontPage

What is Coworking:
http://coach4sm.com/what-is-coworking-examples-articles-video

Live in Nashville? Take a tour of Colab, Nashville’s first and premier Coworking space.