The Right Amount: Community in a Coworking Space – Part 2
One of the greatest differentiators between a coworking space and a standard office: the community.
In a standard office, usually the only people you interact on a daily basis with are people within your department or people who work within your same company. While that isn’t necessarily negative, on the contrary it isn’t doing anything to help your company grow or to help expand your network.
A coworking space is different. Businesses of all industries, sizes, and ages are housed within coworking spaces and make the perfect community to network with. You have the ability to meet people organically and with little to no effort. Coworking spaces were designed for people to engage naturally – when hanging out in the soft seating lounges or at the coffee bar when grabbing a refill.
One of the great positives of a coworking community is having the support of professionals in similar fields, as well differing fields. A whole directory of professionals is right at your fingertips when looking for a collaborator or contract worker. You have the ability to walk down the hall or initiate a conversation with someone who has the skillset you’re looking for.
This networking ability goes hand-in-hand with boosting your own business. A coworking space gives your company added exposure to new clients and the local business community. At CommonGrounds Workplace, our members can invite clients and guests into their space for meetings, events, trainings – whatever they need. This means people will organically see your business environment and company name as they’re working in the space – an opportunity neither of you would have had otherwise.
All this to say, these community opportunities are there when you want them. It is completely up to you how much time you want to spend with others, how you want to promote your business, or who you want to network with. There is no set rule or right way to utilize the community around it. There is privacy when you need it and community when you want it.
The right amount is different for everyone. It can also change and grow as your business grows, and as the pandemic takes a back seat. We just encourage you to see community as a positive and as a benefit to your business. The amount that you want to grab at that opportunity is entirely up to you.
