Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
In 2012, Cohere published a blog post outlining how coworking spaces not only benefit the members individually, but also help boost the overall local economy. Coworking culture has flourished in the ten years since. In 2012, coworking was still considered a quirky niche market, with only a few hundred spaces throughout the country. Today there are over 6000, with more springing up all the time. As the popularity of coworking has increased, so have the benefits to the communities they are located in.
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Coworking communities enable career growth for the members of the community. In turn, the members of the space help to stimulate growth and vibrancy for surrounding businesses and communities. Here’s how.
Supporting Small Businesses
Coworking spaces support small businesses in multiple ways. For one, coworking spaces offer the perfect blend of productivity, community, and flexibility to help freelancers and small businesses thrive, from their first days forward. Businesses often benefit from the knowledge and connections that they acquire as part of a coworking community that helps support their growth, even when they grow beyond the coworking space.
In addition, coworking spaces are frequently located in areas of town that are convenient for workers, often areas surrounded by businesses both small and large. Whether it’s a group lunch at a nearby taco shop, an invigorating workout before a big project, or a quiet coffee break at the café across the street, more people means more business.
Networking Nirvana
Networking within a coworking community is a little different than networking at a business event or within a specific field. It unfolds more naturally over time as coworkers get to know one another, sharing insights, recommendations, and even fresh vegetables from the garden. In addition to business-type networking, discovering new clients, finding new talent, and gathering business resources, community members at coworking spaces can find solutions to other worldly problems as well.
Keeping Local Talent
The landscape of where and when we work has changed in the last decade. Work has become less defined by where we live and more by where we want to live, and coworking has helped to fuel that trend. Without a professional space like Cohere Coworking, many people would have to commute, move to access the resources they need, or pay exorbitant costs to ensure that they can stay connected.
A coworking space provides artists, freelancers, and remote workers with the space and basic resources to be productive, as well as a supportive and uplifting community. This makes for the kind of strong, positive bonds that stand the test of time, giving local talent an extra reason for remaining local.
Attracting Remote Talent
Whether referred to as digital nomads, working travelers, or location-independent entrepreneurs, the number of workers who eschew the idea of settling down in one place is growing—exponentially. The number of people who identified as digital nomads increased from 4.8 million in 2018 to a whopping 15.5 million in 2021. That is an increase of almost eleven million individuals, roughly equivalent to the population of Greece.
When these individuals need a place to meet a client in a new town, a quiet location with decent Wi-Fi and coffee to do their research, or a spot of pleasant conversation with some friendly locals, they often look for coworking spaces with temporary memberships and day passes, like the passes offered by DeskPass.
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A vibrant coworking space enriches the lives of its members, offering the tools to grow faster and reach farther. It also enhances the ambiance and the financial growth of the entire community by drawing an independent workforce to the area, encouraging them to stick around, and giving them the resources to thrive.
Penny Leigh Sebring is a Cohere member, experienced freelance writer, neophyte speculative fiction author, and gatherer of information and imaginary friends.