In short, Marissa wants people to share their experiences and knowledge, and believes that great ideas can be born in the corridors and during conversations at water coolers…and I have to say that I agree, writes Ed Goodman of Cambridge Business Lounge.
However, how does that help people who work for themselves, from home in Cambridgeshire? The resting cat in the corridor at home has little to say on which social media platform is most effective for your business, and a poor opinion on how crowd funding can help you with your cash flow.
What the media and Marissa Mayer seem to have forgotten, is that there is a third option. A place that is near to home, where water cooler moments can provide important inspiration and where you could meet your next key client. This third option is a co-working space.
Here at Cambridge Business Lounge, our days are fuelled by the enthusiasm of co-workers meeting new people, hearing them bounce ideas around and collaborate with each other, interspersed with the determined tap of their keyboards.
‘I have achieved more in the past six weeks co-working, than in the past six months working from home," commented one regular co-worker. Another has “achieved more in two hours than in an entire afternoon working from my kitchen table .“ A notion accepted by all who work at Cambridge Business Lounge.
Coined in 1999, the term co-working has become widely used among small business owners in the UK. Succinctly described as; ‘a style of work that involves working in a shared environment and independent activity.’
I have spent many months researching what it is that makes co-working so popular and think its main benefit for any business professional or homeworker is:
Networking
Whatever the experience of the co-worker and whatever their industry, co-working brings businesses together who may not have had the opportunity to meet without a shared space.
Collaboration
Connecting with other businesses can see the birth of a long term professional relationship or even lead to spontaneous brainstorming, problem solving and discussion.
Confidence
Perhaps the most poignant benefit of co-working is the self-confidence it provides. Interaction, the sharing of ideas, even the commute to a co-working space can all increase this aspect and in turn help to increase your number of clients. Often this results in improved confidence in your brand, concept and product.
Whether there’s a need to work for one day, just for professional interaction, or a place to work from more regularly, there is a third space. Marissa Mayer and you might just be surprised by how beneficial that third space can be.
If you would just like to chat to us and hear more about what we do, call us now on 01223 324 040
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