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Coworking spaces aren't about work. As a small business owner who uses a coworking space, my perspective is that it's about signaling that you are a real busine

Coworking spaces aren't about work. As a small business owner who uses a coworking space, my perspective is that it's about signaling that you are a real business with a business address. Working from home may work for freelancers or online only businesses, but the second you start signing contracts or having meetings, you need a professional space to be taken seriously. That said, it's incredibly hard for me to get anything done in a noisy environment with no visual barriers and so many wantrepreneurs around. I like the coffee, camaraderie and event spaces, but for most days, working from home is sufficient.

kace91 8y ago
That might depend on your business and/or location. Employees might need to share resources, for example, as was the case when I worked in a VR-related startup with a limited amount of headsets. For your regular webdev based business or similar, I agree with your statement though.
driverdan 8y ago
Sounds like you need to find a better coworking space.
ecshafer 8y ago
At that point why not rent a small office? I don't know where you are, but small offices are usually pretty cheap. The thing that gets me about co-working space is that they are pretty expensive compared to normal office rents. The equivalent of studio apartment as an office in a building can be the same price as a co-working space.
- ravitation 8y ago
  If all you need is a business address, you are paying for a lot of things you don't need if you are renting a coworking space.
- basilgohar 8y ago
  Some coworking spaces, especially away from the city center, can be had for the cost of a cheap utility, like $30/month. That's one reason. But these are also privately run and maybe offer a step or two above a public library in terms of services. So there's a spectrum of places to get with features to match.
miketuritzin 8y ago
That reminds me that one of the co-working space I worked at in Brooklyn had a really cheap plan where you could receive mail there and do a couple other things but not even have a desk. Perhaps look into an option like that?
darkr 8y ago
Many accountancies (at least in the UK) will, for a small fee let you use their address as your registered company address, and some will either receive mail on your behalf that you can, or forward it onto you.

kace91 8y ago

That might depend on your business and/or location. Employees might need to share resources, for example, as was the case when I worked in a VR-related startup with a limited amount of headsets. For your regular webdev based business or similar, I agree with your statement though.

driverdan 8y ago

Sounds like you need to find a better coworking space.

ecshafer 8y ago

At that point why not rent a small office? I don't know where you are, but small offices are usually pretty cheap. The thing that gets me about co-working space is that they are pretty expensive compared to normal office rents. The equivalent of studio apartment as an office in a building can be the same price as a co-working space.

ravitation 8y ago
If all you need is a business address, you are paying for a lot of things you don't need if you are renting a coworking space.
basilgohar 8y ago
Some coworking spaces, especially away from the city center, can be had for the cost of a cheap utility, like $30/month. That's one reason. But these are also privately run and maybe offer a step or two above a public library in terms of services. So there's a spectrum of places to get with features to match.

miketuritzin 8y ago

That reminds me that one of the co-working space I worked at in Brooklyn had a really cheap plan where you could receive mail there and do a couple other things but not even have a desk. Perhaps look into an option like that?

darkr 8y ago

Many accountancies (at least in the UK) will, for a small fee let you use their address as your registered company address, and some will either receive mail on your behalf that you can, or forward it onto you.