Co-working office spaces are a relatively new idea in the work world. It wasn’t until about 1999 that the first co-working space was born. The idea came about after one man realized the drawbacks to "isolated and hierarchical businesses." In 2009 the first book on co-working spaces was released. The idea has spread worldwide, and now about half a million people work in a co-working space.

Even though co-working is new, it's gained momentum in the past 10 years and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. However, does that mean it’s the right choice for you? You may be wondering what a co-working space says about you and your company. What will your clients think when you bring them to the office? Will it make you look unprofessional?

A co-working space doesn’t say less about you. In fact, some clients may even be impressed by your innovation, and your ability to adapt to the changing workplace.

What is a co-working space?

A co-working space is an office or office-type environment where people who are self-employed or working for different companies share a workspace. Those who work in a co-working space tend to benefit from sharing equipment and ideas.

A co-working space offers desks, conference rooms, and other amenities, based on the owner of the space.

Benefits of a co-working environment

There are many benefits to renting a co-working space. Some of them have to do with the money you save, but most of them will have you looking like a professional to your clients.

More professional

If you’re worried about what your clients may think one big benefit is that you won’t have to receive them in your house, or the local Starbucks.

Collaboration

One of the main ideas behind a co-working space is the advantage of increased collaboration. Inside a co-working space, you may find an artist, and engineer, someone who knows all about finances, or someone who knows all about travel. You may even find enough people to create a cross-functional team. Well, maybe not that complete, but you are bound to find a good amount of people that may know enough about subjects to help you with something you need.

Engineers can ask wordsmiths how to make their copy more digestible. Artists can get pointers on color schemes.

Shared resources can be an asset to those in a co-working space, especially those living and breathing artists, coders, and everything in-between.

Money savings

Co-working spaces often come with many built-in amenities like desks, cabinets, phones, and even coffee. These are all items that cost money, but you don’t have to supply for yourself. Co-working spaces are also cheaper than a regular office, and they don’t require a long-term contract. Additionally, co-working spaces may offer parking spots, or may be located closer to home, cutting down on commute times.

Increased productivity

Another benefit to the co-working space is increased productivity. When you work from home, there tends to be a lot of distractions. Your spouse, dog, elderly father-in-law, they all need your attention. And if you’re at home, it's possible you’ll get roped into doing something that distracts you from your work.

A co-working space offers you the ability to work in an office, free from the distractions at home.

In conclusion

Co-working spaces are a professional office that can save you money, while making you look smart to your clients. If you think a co-working space may not be for you, it should be something to consider as more and more people work remotely, and the price of office space soars.