Jelly Atlanta Coworking @ Octane photo by Mike Schinkel
One of the big trends that has been on the rise since I found myself in the middle of the startup scene is coworking spaces. I just got back from the Emerging Technology Center for an event (post on the way for that) which is a terrific space that is shared by some of the up and coming startups in and around the Baltimore area. This seems to be a perfect type of environment for new and bootstrapped startups.
Coworking can be a terrific environment for you to start your business for a couple of reasons. First of all it can be extremely helpful financially. Usually you only pay a fraction of the “overall” rent and you share the space,to include high speed internet, utilities, kitchen facilities, and conference rooms. For instance, our friend Peter Lamotte of Genius Rocket has been looking for a new tenant to share some of their office space. It is a win win for everyone and for a very reasonable price, you get the following services
- office furniture
- VOIP telephone
- High Speed Internet
- Shared conference room
- Kitchen
- Coffee, tea, and spring water.
Another great reason co working is so great, is for just like it sounds .. you are getting to work around a lot of real and very smart and exciting people. Most people in these spaces are in the same position you are in most likely. They are hustling to start the next big idea and are most likely passionate about what they are doing. The ability to bounce cool ideas off your “office” mates and get some feedback from people who understand your plight is invaluable.
So if you are looking to expand you budding business startup and need some office type space, save a little off your burn rate and look for a great co working space in your area.
What are some of the spaces in the areas you all live in. We can help the others in the communities, maybe they have been looking and havent found the space yet. Leave a comment below with your city and some great spaces.
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I agree, I use http://www.cohabitat.us in Dallas. Great energy and interesting work happening everyday.
I would have to agree. Jelly coworking (http://workatjelly.com) events have become very popular too.
I concur and that's why we are opening bzhive in San Rafael Calif. We have decided to join the trend. http://www.bzhive.com
Minneapolis will be on the coworking map in January 2010 with 2 FT spaces – http://the3rdplace.us and http://cocomsp.com.
Coworking will play a huge role as America reinvents itself. In Chicago, OfficePort is getting a lot of attention as a tech and business innovation hub. (Disclosure: I'm the coworking evangelist there.) The Coop and Ravenswood shared spaces are also helping independent workers thrive. And there's a robust Jelly group that meets twice a week. From what I gather, more coworking spaces are on the way.
In Kansas City, OfficePort's 20,000 sq. ft. location was full in 3 months. The facility now includes StagePort, a sound stage with green screens, because the members and founders got together and made it happen. They opened a second KC location a month or two ago.
When entrepreneurs and freelancers learn about coworking, it hits them like a lightning bolt of possibility. There's no going back to isolated, expensive offices or working at home. (All the time.) Keep spreading the good word.
http://www.officeportkc.com
http://www.coworkchicago.com (The Coop)
http://www.ravenswoodcoworking.com
http://www.jellychicago.com
Mid-size markets are in on this trend as well. We are opening a collaborative coworking space in Peoria, IL: http://www.workflowpeoria.com
One of the neat things about coworking is that it doesn't take a ton of people to be successful – a dozen creative, talented, passionate people can make it a huge success!
Agree with all of the above! We also have a coworking space, The Network Hub, in Vancouver, B.C. (http://www.thenetworkhub.ca)
A lot of our members initially come into the space to have something more structured than their home office or cafe. But the majority of them comment on how they have enjoyed the camaraderie, the ability to exchange feedback with smart passionate people, as well as the networking opportunities from businesses in other fields.
SO true! We have a coworking spot here in Santa Monica, CA called the CoLoft (http://www.CoLoft.com). Awesome community and collaboration. Wouldn't want to do anything else.
I am coworking a the Enterprise Oasishttp://www.enterpriseoasis.com in Philadelphia. An awesome marina waterfront coworking facility.
We startedhttp://texascoworking.com to be the downtown and SXSW oriented coworking space for Austin, and so far it's been very good. We're even considering adding private offices to the mix.
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