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“Oh cool, yeah… it’s a place where people can hold a meeting, right?”
More often than not, when people ask what I do, and I tell them I help communities launch coworking spaces, I get a bit of a nod and a stare.
If you’re reading this, you might have an idea of what coworking is, you might even think it’s a pretty easy concept to define.
But when you get past the whole, “it’s a shared office space for entrepreneurs and work from home professionals” spiel, what is a coworking space all about really?
You might be thinking, we know already, we read a bit of that other thing you once posted, coworking is about people.
Yes.
But - in the words of my favorite True Detective - ask the right question.
The question is, why? Why do we care about people and community at work? Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem? Why?
For me, it goes back to the first mission statement I ever crafted - “A better way of work, for a better way of life.”
I’m a firm believer that work is a tool for living the life you want. A tool to provide the experiences and opportunities you want for yourself, your kids, your family. And that entrepreneurship in a collabroative environment is a way to build a work life structure around your personal priorities not the other way around.
It might be a little grandiose, but I’m going to take it a step further. Society as a whole would be better if more people embraced the coworking mindset.
Here’s why.
First, data shows that people in coworking spaces are happier than their counterparts in offices or at home. According to one study* on average 15% happier. Imagine if everyone you interact with on a daily basis was happier and how much nicer that would make your day. Additional studies on happiness show the compounding effects of surrounding yourself with happy people. More than that, people who are happier at work, go home happier and find more joy and less stress at home.
Next, people in coworking spaces are able to pursue passions and find their work to be more meaningful. Similar studies have shown that people who believe there is meaning in their work experience less stress, they focus better and accomplish tasks in less time (A Yale study found people who find meaning in their work are 33% more effective), and they are healthier mentally and physically.
Lastly, coworking spaces and entrepreneurship go hand in hand to offer people “freedom of time”. It’s a phrase I use to promote coworking spaces often. It doesn’t mean that all your time is free, it means that you are able to create free time when you need it to attend to things that are a higher priority than work. School play at 10am on a Wednesday? Workout with a trainer who is only available at noon on Monday? Round of golf with your retired Dad Friday morning? Freedom of time is what allows people to schedule these important personal events and enjoy special moments in live without sacrificing getting their job done.
I could go on and on with big and little things that coworking and entrepreneurship help people accomplish. It’s easier to have a puppy. It’s easier to homeschool. It’s easier to meet people in a new place. It’s easier to take a walk during the day and get some Vitamin D. It’s easier to eat healthy. It’s easier to take a vacation.
Some people laugh when I say that coworking spaces can be a part of making the world a better place. And I will admit, it’s not some magic bullet that’s going to fix everything.
But!
Take a moment to imagine what it would be like if everyone was happier. If everyone found more meaning in their work. If people accomplished more in less time. Imagine if you knew you had a community of local professionals who had your back at work. If everyone was able to come home to their family less stressed. Imagine if parents could spend more quality time with their kids and prioritize their family time. If people were healthier. Imagine if people took more pride in their homes and town.
It’s thinking like this that has me passionate about coworking and bringing it into communities that were founded on these same values over 100 years ago.
Part of me knows that taking one small building, in one small town, and launching a coworking space will not magically transform everything. But a bigger part of me is going for it anyway. Because it takes everyone working together towards a shared goal, each bringing our own talents and skills and putting them together that eventually will transform everything.
And those that are on the sidelines might say it was chance, or luck, or it just happened. But I’ll still just call it coworking.
If you are thinking about bringing a coworking space to your small town, please don't hesitate to schedule a free discovery call to discuss your project. 30 minuntes or less and you'll leave armed with new knowledge that will help your project regardless of if we ever work together.