Coworking Space – für viele Startups eine große Chance, das eigene Business voranzutreiben, in entspannter Atmosphäre viele neue Kontakte zu knüpfen und mögliche Partnerschaften anzustoßen. Doch wie findest Du als junger Unternehmer den richtigen Coworking Space?
Choosing a coworking space is no easy task. With thousands of coworking spaces around the world and new spaces opening all the time, it’s hard to keep track and find the right space. As a young entrepreneur, how can you decide on a suitable workspace that is designed to suit your personal ambitions?
1) Erreichbarkeit: wie und wann ist der Coworking Space erreichbar?
The location and accessibility of the coworking space are key factors influencing the use of your membership and the personal added value. Easily accessible areas often offer a high level of convenience: good transport links, various parking options, a large selection of restaurants and food suppliers as well as gyms and supermarkets within walking distance. Incidentally, an address in a prestigious location can even impress potential customers. You should also make sure that the coworking space is ideally open around the clock and that you are guaranteed access. Especially in the early days of entrepreneurship, you probably like to work on your prototype or the new pitch deck for investors on Saturdays and Sundays.
2) Arbeitsumfeld und Ausstattung: was ist in der Dienstleistung inbegriffen?
Once you have narrowed down the location options, the number of possible spaces should already be reduced. A good time to take a closer look at the individual alternatives. Not only should the costs be compared here, but the services included should also be included in the “analysis”. You should also pay particular attention to your personal preferences. Coworking spaces have the potential to be low-cost, distraction-free workspaces, but they are rarely perfect all round. In some rooms there is a predominantly loud background noise, as other coworkers are working on joint projects or have to make a lot of phone calls. In good coworking spaces, there are designated telephone or meeting boxes for this purpose, which are equipped with appropriate soundproofing. But you can’t always assume that. In other rooms it is quiet, but there is not your preferred type of seating. Not all coworking spaces have high tables, ergonomic chairs and beanbags for all coworkers. However, the benefits of such seating are underestimated, as they can also have an impact on your motivation and productivity. In addition, the new workplace should have the necessary infrastructure. Are there printers? Is it possible to use meeting rooms? Are water, coffee and/or other drinks included in the price? Above all, you should decide according to your personal preferences and needs and shortlist the spaces that meet the required conditions.
3) Professionalität: wie professionell ist der Coworking Space organisiert?
If you have finished with criterion 2, then you are already very close to the goal and your selection should be even more precise than before. The last point I would like to report on here is very dependent on your subjective perception. Questions I ask myself to get an impression of the professionalism of a coworking space are: is the Wi-Fi on site reliable and fast? Is there a space manager who takes care of the daily business and the needs of the coworkers? Is there a digital booking system that I can use to book conference rooms if required? Does this work reliably? These are questions that you will probably not be able to answer before you start your membership. However, you can use these questions to determine relatively quickly whether the coworking space is suitable for you and your personal needs in the medium and long term. Last but not least, your checklist for assessing professionalism should include the community and the relevance of the coworkers there for your own business. Because in many cultures it is said that when you marry someone, you also marry your family. It’s similar when you join a coworking space. With your membership you become part of its community. But what if the community consists mainly of unprofessional people who are not conducive to your business? This can be an exclusion criterion for some people. It is therefore important to understand that one of the biggest benefits of joining a coworking space is being surrounded by managers, disruptive entrepreneurs and talented freelancers.
