Coworking has taken the UK by storm. It’s the fastest growing sector of the office market, and experts predict that by 2024, five million people will be working in coworking spaces. So, what brought about this working culture shift, and what are entrepreneurs looking for? The answer is simple, a community.
The need for a community
Coworking has its roots in the tech industry—the idea was first developed by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who wanted to be near their peers and collaborate on projects.
The spaces are designed to provide a productive and collaborative environment for their dynamic inhabitants, essentially a breeding ground for innovation. But that isn’t the only good thing about a community of entrepreneurs, here are a few more.
5 Benefits of a community
- A support network: Running your own business can be a lonely experience. You are responsible for every aspect of the company, from the bottom line to the marketing plan to hiring new employees. It can be hard to stay motivated when you’re doing it all on your own. A community can help you stay inspired and keep moving forward.
- They can give you access to experts in your field who might be able to give advice or introduce you to other people who can help. Your community can also be an excellent source of new perspectives and ideas to help you in your business.
- You’ll meet other owners who are also facing similar problems, so they’ll be able to empathise with what you’re going through (and maybe even offer up their own solutions). Exchanging information on challenges, tips of the trade, experiences, and goals is a key benefit of networking because it allows you to gain new insights that you may not have otherwise thought of.
- You’ll discover new opportunities that might not have come across your radar otherwise, this may be through the improved visibility and exposure of your business. Surrounding yourself with a network of other entrepreneurs encourages interaction and natural exposure of the business.
- Events & workshops: A professional community regularly hosts events and workshops that broaden the horizons of an entrepreneur. Access to such events would otherwise not be possible unless you are part of an active professional community.
Finding your own community
A coworking or flexible workspace is the ideal place to find your own community, in fact one may already exist in the space, such as Bold and the XCHG.
What is Bold?
Bold is a flexible space curated to encourage you to dream, create share and succeed. The space offers:
- Beautifully designed spaces to inspire you
- Communal areas for flexible working and mingling
- Private spaces for meetings and tranquillity
- A community of entrepreneurial minded people
- Events to network and challenge your thinking
- Access to mentoring & capital to scale your business
What is the XCHG?
The XCHG is an incubator and innovation space specifically for start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs that provides you with meeting rooms, media facilities and access to over 120 events a year. The space is perfect for entrepreneurs looking to connect with other great minds.