Co-working is now undeniably the modern way of working, and for start-ups it’s a no brainer.
The three of us at Desk Space all started our own separate businesses from home so we’ve been there and worn the working in the back-bedroom t-shirt to death before we got our own office space. 2 of us took our first step by being offered shared office, allowing us to grow steadily and relatively safely in terms of cashflow. We took the leap and never looked back. It’s good for you and the business but suddenly people seem to take you a bit more seriously too, a strange side effect as the quality of work is exactly the same but one to take advantage of!
We all separately found our way into the Kelham Island area and loved it. How can you not, it’s definitely one of the developments in recent years that Sheffield can be very proud of. And it’s only getting better.
Fast forward to when we had redundant space in the building at our base on Mowbray Street and it made perfect sense to create the kind of environment we would have loved and appreciated when we were start-ups. It’s lonely at home, it’s not always easy to separate life and work and often hours pass before you realise your work life balance is well out of kilter!
For other people we’ve spoken to, it’s quite the opposite problem. People often say no way, if I worked from home I wouldn’t do any work!
When you’re serious about giving your business the best shot, you need to take help when it’s offered. In terms of getting an office of your own, getting a bit of a leg up can make all the difference. You need to feel proud of your work space and what better than your own office you can invite clients to or meet other like-minded people in business, instead of nice but slightly random strangers in coffee shops!
The flexible low commitment choice of coworking space is a gift in the early days when the finances are low. If you could try something for a month and stop it’s much more appealing than a scary contract committing you for a year to a hefty cost!
It’s no surprise co-working is fantastic for Sheffield. We’re a city of creative highly skilled people and the more we can do to support it the better. If co-working supports the current wave of entrepreneurs as well as the rise of the contractors, as large organisations offload their employed staff in favour of a leaner workforce and property portfolio, it’s only going to keep growing. And we’re very proud to be a part of it.
