SmallBizResource Blog -- Productivity

Coworking: A Great Office Option For Solo Workers

Posted by Gayle Kesten Wednesday, Jan 9, 2008, 09:24 AM ET

Did you feel that rush of wind go past? Actually, it was the collective sigh of every home-based businessperson waving goodbye to family and friends as they head back to their post-vacation lives.

Granted, you would stand in front of an 18-wheeler for (most of) them. But even with your office door shut, they were still in your space for a solid week. Maybe more.

Aah, the sweet sounds of silence.

Yet for some homebound workers, that silence quickly grows deafening. Good ol’-fashioned human contact is in order to get those creative juices flowing—and, perhaps, to preserve your sanity. That’s what coworking is all about, according to the recent Fortune Small Business article “Office nomads unite in 'coworking' spaces.”

Simply put, coworking works like this: You rent shared office space, where you have access to corporate amenities including high-speed Internet, Wi-Fi, printers, conference rooms, coffee and, yes, people who need people.

"I'd rather talk to these wonderful, freaky people than my wonderful, freaky cats," Eric Von Blom told FSB writer Matthew Amster-Burton. Blom has rented space at Seattle-based Office Nomads, which touts “individuality without isolation.”

In fact, with names like Sandbox Suites, Independents Hall and Nutopia Workspace, coworking locations are gaining momentum, criss-crossing the country and scattering beyond U.S. borders.

Though nothing beats the price of working from home, coworking is more cost-effective than renting solo office space. It’s also a great solution for business travelers and road warriors. Drop in for the day (Office Nomads charges $20) or pay by the month ($475 at Sandbox Suites includes a private desk). Rates and lengths of stay vary by location.

“There’s a huge trend of people leaving corporations and going out on their own,” says Suzi Edwards, coordinator of Group88, a new coworking space set to debut at the end of January in Northern Connecticut. “You miss that social interaction, that need to brain-pick with someone else on an idea. We’re looking to bring some of those connections back.”

Sitting here in my guest room that also serves as a home office, that sounds pretty great to me.

Productivity