Why I Love Coworking

I have three offices. Two of them are located inside coworking spaces. In order to share what I love about coworking, let’s take an imaginary journey through a typical day looks at one of my offices. 

9:00 am (ish) I roll into the office around nine-ish. Or maybe a little after. Because most of my coworking co-workers own their own businesses like I do, arriving any earlier tends to warrant heckling. Same goes with staying past noon on a sunny Friday (or any sunny day, for that matter). 

9:10 am I grab my first cup of coffee, which I did NOT have to pay $7 for. Coffee is included in my membership, and sometimes I am even lucky enough to find vanilla almond milk in the community creamer fridge. As I wander from the kitchen back to my private office, I run into a fellow business owner who stops me to ask my opinion about a team dilemma he is having. He saw my profile on the coworking space website, and he thought it might help him and his team for us to do some core values work together. While this casual hallway coffee chat may just seem a simple coworking conversation, that connection over coffee soon turns into $7,500 client contract. Not bad for just coming into work. 

9:30 am Back in my private office, I hop on my first remote coaching call, thankful for my speedy and reliable Wifi (an impossibility out in the country where I live and where my home office is located). I am also grateful that I am not responsible for maintaining Wifi connectivity. Instead, I get to complain if it is too slow or goes out, and someone else will take care of it. Awesome.

10:15 am Following my call, it’s time for my second cup of coffee. With caffeine boost in hand, I remember I need to get a graphic completed for my upcoming 90-day workshop, DEFY. I also recall a quick legal question about the coaching included in the online course. I find both of my solutions through two other coworkers. By 11 am, I have my graphic AND the answer to my question. And even better, they both gave me a “good neighbor” rating! #mycoworkersareawesome

11:30 am After knocking out a few lingering action items, I step outside and walk two doors down the street, ready for some awesome Thai food. It may just look like lunch, but I am meeting another coworker there to chat; she mentioned she was curious about my logo, displayed on my office door, and wanted to know more. I end up eating a delicious meal while also enjoying what most networking groups call a “one to one.” Unlike a traditional one-on-one meeting, though, my new connection and I are miles ahead. Thanks to our coworking community, our foundation is already strong, and our “know, like, and trust” (essentials for any business relationship) are WAY higher.

12:15 pm Lunch finishes a little early, so I wander back inside and head for the wellness room located inside the coworking space. Taking 15 minutes for myself, I reflect on all the times in my previous career where I never left my desk. I share a little gratitude for the space that I am currently in. 

12:45pm It’s a busy afternoon with coaching sessions back to back until 3 pm. My computer dings as the community manager messages me that my next client is waiting comfortably up at the front while they help themselves to a cup of hot coffee. I love that our coworking community manager not only provides administrative assistance but also is a Jedi in counseling business owners. But what I most appreciate is that I do not have to worry about paying his employer taxes from my company: His support and services are included in my membership!

3 pm My day officially ends; however, I see a reminder on Slack that we are doing a little happy hour at 4 pm. There will be free beer, which is once again is included in my membership! With an hour to wait, I decide that I will sit down and write a blog about “why I love coworking.” 

4 pm I submit my new blog post to my editor (also found through my network of coworkers!) and head out for a cold beer and amazing conversation with people who really get me, understand and relate to where I am with my business, genuinely enjoy my company, and want me to be successful. Even though we do not work for the same company, we work within the same community; by the weird, beautiful, and completely unspoken coworking code, we are bonded.

5 pm I head home with a huge smile on my face. My day of coworking has given me the perfect mixture of people, productivity, profits, and coffee. I love coworking!