Thinking of running your small business from a coworking space? This could be a very wise decision and is one that an increasing number of businesses, both large and small, are making. With coworking spaces offering up so many various benefits, many of which could be the difference between success and failure for your business, it’s hardly surprising that coworking spaces are currently more popular with business owners than ever before. This demand has led to a rise in the number of available coworking spaces, giving business owners plenty of choice.
In some ways, this is great! It means that there’s a bigger chance that you’ll be able to find a coworking space that perfectly suits your business and its needs. However, it also means that you could end up picking a space that doesn’t properly match your business and isn’t as great as it initially seems.
So, how do you ensure that the coworking space you’re signing up for is capable of bringing you all of the many benefits of coworking without any of the downsides? Read on as Circle Hub shares some top tips to keep in mind when searching for the perfect coworking space.
Location is Key
The location of your coworking space is important for a few reasons. Firstly, it will influence how long you and your team spend commuting. It goes without saying that you’ll want to keep this as short as possible. This means finding a coworking space in a location that’s convenient for all of you.
Of course, proximity can sometimes mean nothing if transportation links are lacking. Your coworking space should be easily accessible by a variety of methods. Whether you and your team plan on driving, taking public transport, walking, or anything else, you need to be able to get to your coworking space with ease.
Accessibility is something that we’ve always strived for at Circle Hub. We have two California locations for our members to choose from. One is in Ventura and the other is in Northridge. Both have plenty of public transportation links, as well as easy parking. Even better, both are located in vibrant and upmarket parts of town. This will be great for giving your small business some extra prestige!
Understand How the Workspaces Are Run
With many coworking spaces, hot spots (or hot desks) are the name of the game. All you need to do is turn up, grab a seat, and get to work. This is the beauty of coworking – it’s so simple!
With that said, a small business can sometimes need a little more. For example, if you want your entire team to be seated near each other, there’s no guarantee that there’ll be enough desks in a row or cluster to accommodate all of you. This is where the Designated Desk service offered by Circle Hub can be useful. It will enable you and your team to reserve specific desks in advance. It’s ideal for when you and your team need to be in close proximity.
Of course, there will also be times when your business needs some privacy. In these cases, coworking spaces that offer the use of private office suites can be very beneficial. At Circle Hub, our offices are available to hire on a short-term basis, making them a cost-effective way for your business to have some space of its own.
Explore the Amenities on Offer
Coworking spaces differ hugely when it comes to amenities. Some offer the bare minimum while others, such as Circle Hub, try to go above and beyond in terms of providing their members with an array of amenities that encourage professional success.
Which amenities should you be looking out for? Start with the basics. Sturdy and comfortable working areas, high-speed WiFi, and printing facilities should be a given. Common areas where you can relax and meet other members, without having to worry about disturbing people who are working, should also be a priority. At Circle Hub, we have several common areas sprinkled throughout our coworking spaces, including a kitchen where you can enjoy free refreshments!
A couple of the other noteworthy amenities available with a Circle Hub membership are access to an onsite gym, as well as a gaming room. After all, both exercising and gaming are fantastic stress relievers, which will give your productivity a boost!
Look For Additional Business Services
Some coworking spaces are geared toward freelancers while others are much more small business-friendly. How can you tell? By checking to see if they offer any additional business services.
Access to conference rooms, for example, can be a huge asset to a small business. You’ll have somewhere professional to host meetings and video conferences. At Circle Hub, our conference rooms are available to rent by the hour. With a variety of sizes available, there’s something for every price range.
A virtual office service can be of great benefit too. With Circle Hub, this means that your business will be able to use our prestigious street address as your mailing address. Think about how good that will look on your business cards! Any mail received will either be held for you to collect or forwarded to you digitally.
Assess Availability and Flexibility
The last thing that you want is for your coworking space to be unavailable to you when you need it. Why would this happen? It could be down to over-crowding – too many people and not enough desks. It could also be due to stringent opening hours.
To avoid this, make sure that the coworking space you choose is going to have space for you when you need it. Find out about how crowded it gets during its peak times and be sure to pay attention to opening hours. At Circle Hub, our coworking spaces are open 24/7 as we want to provide complete accessibility at all times for our members.
Keep Your Budget in Mind
For many small businesses, one of the biggest deciding factors when choosing a coworking space will be budget. Don’t get us wrong – even a pricey coworking space will likely still be more cost-effective than your alternative options. However, don’t spend more than you can afford as this could be the downfall of your business.
At Circle Hub, we keep our membership fees affordable. We also make use of flexible monthly contracts. You won’t need to sign any long-term leases – simply pay the monthly membership for the months you need to use our coworking spaces. If, at any time, you need to cancel, this is easily done too!
Evaluate the Community and Networking Opportunities
Many coworking spaces are like little communities, and this is a great thing. It helps to counter the feelings of isolation that are so common among professionals today. This, in turn, gives mental health a big boost, making it no surprise that so many people feel much happier and more motivated after making the move to a coworking space.
Along with this sense of community comes networking opportunities. Coworking spaces, which are filled with people from all walks of life and a variety of industries, are great networking hubs. Some coworking spaces take this further by encouraging their members to meet and mingle. At Circle Hub, we have a roster of regular events that our members can make the most of. They’re casual and enjoyable, which makes networking feel comfortable and natural.
Consider Scalability
Although your business may currently be small, it likely won’t always be this way. After a while, you’ll hopefully grow. This will mean expanding your team.
It goes without saying that you’ll want them to be able to use the same coworking space that the rest of your team is already using. So, make sure that you consider scalability when browsing coworking spaces. If the coworking space that you’re considering isn’t going to be able to accommodate a larger team, you may need to look elsewhere.
Don’t Forget to Read Reviews
These days, reviews are everything. Chances are that you wouldn’t buy a product online without reading a few reviews, and the same should apply to your coworking space.
The reviews that you read will tell you so much about the space that you’re considering. If reviews aren’t easy to find, this is a red flag. Any coworking space that is proud of what’s on offer will happily share member reviews with potential future members. Visit the Circle Hub website and you’ll find a page dedicated to written and video reviews. We also provide links to our Google reviews so that you can be sure that all of those five-star ratings are genuine and impartial!
Always Take a Tour
Even if a coworking space has tons of glowing reviews, it’s still important to book yourself in for a tour before you sign up for that space. Why? Because this is the best way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of that space so that you can see for yourself how suitable it is for your business.
Before taking the tour, it’s worth putting together a checklist of the things you need to assess, such as:
- Physical layout. Ideally, the space should boast an open and inspiring design aesthetic.
- Cleanliness. Most coworking spaces will use a cleaning service, but check to see how good this really is.
- Vibe. Some coworking spaces are very casual and relaxed while others can be quite stuffy. Make sure that the vibe works for your business.
- Staff. Most coworking spaces will have a community manager on site to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Have a chat with them to gauge how responsive and helpful they are. Professionalism at all times is key too.
- Noise levels. Noise tolerance can vary between coworking spaces, so make sure that you’re happy with this.
Coworking at Circle Hub
At Circle Hub, we’ve designed our coworking spaces to be as conducive as possible to small businesses. As a result, a number of businesses have now found their home with us and are doing extremely well as a result. If you would like to check out Circle Hub’s coworking spaces or yourself, click here to book a tour today!