Q&A - All About Coworking

What are “coworking” spaces? It’s really as simple as it sounds. It’s a bunch of people who go to an office space to work together, albeit as freelancers or for different companies. Each member pays a fee - daily, monthly, annually, to belong. Many spaces are open beyond normal working hours to accommodate various preferences, from the early bird party planner to the night owl programmer.

What are they NOT? They are not business incubators or business accelerators. Typically they are much more informal and welcome a wide range of freelancers and telecommuters, from writers to entrepreneurs to designers.

Why do they exist? Freelancers, frequent travellers, and remote employees who work-from-home feel disconnected and lonely. Coworking spaces solve that problem by supplying a community environment in which to work. And Harvard Business Review reports that members of coworking spaces thrive in these environments due to a sense of community, feeling that the work is more meaningful, and having more control over scheduling.

How big of a trend is this? It’s expected there will be 10,000 coworking spaces by the end of 2016. Most coworking space owners have expansion plans and report membership dramatically increasing.

It’s expensive, right? Not really. In Michigan a day pass is around $10-30, with monthly memberships from $100-300. Nationally, the average is over $500, but can be as inexpensive as $50 and up to $1000.

Need help finding the right one? Contact us, we know a lot about the local options and can help get you settled in at the right one for you.