There are not that many things that have contributed to the explosion of small and micro business as much as coworking spaces have. Being able to access all the infrastructure and amenities of a small office at a fraction of price has enabled many a solopreneur to take those first steps more comfortably and confidently.
That being said, a time comes for every company to ‘graduate’ and to move into its own space. I have seen this happen innumerable times and it was always due to a combination of a number of reasons, and we have just moved into our own office for many of the following reasons.
The following 10 are the most common I encountered.
1. Privacy
The most common reason why you might want to move your company from a coworking space to your own office is that a coworking setup is rarely truly private. I am not saying that people will be trying to overhear your conversations, but sometimes you just want to say something out loud that might be sensitive and you don’t want everyone to hear it. Many business owners I talked to also mentioned that they became much more relaxed in general when they moved into their own offices. It felt good to be alone, so to say.
2. Cost-effectiveness
The primary reason why coworking spaces have worked so well is that they allow tiny companies (1-4 people) to save on office space rent while still having the amenities and the infrastructure of a commercial space. However, as the company grows, the cost-effectiveness starts to shift and it becomes cheaper to actually rent out one’s own office space. This move might require moving out of the city centre, but that is the cost of renting office space.
3. Peace and quiet
The majority of coworking spaces I have visited (or worked at) were actually quite peaceful and hard-working environments. People are there to work and for the vast majority of time, this is the case. Still, a coworking space will never be as peaceful and as quiet as your own office once everyone gets down to working. Someone will have a cough, another person might have their headphones turned far too loud, someone might suffer from a glandular problem that has them sweat too much. The list is endless.
4. Company culture
In today’s business world, company culture is more important than ever before as talent is becoming scarce and as employee loyalties are on the decline. Company culture is also a great productivity tool, but unfortunately, it is difficult to promote and build a company culture at a coworking space. You need your people to be able to interact unofficially and to feel at ease. At a coworking space, things are always on a more formal side of things and you really do need your own space in order to build a truly great company culture.
5. Lack of space
Perhaps the most straightforward reason to move from a coworking space to your own office will be the lack of space that you will start noticing once your company starts to grow. Sure, coworking spaces are nice and big, but you will have a very limited amount of space that you will call truly yours. This is especially true if part of your work happens offline and you have a bunch of papers all over the place, perhaps even some other tools.
6. Boosting team cohesion
A coworking space and especially various remote working setups that you may have adopted have been known to suffer from a certain lack of team cohesion that stems from a number of factors. This will include a certain feeling of constraint experienced at coworking spaces, the lack of strong company culture and the good old-fashioned lack of communication (especially present in remote teams). Your own office space is the most obvious and direct way to address these issues and make your team more cohesive and, ultimately, more efficient.
7. Clients
Most coworking spaces have conference rooms for meetings with clients (among other things) and there is nothing wrong about having a business meeting somewhere public like a restaurant of some kind. An ever-growing number of companies also do their client meetings online. That being said, there will come a time when you want to invite your clients to your offices, for any number of reasons. This is something you cannot do in a coworking space. It really is that simple.
8. Flexibility
There is nothing more important for a small company than being flexible enough so as to adjust to the various circumstances that can arise at any given point. In fact, this is the main advantage smaller companies have over big corporations. In case you are working out of a coworking space, however, you are limiting your flexibility and adaptability. You cannot hire half a dozen more people in a few days. You cannot invite your clients to in-person promotion of your new services. You are a master of your ow space and it makes your company that much more versatile.
9. Challenge
For many small companies, the move from a coworking space to their own office is a huge milestone and a reason for celebration. It is also a challenge. This challenge is actually a good thing for some smaller companies because it makes the company stronger and more united. There is nothing that can bring a company together as a challenge overcome. I have seen many former coworking companies become reinvigorated once they moved into their own offices.
10. Problems with coworking space
Perhaps the most mundane of all the reasons for moving from coworking to your own office are the issues that can arise that have to do with the specific coworking space you are dealing with. Perhaps they have regular problems with internet accessibility. Perhaps they do not wish to deal with your coworking neighbour who is making it impossible for your team to work. There are literally innumerable problems that can arise in a coworking space and, sometimes, they are just too much.
