Why CoWorking? – Lehigh Valley CoWorking

Brought to you by SoBeCoWorks

Where do you work?

Most people starting their own ventures will start in one of a few places, all of which have their good points and their bad points.

The Coffee Shop
The Library
A Space in Their Home

The Coffee Shop

At first glance, the coffee shop seems pretty great, you get:

unlimited coffee
free wi-fi (usually)
generally pretty quiet
most likely close to home

But you then have the issues of:

expensive coffee
spotty/slow wi-fi
can get pretty loud
can get quite crowded at times
the possibility of theft if you’re not careful

The Library

At first glance, the library shop seems pretty great as well:

very quiet
free wi-fi (usually)
lots of reference material
access to the Reference Librarians

But you then have the issues of:

needing to go outside in order to take/make phone calls
spotty/slow wi-fi
the possibility of theft if you’re not careful
generally, no food or drink allowed, so you must leave for that
inconvenient place to meet clients, as you must be very quiet
can be a distraction with all the non-work related books, DVD’s, magazines and such available

A Space at Home

Aaaah, but home must be perfect:

can be very quiet
good wi-fi
food and snacks in the fridge
no travel
everything you need will be there

But you then have the issues of:

difficult to get motivated
can be very disruptive if you have pets and/or children
easy to get distracted with non-work projects
do you really want strangers coming to your home?
there may be external disruptions, road work outside your window, kids playing outside, etc.
you may be accidentally “unprofessional” on the phone, such as dog barking in the background, a child crying, etc.
You may not have access to all the business materials you may need

So why use a CoWorking space?

The biggest benefit of any coworking space is that you can be as isolated or integrated as you choose.
So, whether you like working alone and simply need to “pick someones brain” for a bit or you really prefer the full immersive experience, there is a coworking space out there for you.
Many, if not all, spaces offer free coffee (at least), they will generally have good, strong wifi and while they can get crowded and a bit loud… you can usually find a quiet spot if needed.
Need to make a phone call? No need to go out in the elements as you can do it from the comfort of the coworking space, even if you need to find a quiet spot, you’re still inside.
Most if not all spaces will have a refrigerator for you to keep your lunch and/or drinks. At some spaces you will eat at your desk, some have dedicated lunchrooms.
At a coworking space, you’re surrounded by other like-minded individuals whom you may (or may not) be able to bounce an idea or two off of. There are no interruptions from children and as most spaces do not allow pets, no barking dogs or cats on your keyboard.
Finally, you can be proud to meet your clients in a real office environment as well as access to printers, books, educational programs, photography services and more… depending on the space.