The 'Less than Publicised’ benefits of a Shared Office Space

by Startacus Admin

For a remarkable amount of startups, their first office space will probably come from an incubator or accelerator programme. That said, most of these programmes aren’t going to fork out for a private office and dedicated server, and as a result, startups tend to use shared, open plan office spaces.
At first it may seem kind of juvenile, like a school or college study room or something, but fret not; all hope is not lost.
The open floor office space is becoming more and more commonplace, with open door policies and glass panel meeting rooms becoming the norm, with even the big multi-million dollar players understanding the benefits of such an office.
If the likes of Branson and Sugar are in on it, surely some of that mojo should work for a smaller business or startup.

A quick search online gives you list after list of all the usual benefits of a shared office. Cheaper, well furnished, startup friendly, catered for etc. Those are all great, but so many of these are pretty much a standard selling point for these office spaces. You wouldn’t take the space otherwise. What about the other benefits? The ones you just can’t advertise or put a price on?

Here at Startacus we've covered them just for you!

Office Banter

It is what it is! A group of entrepreneurs and startup staff in a room together are probably going to develop that unique working relationship which results in sarcastic wit, strange in-jokes and betting for cups of coffee. Let’s face it, if we’re all making our own work environments, we’d all rather work somewhere with a fun and quirky atmosphere. Why should your job be a chore, right?

Saving on Coffee

Pretty self explanatory, but just in case; if there are a lot of startups and only one coffee machine, why should only one startup buy all the coffee? Split the bill, save and share! Simples!

Technically Free Collaboration

The fact that you’d be in a shared office means communication is open across channels and is basically encrypted solely by your volume level. This means that ideas and information is pretty easily spread amongst people in the office, unless it’s deliberately covered up. This means you can liaise with other startups and get ideas or inspiration from a wider variety of sources. Which you usually don’t have to pay for, but hey business is business, if they give you something, they probably want a return on it.

Changing Staff 

This is a bit of a double edged sword, on the one hand, there is an ever changing plethora of successful and unsuccessful startups and their staff with whom you can work and make contact, but you also have to stop working with others who move on who weren’t a part of your staff. This ensures an ever changing resource of information and ideas from staff to staff.

Camaraderie

Startups sharing an office just get one another, they’re all in the same boat, trying to make their businesses succeed, and as such understand that having friends in business is always a plus. They can help with finding information, deals and competitions that other startups may have an interest in, even if they don’t themselves.

Finally:

Friends in the Industry

As the old saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who. Sharing an office with the brass of a potential big time business is rarely a bad thing. It shows the growth that they could achieve from much the same beginnings as yours. It could also mean that down the road, they might remember the witty banter and coffee breaks, and even be able to lend a hand or opportunity to your own business. Let’s be honest, we’d all rather be friends with our workmates.

These are just a few of the benefits, and by no means is this list exhaustive. There are probably a million and one other reasons to appreciate some shared office space. There’s no immediate need to go out and renovate or relocate your startup's premises either. If you ever end up in an open and shared space, there’s a whole lot to look forward to, and you’ll be glad if you don’t miss out!

• #camaraderie
• #staff changes
• #collaboration
• #coffee
• #banter
• #open space office
• #shared office space
• #

Published on: 27th January 2015