Coworking has been all the rage for the past decade, but there’s a lot that small business owners don’t know about the differences between coworking and shared office space facilities (also called office business centres or executive suites). The main reason for this confusion is that some large corporate chains of business centres and executive suites have started to claim that what they’re offering are coworking spaces – without really knowing what the original coworking philosophy was all about.
When you look coworking up on Wikipedia, you’ll find this explanation: “Coworking is a social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with people who value working in the same place alongside each other.” Notice that the key words are “social gathering” and “share values” – meaning that true coworking is not about the shared office space, but rather the community that makes up the members and their shared values.
Shared office spaces in business centres and executive office suites have always ideal places for entrepreneurs and small business owners to work from, while sharing in the cost of infrastructure through monthly rent. Typically, an “executive suite” or a “business centre shared office space” or “flexible offices” are located in a prime business area, and offer tenants a professional business address where they can conduct business. Even before coworking came along, many of these business centres would offer “hot desks” in a shared office space environment – and some would offer virtual office services for businesses that didn’t want physical office space, but preferred access to the business address and other services, such as meeting rooms on demand.
Depending on your business model and the goals for your small business, you should think about a few things before deciding which type of office space you should get for your business needs. If you’re running an arts-based business, socially conscious business or not-for-profit organization, you may want to consider some of the original coworking spaces such as the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI). For tech and other collaboration-type businesses, you might seek out a coworking space like Project Spaces that cater to those in the tech industry looking for collaboration opportunities.
But when it comes to getting the best professional image for your small business or branch office at a good value in a prime and expanding downtown location, then look no further than Telsec Business Centres at One Yonge Street. Whether for your small business or branch office, Telsec can offer you a private office with solid, soundproof walls (instead of glass partitions that don’t go to the ceiling), so you can focus on improving your business without any interruptions. If you desire more social interaction, you can find it just outside of your private office – in the kitchen area, hallways, during our monthly community networking events and so on – in this friendly, upscale, high-energy business centre.
