What Really is Co-Working?

In this part of the world, not many people know about co-working, most of us have had to put up with the work tradition passed down to us from ages ago and see it as ‘normal’ . It is a great underrated concept which many people are oblivious of and don’t know how to utilize. If you put the co-working question out today, here in Nigeria, you’d probably be met with more stutters than cringe-worthy attempts at answers.

It is a strange concept to many just as it was when the idea was first actualized in 2005. Neuberg had been dissatisfied with his work, he wanted the freedom, a community of people and to work alongside them so he called it “Coworking”. He created the first coworking space which was the San Fransisco Coworking Space. It was meant to be open two days a week, but little did he know that it would be ‘closed’ for a month. Yeah, for an entire month, no one came. Why? They’ve never heard of it.

The story is a lot different today though; as of 2019, it was reported there were 19,000 coworking spaces worldwide and the numbers have continued to grow since then. Neuberg’s little work grumpiness conceptualized his ideal environment and has revolutionized the way we work today. He essentially created a way to make our 9-5 better. Come to think of it, he hitherto called it a “9-5” group.

To work may be simply put as to strive to complete a task, the process is called working. The prefix ‘ CO’ means jointly/ together. So, defining co-working in the simplest of terms is working together. Well, that’s just the trivial answer. It is a system that aims to balance work and life adequately. Coworking promotes collaborative work by creating a sustainable environment for work and networking. It connects professionals together to share their ideas and support one another – a feat which can’t be achieved in the office with all the corporate constraints.

One Maria Trujillo once confessed that most of her clients came entirely from the coworking space where she worked. By Coworking, you not only get to be more productive in your daily tasks but you’re also exposed to a network of positively impacting people who can accelerate your progress or solve your lingering problems.

You could also meet your potential business partner(s) and if it happens, you wouldn’t be the first. After all, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger (founders of Instagram) did.

By Coworking, you get to share ideas and knowledge with other people. This creates a symbiotic kind of relationship and helps you become a better version of yourself on the work and even the personal level. The idea has been embraced and has continued grow at a staggering 24% annually.