You can find these thought-leaders littered in coffee shops, basements and libraries, however can be found in great numbers at events like TEDxDetroit, Ignite and other think-outside-the-box platforms. But because we’re traditionally socially and physically isolated, scattered amongst the suburbs, ...]]> Southeastern Michigan and, more specifically Oakland County, are in the midst of an economic metamorphosis. According to Forbes Magazine, at least 25% of the US workforce are freelancers; this doesn’t even scratch the number of small business owners and those trying to start one.

You can find these thought-leaders littered in coffee shops, basements and libraries, however can be found in great numbers at events like TEDxDetroit, Ignite and other think-outside-the-box platforms. But because we’re traditionally socially and physically isolated, scattered amongst the suburbs, independent workers and remote employees often experience more professional risk than the equivalent corporate employee sitting in a well-staffed 9-5 office.

We need a place other than our respective home offices and tiny coffee-shop tables; an environment where professionals, each with different background and perspective, work alongside each other. People with wildly different and very useful skills and experience that just may have already dealt with the same problems you’ve got. Co-working allows members to bounce ideas off each other, hand-off or simplify extra work and draw from the collective expertise. Unlike your kitchen table, members can interact with one another, whether it’s to ask a quick question or form a well-staffed project team.

If you own a small business or are thinking of starting one, you will likely spend a majority of your time working on things outside of your skill-set. While you need to understand all of the aspects to your business, spending excess amounts of time working on unfamiliar issues can stunt the development of your new idea. These speed-bumps can be minimized through collaboration… a central tenant of coworking.

If you haven’t heard of coworking, it brings independent professionals, businesses and creative, passionate people together into a shared work environment. Having a dedicated space is often a steep expense, especially in Oakland County. Coworking spaces allow these thought-leaders to benefit from the advantages of an office without a majority of the costs associated with maintaining one.

Collaboration

Through a coworking community like ShareSpace, business owners can find accountants to help with their taxes, developers to build their website, marketers to promote their services and lawyers to handle their legal work. Specialists can share their skills in return for other services (another case for Karmagora). People from a variety of industries can meet and form small groups to help solve each other’s problems.

Power in Numbers

As coworking spaces grow larger, the value it can deliver to the members of its community will grow as well. Our automotive giants don’t purchase office supplies at the same price as the pizza shop down the street — they leverage their scale to negotiate discounted prices. By banding the community together as one voice, coworkers can do the same. Of course, one reason people join coworking spaces is to retain their independence and be able to work anywhere. For that reason, ShareSpace has joined the Coworking VISA program that allows you to use other participating space across the world; you may be based in Rochester, but have resources and locations globally.

Alternatives

Coworking communities can deploy their resources in many different ways. They can provide mentorship, training and introductions similar to a business incubator, but on a much smaller scale. They can host events that address local issues and provide insight from subject-matter experts. It’s not uncommon to hear of a nonprofit collaboration conference being hosted to brainstorm on more efficient ways to leverage existing resources. The possibilities are as endless as the creativity of the coworking community members!

I feel that the future of coworking is an organic and flexible business ecosystem. The recent economic hiccup has opened the minds of employees and entrepreneurs alike as to what is possible, and that the old-guard business model has become rusty and tired. This has provided a unique opportunity for people to reshape what their professional lives look like, whether it be changing jobs or creating them. I’m excited at what the future holds and what will sprout from our efforts in downtown Rochester.