While coworking houses and “desk hotels” are nothing new, we are now truly beginning to understand their full potential in helping businesses. Whether you’re a small business, a startup, or a few person division of a larger company, coworking offices can provide you with real advantages.
We’ve rounded up three of the top ways coworking spaces can help your business, and spoke with a few current tenants of Mindpark to show you how:
1. Coworking spaces give you flexibility that can allow you to scale in size
Almost all companies have dreams of growth, but figuring out the right pace and the right way to go about scaling your business is much more complicated than anyone anticipates. Coworking spaces can give you tools and resources for growth, without as much risk involved.
With many options for office size and capacity, and no leases or rental agreements to worry about like in traditional office spaces, coworking houses provide flexibility. Not only that, but many come equipped with amenities and necessities such as wifi, copy machines, kitchen appliances and more. These things can be costly to purchase for small businesses going it alone. If you can save on buying expensive machinery, that money can be allocated towards more important things for growing your business, such as employee staffing or software tools.
At Mindpark, your office rental fee includes access to a number of these kinds of equipment. Add in the fact that there is full time staff who handle service providers and maintenance, cleaning services and supply ordering, you can save valuable time and money, and – sometimes more importantly – save yourself the hassle.
When communications company Ordstark joined Mindpark in 2012, one factor that helped their decision to rent an office was, in fact, the color printer. As Ordstark started as a small company of three, they needed to be smart about spending. Ordstark now has eight employees sitting in their Mindpark office. Saving money on equipment was one factor that allowed them the flexibility to grow their team.
2. They can help boost your credibility and visibility
A major challenge facing small businesses and startups can be proving that you are credible and professional. Sometimes it can be difficult even getting people to know who you are.
While remote work is rapidly growing, there still seems to be a small stigma against the legitimacy of a business when there is no official address or a place to meet, other than the local coffee shop. It can also make it a bigger issue when trying to raise your brand awareness. The good news is, you can quickly and easily add that needed credibility and visibility by utilizing a coworking space.
Coworking houses are often in central locations that offer unique opportunities for you to connect with your community, get your brand in front of more people, and gain a solid backing of trust and authority behind your business. Reception and mail handling services also enhance your professionalism, and the staff at the office can provide help or guidance, and introductions to the right people.
Mindpark, located in central Helsingborg, includes meeting rooms, conference spaces, and even a restaurant, all within walking distance from the central train station. Having access to these spaces gives you more opportunities to host clients and customers, or hold events.
When Luxaflex Scandinavia AB was looking for a new office space, they realized “Mindpark could be an interesting alternative, where we could rent just rooms including services, instead of renting our own office,” says Håkan Mattisson, Director of Finance & IS.
For Luxaflex, it’s the services and the community that make the difference: “We like the service; not having to be responsible for cleaning, security, alarm, facility management etc. Since we are only 3 people in the office and we travel a lot, it’s nice to have other people around, when the colleagues are out travelling. The possibility to use the conference facilities is also an advantage, as is the cafeteria.”
3. They provide built-in networks and collaboration
They say that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. But that idea gets especially tricky if you tend to be the only person in the room.
Working from home, or as a ‘solopreneur’ or small team, there are challenges when you need to bounce ideas off of someone else. Getting a second opinion on any number of decisions that businesses and startups need to make can be crucial. Coworking spaces give you those smart minds you can surround yourself with. Need information in an area outside your realm of expertise? Chances are there is someone just a few feet away who can provide it. Inspiration and help are plentiful when you have an office amongst other companies in a range of industries and disciplines.
With so many other businesses just steps away from your own office, the networking and collaboration opportunities at Mindpark are endless. Get to know the other people and companies that share offices near yours, and you may be surprised to find how many can either offer services to you, introduce you to potential new clients or customers, or even open a door for a future collaboration. In just these instances, the return on investment for renting an office in Mindpark can be significant.
Occupying an office at Mindpark since December 2016, Biohax International CEO Jowan Österlund has seen several doors open in just a few short months. While initially drawn to Mindpark because of the “super central” location, he has found advantages in the opportunities to work with others. Within six weeks, Österlund had already found future partnerships. At Mindpark, he says, there are “inspirational meetings and possible, or should I say inevitable synergies.”
We could add more about the advantages of using coworking spaces and renting an office at Mindpark, but it’s probably clear already. If you are still on the fence about what Mindpark can offer you, contact us or come in and visit now.