Now in my fourth week in Austin, I wanted to give a little insight to what I consider to be a leading trend with the potential to impact the way we think of work. First, a quick summary of the trends I have been following in the nation.
It has been written that a mobile work force is more productive and keeps the cost of producing goods down. This is because if the labor pool is more mobile, then the cost of relocating employees is removed from production costs, allowing Americans to be more competitive locally and globally.
As a business owner, I have observed that building a successful business is a function of having the ability to produce great products for a marketplace who needs them, but as importantly to be able to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.
The result, is that I have found Coworking to be a vital component of the business landscape in 2010. Here are some personal observations from my first month.
Coworking is perfect for people who can’t work from home and don’t have an office.
It allows for a creative class of designers, marketers, and developers to have a common location to share experiences and ideas.
The refinement of these ideas makes for better products by making use of new ideas, especially in an industry that changes as quickly as web marketing.
Overhead is extremely low. One flat fee per month and I have access to high speed Internet, clean facilities, free coffee and water, and the kind of person to person networking that will build connections for me in a new town.
For me personally, it is a big benefit to commute one mile from home by bike, with access to good cheap mexican and vietnamese food.
It works on a business level too, where the space organizers are able to use the space for their own business, and multiply several members monthly memberships into a profit center to help fund their own entrepreneurial ideas.
To paraphrase Uncle Tupelo, not for tomorrow, only for now. But I predict the trend of coworking is going to be growing as more employees telecommute and businesses need more flexible options to put a mobile and creative individuals to work.
