A community is described as: A social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.
For solopreneurs and small business owners, “community” is not only the one you create online for your customers, or within your team, it’s also the one you join as a business owner; your professional community. You also have your local community; the people, businesses and influences around you every day.
When you think about it, community is everywhere.
Especially at the place you choose to work from, like a coworking space.
In fact, coworkers the world over report feeling more aligned, less stressed and more productive working from a coworking space.
- Could it be because most coworkers are choosing to work from their coworking space?
- Maybe because there are no ‘internal office politics’ and coworkers can be free to be themselves?
- Maybe because coworking spaces thrive on a hive mentality; all workers happily busying themselves on individual projects, but effective as a group?
Whatever the feeling you gain from working from a coworking space, the stats back us up on this: coworking works. Especially when it comes to fostering a sense of belonging, community and camaraderie.
What Does “Community” Give Me And Why Do I Need One?
It’s so easy when you’re a solo worker, or a biz owner to get ‘stuck’ inside. Inside the world of your business, inside the world of your laptop, inside your office or work space.
Especially if you work from home.
When you venture outside into your local business and work community you might actually be surprised at what you find and the people who can inspire and motivate you on a daily basis.
Especially if you work from a coworking space.
Your community is not just great for the social aspect, it’s also great for business!
The community you start to cultivate, can be filled with mentors, potential clients, potential referrers, potential contractors/employees – and dare we say it? You may make a friend or two.
And the more people you know, connect with and speak with about who you are and what you do – the better. One of the oldest and most trusted forms of advertising – word of mouth – still packs a punch with “74% of consumers identify word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decision.” (Ogilvy/Google/TNS)
The more connections you can make, the more you can authentically and positively grow your community. If you decide to be vocal and really available to your community that’s where the magic happens.
Can Coworking Help Build My Community?
In a simple word: Yes!
When you run a business alone, or with a small team, it is in your best interest to surround yourself with like-minded people, and maybe some people who challenge your beliefs and are not the same as you.
Coworking communities offer a plethora of diverse workers, all at different stages of life, career, business and each presenting a unique set of goals and motivations.
How wonderfully creative.
Across the globe, a new wave of coworking communities is coming up – JAGA included and we’re here for the future!
Community can give you as an individual a sense of belonging, friendship, connectedness and introductions to people you may have not met otherwise. It can also give you and your business opportunities for growth, clients and collaborations that you may not have had otherwise.
Coworking spaces (like ours at JAGA) aim to create friendly and flexible working spaces. Spaces that serve to be a great platform for a creative, inspiring and efficient atmosphere (in which coworkers have a great time working as independently or as connected as they wish).
Coworkers have a sense of community, coming together for organised events, impromptu lunches, short breaks together in the kitchen and can build friendships, collaborative relationships and even refer clients to each other.
Coworkers value the notion of being a part of a larger community, they can adopt a sense of belonging to space or brand. At JAGA, for instance, our community supports our coworkers personal and professional development – we are all here to help one another.
The idea that coworking spaces can help to create strong communities for entrepreneurs or business owners depend on several aspects:
- Facilitation of sharing, trust, and communication
- Shared purpose and common values
- A feeling of connectedness within groups of any scale or size
- Share culture, behavioral code, or rituals
- Organised, planned interactions (events)
- Sharing experiences
- A strong and reliable brand given support by a relevant community
How to Approach the Fellow Coworkers to Create Connections
So community works. But how can you get started creating your personal community, or becoming a bigger part of an existing one at a coworking space?
In a shared environment, you get access to a wealth of other freelancers, businesses, and entrepreneurs all around you.
The best part of attending a coworking space like JAGA is that you get ample opportunities to connect with your fellow coworkers.
Therefore, it is worth making the most of the community, being actively involved and seeing what connections you can make.
In case you are not confident about approaching coworkers randomly, here are some ways to ensure meaningful connections:
- Participating in Workshops
Most coworking spaces host free workshops for supporting businesses and the respective teams. You can attend any workshop of your interest. In addition to delivering ample sources of information, these workshops offer an opportunity to chat with other coworkers during breaks. - Attending Social Events
Friday night drinks anyone? As you meet coworkers or business people at events, it is a great way to connect with them. Therefore, you can look forward to gaining useful insights into their overall experiences. - Being Open to Collaboration
Try speaking to the community team. You might come across someone amazing to collaborate on a specific project. When two businesses work together, both are capable of using your unique set of experiences and skills. Two minds are better than one. - A simple smile or comment
No one can ever make friends by simply staring at the floor. As you walk into the coworking space, ensure that you have put on your friendly face with a smile. Say Hello to people in the kitchen, Say good morning to a fellow coworker and ask them what they’re working on today. A friendship starts somewhere!
Belonging to a community is a very basic and much-needed social element for most of us. Especially in these times where a lot of us have felt quite isolated from our normal communities of friends and family. By extending your community to include fellow coworkers you could be not only enhancing the number of people who know, use and appreciate your business, you could make a friend or two.
Reach out to us at JAGA to see how you can become part of our community. At JAGA we really do treat all our members as very important and valued members of our family and community.
