As we all feel the crunch, everyone is being forced to tighten their belts, even companies. Whether you are suffering the residual impact of the covid pandemic, feeling the strain of the energy price hike or generally looking to streamline your overheads sharing office space is a great solution to your businesses problems.
With the rise of voice and location search options, how we use the internet and search online has evolved significantly. This has been driven further by the adoption of smart speakers such as Alexa, Apple HomePod and Google Home. But how does this impact you when you are looking to find or list spare office space to share? Admittedly when it comes to finding office space you will not need to do anything different. It is down to the listing companies to address how they choose to list and communicate with potential renters.
So What Does This Mean For Me?
There are plenty of ways to advertise your spare office space to share or boost your coworking offices but finding which way best suits you and your business, is up to you. Whether you choose to advertise on your own social media, use a letting agent, utilise free platforms such as Gumtree or a combination of approaches each business will have a different view as to what they need and want. One of the key influencing factors which many business consider is the financial cost to advertise versus the effort and time involved. Naturally if you are looking for a more hands off approach then a letting agent or middle man will be the best option for you but this will come with a significant cost disadvantage. On the other side of the scale you can choose to purley leverage your business and personal social media. However, if you are looking for a more cost effective option with a wider reach utilising social media and listing platforms like Share My Office may be the best option for you.
Curated Coworking - Finding the Right Fit
Coworking and office sharing can be so much more than just letting anyone and everyone to use your spare office space. However, one of the key strengths and advantages of sharing office space is the opportunity for networking, skill sharing and collaboration. As a result, sometimes it is best to take the time to find the right person or company to share with instead of just trying to fill a space for an extra financial boost.
Taking the time to find the 'right fit' can be significantly beneficial in the long run but the process of doing so is not always simple. Our recommendation to all companies choosing to list with us is to sit and think about what you really want in terms of a relationship and ‘vibe’ within your office space; regardless of whether you are sharing your spare office space or running a coworking office or hub.
Coworking Vs Office Sharing
There is often confusion between the terms coworking and office sharing with many people using them interchangeably. However, typically office sharing is when a company chooses to share their spare office space (regardless of the size) with another coampny(s) whereas coworking commonly refers to a more fluid working relationship or work space which can be on more flexible or Pay As you Go basis. In this case, an owner of a coworking space may not work in the office space themselves.
Questions To Ask Yourself
Regardless of whether you are sharing or running an office space there are a few questions you must ask yourself before you list in order to make the most out of the relationship. We are going to break down down these key questions for both office sharing and coworking spaces to help you harness and share the benefits of this type of working relationship.
Shared Office
- How much space can you offer and on what terms?
- Do you want to have a working relationship with who you are sharing with in terms of collaboration and skill sharing?
- Are you willing to share with multiple businesses or people?
Coworking Space
- How large is your space?
- Do you have any limit to the size/amount of desks a person/company can have?
- Are you interested in creating a curated coworking space i.e. matching up people and companies with spaces where there is an option of networking, skill sharing and collaboration
- Do you want to have any limit around the period and terms on which people can use the space. For example, pay as you go, 1 day a week, 7 days a week.
- What do you intend to charge and on what basis? Are you charging by desk, by time or a combination?
Once you have defined the terms and the type of workspace you want to create and maintain you can start listing. How much you want to be in control of this process is then up to you….and your budget!
Making Sure You Get Found
Finally you are at a point where you can list your spare office space. For those looking for a more hands off approach a letting agent is the best way to go but you might want to keep a tighter girp on the reigns if you are looking to create a long lasting, collaborative relationship. This way you can find people/companies that are a good fit for you, your staff and your business as a whole.
One of the most obvious and key deciding factors when looking for an office or coworking space is its location. As a result, regardless of how and where you are choosing to advertise, it is common sense to leverage aspects such as geo and voice search when writing your listing. Some of the most common terms we see coming through our platform focus around a location or ‘near me’ so it is important to bear this in mind as well as how people are searching to make sure that you can be found by the people and companies you want!
