The next big trend in the entrepreneurial world.
According to a research by the Freelancer’s Union, about 1 in every 3 workers in the US is either self-employed or is doing some form of freelance work. The figure is expected to reach one in every 2 workers by 2027. Not just in the US, the trend of self-employment and entrepreneurship is increasing at it’s mighty best at the moment and so is the need for office spaces.
Following the demand vs supply, it is quite easy to guess that real estate prices are also skyrocketing. Amidst all this the trend of leasing office space and shared workspaces is picking up a significant pace, and why shouldn’t it, it has been proven that working from a co-working space saves both time and money. They are a pre-made office solution for you giving you an easy access to better infrastructure, better workspace, progressive work environment and hence an improved lifestyle. In fact, a survey conducted by the Huffington post presented that 70% of people working from a co-working space feel physically healthier.
So, the trend of co-working spaces is on its ascent. This is evident from the number of co-working spaces that has increased from 9000 in 2016 to 14000 in 2017 and it is again expected to reach 19000 globally by the end of 2018.
It is not just the US and the developed nations, co-working spaces are blooming in developing nations as well. For example, India has 438 co-working spaces at the moment and the local audiences cannot help but praise the lords for the benefits that they are receiving from co-working spaces. A lot of realtors are sorting to invest in a co-working space.
Perhaps this was the reason for a SF state university graduate Amitoj, to start SpaceJam co-working in Chandigarh. He gathered a good amount of experience working in co-working spaces in SF and when he came to visit his hometown. The dynamics of the city lured him to set up his bases here and replicate the same work environment in India.
When Amitoj started in mid-2017, he faced a lot of difficulties, logistics and infrastructure were perhaps the easiest parts. The biggest challenge was to make this idea of co-working accepted among young Indian entrepreneurs.
He worked hard in choosing the bespoke interiors of SpaceJam and the results were captivating. The inner walls showcase a plethora of small plants and the roofs have a mesh of green vines. This imparts a very pleasant and calm vibe to the tenants. Attention to detail has been given to every single element be it the furniture or the bookshelves or the cool graffitis on the walls.
What beats the interiors and the decor is the presence of a congenial community of co-workers. They have enthusiasts from technology, finance, travel, AgroTech, Science and consulting. They have developed a miniature ecosystem that is pretty much self-sustainable and this again is a result of extremely selective membership by the management. It is not that revenue doesn’t matter to them but before bringing in a tenant they do a thorough screening if the new member will bring enough value to the existing community.
The community focus is what drives Spacejam to organize community events every other week. The events usually see some niche entrepreneurs having proven excellence in their domains as the panelists. The events are free to attend and the takeaways from the events are priceless for people. Spacejam indeed has incubated a lot of successful startups, here are a bunch of those.
— Clickpak
In spacejam, you will find yourself surrounded by people having the same kind of attitude and more than often people stop by and share stories with each other to promote collective learning. Their elevator pitch to you is — Spend the day here, ask their existing members about their feedback and if that isn’t enough they send a concierge with you to go and visit all other co-working spaces in the region. They are the best in range and they are committed to delivering the best service to you at all times.
With a market as competitive as India, it will be worthwhile to see how long do they remain the best. Nonetheless, the competition will only bring better choices to freelancers and startup aficionados and we here will have our eyes looking out for them.
