Where Should Freelancers Work From? Cafe, Home, Office or Coworking Space?

Reproduced from Grow With Refrens blog.

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One the many freedoms that freelancing brings is the choice of work place. Because you do not have a fixed team, you don’t need to have a fixed office place. Freelancers still struggle with finding the right place to work. We will look at the options for freelancers and the best place to work.

Objective Of A Good Working Place for Freelancers:

1. Increase Productivity — This is the key output of a good working place. If you can’t focus due to any factor, the work place isn’t worth.
2. Increase Network For Leads — A freelancer needs to meet new people to increase their network. Leads will always come from people you have known for sometime so it is good to know as many people as possible.
3. Increase network for collaboration — You need to meet people in your industry’s value chain who you can sub-contract some of your work or get work from them as sub-contracts.
4. Keep Costs Low — We have to make sure it doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. AC, Internet, Pantry etc. can be costly.

Various Locations and It’s Comparative Effect On Your Objectives as a Freelancer

1.Home

The biggest problem of working from home is not meeting new people. Irrespective of how introvert you are, you must meet new people to grow your freelance business. Meeting on the internet is not enough. In person meetings build a very strong relation where people can send more work your way. Also, depending on the number of people at your home, it may not be a productive place to work. All the distraction of household chores and being accessible can be bad.

2. Own Office

Own office is great for your productivity but it comes at a high cost. Also, to grow your business, it is as bad as staying at home because you are not making new relations. At times, even the productivity takes a toll with issues like power cut, internet break down or housekeeping chores, all of which is common in a lot of cities.

3. Coworking Space

This is the most suitable place for a freelancer. Your productivity may be hit a little if you get distracted easily, but after couple of weeks you will learn to focus. Or use a headphone if you are distracted by sound. Worst case, take a private cabin inside a coworking space.

The most beneficial thing about working from a co-working space is that you get to meet new people from all kinds of professions. You will not only meet freelancers but also people from other small teams. Meeting people regularly will help you build relations, that will bring you more leads. You will also find a lot of people to collaborate and deliver your work faster or expand your scope of work.

If the churn in your coworking space is low then keep changing your co-working space every few months. You always need to make sure that your network is growing. Meeting new people who are themselves freelancers is also important for your emotional support.

4.Client’s Office

When you are working on regular project with a client, it would be good to work from their location. It increases the productivity for that project, specially in initial days. Your costs will also be low. If you try, you will make good relations with the employees at client’s place, which might help you grow. Depending on your profession, these employee may not always bring you leads but might collaborate with you in their free time.

5.Cafe

Cafe for work is like a co-working space on steroids. High cost, high distraction, lots of people but shallow relations that rarely last. Since you are not seeing the same people regularly, it is difficult to make trustable relations at a cafe. At a coworking space you can definitely open a conversation with others at water cooler, pantry, break out area etc. but at a cafe it will be difficult. The distraction is generally higher as there is lots of movement. You will always want to checkout that new person who just walked in. It’s a great place to find stories, not great to write one.

The best choice would be a coworking space and occasional meetings outside at a cafe or client’s location.

Tell a freelancer or service agency about our dead simple invoicing tool. They will forever be thankful to you.