Durham co-working day announced for November

In response to popular demand we've managed to squeeze in another Co-working day for homeworkers in Durham before we batten down the hatches for the Winter break!

Come along to join us on TUESDAY 22ND NOVEMBER.

This will be a really great day.  We'll be hosted by Durham Office Services, a new business centre with a range of space for hire and rent, located on Belmont Business Park just off the A690 in Durham.

Join us for a change of scene from your home office for the day.  For only £20 + vat (members' price) you can connect with other home business owners in the Durham area, but get your work done at the same time (most of our past co-workers have said they get at least, if not more, work done at Colleagues on Tap than they do at home!).

We'll also spoil you with a lovely lunch and cupcakes, and you'll have the opportunity to join your co-workers for our usual SpoT chat after lunch when we'll be sharing experiences relating to a topical business issue (so far we've covered a whole range of areas of interest, from social media to DIY website development).


Find out more about co-working here, and if you'd like to book a place now CLICK HERE

Colleagues on Tap proves to be good for home-based business

Through transforming venues into a ‘pop-up office’ for the day, Colleagues on Tap provides home-workers with a ‘day at the office’ experience as an alternative to the home office, complete with workspace, wifi and, critically, colleagues on tap.

In total a programme of 13 Colleagues on Tap co-working days for homeworkers have taken place between June 2010 and July 2011, with a further 5 events planned for Autumn 2011.

We have now produced a report to evaluate the rationale behind Colleagues on Tap, and to set out the results of a survey of over 50 homeworkers who attended the events during the initial 12 month period, with a survey response rate of over 85%. 


Key highlights from the survey results are:

• Over half of the participants in Colleagues on Tap co-working days attended more than once (85% of males and 41% of females)
• All but one of the homeworkers who attended ran their own business
• Nearly 80% of co-workers reported that they'd managed to get as much work done as they usually do at home, and almost half said they'd actually improved on their usual productivity
• 93% of attendees at events said they had made new contacts while they worked
• 100% of those attending the 'SpoT chat' found it useful

For a copy of the full report get in touch and to check out our Autumn co-working calendar CLICK HERE

How many co-working spaces does the world need? (article)

"The traditional model of startups leasing their own office, buying their own copy-machines, hiring receptionists, office managers, cleaning services, etc., may best serve those companies which have validated their business models, closed a large funding round, and are flush with cash. For all others, we can expect the market to meet the demand for this new style of [co-]working, with a variety of options that appeal to all types of entrepreneurs ..."


Short article by Entrepreneur Corner that demonstrates the extent to which co-working has become embedded in the US, and that sets out the various types of co-working spaces that already exist - we've found examples of most in the UK too, although little in the North East it has to be said ... for now ... 


CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE 

Co-working's about the people as well as the place

The concept of Co-working is now pretty much entrenced in the US freelancing culture, with strong co-working communities having formed around places, events and, as importantly, people, and has proven its worth in providing camaraderie, mutual support and hard business benefits.  

Places

The UK has followed suit, with some great examples of established co-working spaces from Brigton to Edinburgh (and probably beyond), with many co-working communities having formed around the creative and digital sectors where the niche nature of much of the freelancing activity lends itself well to collaboration. 

People

It has been increasingly recognised, though, that successful co-working space is as much about the community as it is about the place (or 'hub').  So as well as the emergence of spaces that provide a structure that accommodates collaborative working, co-working has also been recognised as an opportunity to form a community or network beyond the space.  In fact to the extent that for example when a co-working space closed in the US quite recently the co-workers confirmed en masse that this would not impact upon their ability to co-work - they would literally just uproot and take their community somewhere else - even to the local cafe, as the bonds had already formed.

Creating the community

This said, the community needs a space in which to form, beyond virtual networking. As a hybrid of the US model, 'Jelly' co-working days were introduced into the South West a year or so ago to provide such opportunities, and last June Space on Tap introduced Colleagues on Tap into the North East, formerly virgin territory as far as co-working goes.  

Colleagues on Tap co-working days provide the opportunity for a group of people to form around a pop-up office which is created for the day.  With  now 7 (shortly to be 8!) co-working days firmly under our belts we have a proven formula that provides a plaform for freelancers and homeworkers to enjoy a day at the office surrounded by temporary colleagues, and through this new collaborations have formed.  A nucleus community already exists, with some co-workers having attended several events and forming bonds with likeminded co-workers which now extend beyond the events.  

WHAT'S YOUR PRIORITY WHEN CO-WORKING - THE PEOPLE OR THE PLACE - PLEASE VOTE IN OUR QUICK POLL