My first week at WeWork:
Day 1. Saved $4 on a coffee and $1 on water.
Day 2. I needed a laptop stand so I asked my Community Manager for recommendations of local stores. Who would have guessed that there's a startup one floor below that was selling them at discounted prices. When I arrived I was told the discount is 100% in hope for leaving an amazing (Amazon) review. Boom saved another $60.
Day 3. Bumped into an old friend who invited me out to lunch. $15 there. I don't have that many friends actually so don't count on this too much ;)
Day 4. "5.45pm - why is there so much noise? *pops head outside*. "Oh lord there's an event - 1200 people passing by for a HUB BOSTON. 3 hours later, got myself a perfectly shaped sandwich box, a LinkedIn headshot, a TJ Max voucher for saying hi to some cool people, and a kick-ass dinner!
Day 5. Business as usual and a whole lot of networking, mingling and introducing myself to strangers in the lobby or by the coffee machine.
Day 6. "Hey you were at the event couple ago right? Tell me more about your company. I think we need your help with marketing."
Day 7. "Excuse me, can you show me how to use the toaster?" *1 week later*. "That's sounds great, where do I sign?"
•••
That was my first 7 days. Work was so busy, I never got a chance to post this. Now it's day 100 - and boy do I have stories for you.
Moral of the story. Don't work from home. If not for the beauteously crafted sandwich box, I'm telling you the networking opportunity is fantastic. You're bound to either find clients for your business, inspiration for your next big idea, customers for your product or a cool event to attend. There's ALWAYS something happening at WeWork, I can't even count how many internal events I've attended... and it's been a great learning experience. I even took part in a TedX themed event once and got pulled on stage to speak. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone.
Truth be told, I used to think why should I spend $45 a month when I can work from home for free or at a local Starbucks for $4 a day (buying a coffee each time I take over a desk so I don't feel guilty). I simply got too comfortable and missed out on a lot of opportunities.
The best place you can be is in a place where you're surrounded by like-minded individuals. So, if you're an entrepreneur, freelancer, or working on a startup I highly recommend you to join a co-work space. Love. what. you. do. Okay sorry that's WeWork's tag line. I should be more original.
Just do it.
Saba