Coworking is a new type of office real estate. Coworking - what is it, in simple words

Do you know what coworking is and why you need it? In recent years, remote work has become more and more popular. Just imagine how great it is to make reports, edit texts or create advertising banners while sitting on a soft sofa at home. No need to get up at the ominous seven in the morning, stand in traffic jams or crowd into the subway, there is no need to sit in a stuffy office from ten in the morning until six in the evening.

And all you need for work is a laptop or computer and the Internet. Not a job, but a dream. However, in reality this is far from the case. In addition to the fact that you will not have sick days and vacations, you will also lose the working atmosphere. Most households on a subconscious level will not be able to perceive your unusual format of work.

Therefore, in such a relaxing environment, where you are constantly distracted by everything and everyone, labor productivity will be extremely low. But there are no unsolvable problems. If you want to work productively, but there is not enough money for your own office, then rent your own workplace in one of the coworking centers!

Coworking - what is it?

Translated from English, "co-working" literally means "working together." In simple terms, coworking is a community of free and independent people of various professions who come together in the same room to do a certain job.

Web designers, programmers, copywriters, freelancers, entrepreneurs, as well as employees of small companies who find it unprofitable to rent an entire office work side by side in one space. Thus, coworking is an innovation in the organization of work.

Coworking centers are equipped with everything necessary for the implementation of full-fledged work. As a rule, in addition to the working space, they also include a relaxation area, a kitchen or vending machines with food and drinks, a meeting room and their own library. So it turns out "office for rent", a place where you can rent both for the day and for the whole year.

A bit of history

In 2005, a young American programmer, Brad Newberg, started the first co-working space that brought together several like-minded freelancers under its roof. The idea was to create a workspace that sits between a regular office and home. As you can see, the idea turned out to be successful and brought world fame to the founder. Since then, coworking has become very popular, gradually spreading around the world, it finally reached Russia.

It should be noted that in our country this direction is developing much more slowly than abroad. The reasons for this lie in the complexity of design. It is also difficult to find a space that simultaneously meets several important parameters:

The place must be comfortable. It is desirable that it be the center of the city, since hardly anyone wants to go to a dubious sleeping area on the outskirts. In addition, it will be a big plus if the center is located within walking distance from public transport stops. Currently, loft spaces, which were once industrial premises, are often converted into coworking centers.
The layout of the room should be atypical. In no case do not copy the offices of companies, as your task is to create a unique creative place where people will not only work comfortably, but also just have fun.
Stable and fast Internet is a prerequisite, without which the center will not be able to function normally.

Despite the fact that the opening of a coworking space is accompanied by a lot of difficulties, this process is gradually gaining momentum in Russia as well. In 2008, the first co-working center Tower was opened in Yekaterinburg. Later, such workspaces began to appear in all major cities.

It is noteworthy that the state also approved this idea and is trying to promote it to the masses. So, as part of the development of this project, a special program “Coworking 2.0” was created, and simultaneously with these actions, Sberbank developed a program to support youth coworking spaces.

At the moment, two directions for the development of coworking are predicted: it either evolves towards office space, or acquires the status of a cultural center that unites creative people.

Types of coworking centers

A unified classification of such workspaces does not yet exist. However, they can be conditionally divided into the following groups:

The most common today are coworking spaces designed for office and industrial activities. However, these spaces differ in size, level of technical equipment and the provision of related services, so they are divided into:

Created by freelancers who come together to implement a joint project. They rent a small room, the fee for which is shared among all participants. The necessary equipment is brought from home.
A workplace organized by a specific entrepreneur. He takes care of all the costs of maintaining the premises, the client only has to pay for the stay in the office.
Centers designed by a particular company to organize the work of freelancers. All costs in this case are borne by the employer.
Creative co-working centers that unite people of art are becoming more and more popular.

2. One of the promising areas is the development of children's workspaces, combining both educational and leisure functions.

In addition to co-working, there are many more similar establishments of a social orientation, for example, they include time cafes and clubs, anti-cafes. And if in an ordinary cafe after a certain amount of time they will start to look at you askance, as you just sit in a laptop and take the place of a potential client, then in these new-type premises everything is created for work or communication of people with a variety of hobbies and preferences.

However, the main difference between co-working centers and the same anti-cafes is that they are primarily positioned as a specialized place of work, while anti-cafes are more intended for friendly gatherings.

Price list

Prices for coworking are formed taking into account many factors:

region;
location;
available equipment;
rental period: the longer it is, the cheaper the client costs one day of work in the center;
fixed or floating workstation.

Note that "dynamic seats" are the least expensive, which means that a person comes with a personal laptop and takes any free seat. The most expensive thing is renting meeting rooms or separate rooms for business meetings. But you must admit that it is much more presentable to meet with a future partner in a coworking space than at home.

Average prices for renting coworking spaces, for example in Moscow, range from 5 to 15 thousand rubles per month. Payment is made per month, week, day or hour. There is even a per-minute rental.

Pros and cons of coworking

Coworking, like any other innovation that penetrates everyday life, has a number of supporters and opponents. Let's consider what arguments "for" and "against" are presented by both sides.

Let's hope that after reading this article, your doubts about coworking centers will be dispelled, and you will be inspired by the desire to try this original approach to organizing work. However, many of you are probably worried about the question: “How and where to find a coworking center in your city?”.

The Internet will come to the rescue. Type the appropriate query in the search box, and if a similar space has already been organized in your city, then you can easily find it on the pages of the World Wide Web.

Of course, today coworking is not as common in our country as we would like, so do not be surprised if it is not yet in your city. But, on the other hand, maybe this is a good opportunity to open your own center?

Now, having got acquainted with the concept of coworking, you have a certain idea about this unusual place. Do you want to constantly develop in a creative and professional way, meet interesting people and discover something new for yourself day after day? Then coworking is what you need!

A free form of workspace, when a group of completely different people perform their work in a certain space, rooms or halls.

What is coworking in simple words?

All these people can work independently of each other, although they are in the same place, or vice versa, they can come together to discuss common project issues and tasks. Coworking only provides a comfortable and equipped space or space necessary for work. In most cases, coworking centers are visited by freelancers and startups, in other words, free and independent individuals.

Only in such a relaxed atmosphere can the full creative potential of a person be revealed.
It is worth noting that co-working centers were first formed in America in 2005, and in Russia they began to develop only in 2008 in Yekaterinburg. The first co-working center in Russia was called the Tower, but it only lasted a year. The following centers opened only a few years later, but already in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and their activities were enshrined at the level of legislation.

As a rule, coworking areas, equipped with everything you need from furniture to a coffee machine, are rented out for the required period and outwardly resemble an ordinary office with workplaces, meeting rooms and recreation areas.

Pros and cons of coworking

Coworking centers are not a permanent place of employment, but they allow, if necessary, to gain a planned income.

After all, a special atmosphere, a sense of freedom bring to work those factors that contribute to greater efficiency, unlike work in the office or at home. This is especially suitable for people with creative professions, designers, artists, poets and musicians, since no one distracts them with everyday issues and various trifles. But here you can also meet people in strict business suits who make appointments and perform important tasks in places that require an informal setting.

After all, in the process of working in coworking areas, it is possible to make new acquaintances, borrow ideas, discuss issues that you doubt, put your ideas for consideration by people from completely different professional fields in order to get an objective assessment.

It is worth noting that coworking areas are often rented by organizations for their employees. This allows all employees to be in a single information space and discuss work issues in a relaxed, free manner.

In addition, such joint work, first of all, is a team-building event, which should be attributed to one of the important components of a successful business. Companies that care about their employees and are interested in developing their personal qualities and skills often resort to such forms of workflow organization.

Of course, it is worth noting the disadvantages of the coworking system. One of these disadvantages is territorial accessibility. Since while coworking is not very common within walking distance, you need to spend time on transport to get to it.

At the same time, the lack of a fixed workplace creates a new environment for work every day, which will not always be familiar and comfortable. You need to be vigilant about your belongings, since coworking is mostly a public place, which distracts from the main activity.

But despite the above disadvantages, coworking areas are in demand.

Coworking as a business structure

The main condition for the development of coworking areas as a business area is the demand of customers for this type of service. For the successful development of a business, it is undoubtedly necessary to take into account the needs of customers, focus on their wishes, make changes to the conditions for the provision of services in the presence of claims and complaints, and analyze the services of competitors from this area.

Thanks to this, it is possible to create coworking areas with an ideal working atmosphere, which also provides for the presence of additional functions, such as lounges, meeting rooms, sports complexes, food areas and other vital conditions.

Each workplace corresponds to its price gradation, depending on its equipment and business platform model. When building a business, it is also worth considering socially-oriented services that provide affordable jobs for low-income segments of the population, such as pensioners and students.

For the opportunity to work in these zones, the client can pay both 1,500 and 25,000 rubles, taking into account tariffs for additional services. Legal and accounting assistance and even a personal assistant can also be provided. Everything depends on the wishes of the client.

Coworking starts with planning

Any organizational project activity begins with business planning, and the creation of coworking zones is no exception.

It is important to take into account the main aspects of this activity so that the business brings not only income, but also becomes a kind of hobby.

One of the decisive roles is the choice of premises. It should be located in a crowded area, not far from the transport hub, have a convenient layout, business style and meet the requirements of customers as much as possible.

To do this, at the initial stage it is possible to rent a room for the provision of coworking services. It is important to consider that the premises must be relatively new and with high-quality repairs. It is also worth paying attention to the colors of the walls. The tone of the room should be neutral and not distract from the main activities of customers.

An important role is played by the equipment of space. Tables, chairs, clothes hangers, cabinets with locks, chargers, partitions. A significant part of the money will be spent only on the initial arrangement of space. As additional functions, it is possible to organize recreation areas, meeting rooms, dining rooms, a gym.

The purchase of stationery, paper and office supplies are also included in the expense item.
Pay particular attention to fixed costs such as rent, electricity, telephone, public mobile phone, cleaning services, and employee salaries.

Competent planning of expenses and income will allow you to create coworking zones of both budgetary and prestigious types, depending on your wishes.

Possible profit

Undoubtedly, profit depends on many indicators, including the economic situation in the country, but by correctly calculating all expenses and income, you can achieve the desired result. Of course, this takes a lot of effort. But this investment will undoubtedly be returned in the near future.

Of course, it is possible to make a big profit by attracting organizations and enterprises by organizing places for their employees in coworking areas. This will increase the volume of services provided and profit accordingly.

It is worth noting that it is quite difficult for one person to organize a coworking center. This requires the efforts of a whole team, including an administrator, sales manager, development manager, designer, marketer, demand researcher and competitive environment analyst. As a rule, it is 5-8 people.

It is also desirable to have personal friends who will help you promote your new business at no charge. It is also possible to attract volunteers.

The profit reference point will begin approximately after six months of doing business. Therefore, it is necessary to secure in advance the reserved funds for paying the first expenses, including the payment of wages.

Franchise Coworking

For those who are planning to start developing a service business in coworking areas for the first time and are afraid of possible failures, you can purchase a franchise from official German companies.
This service is now developing dynamically, and the proposed concept and a well-developed development plan will create all the conditions for the development and profitability of your undertaking.

Features and conditions of work on a franchise

The main feature of franchising is the implementation of most of the organizational issues at the expense of the company:

providing a working space with the presence of office furniture, office equipment with installed automated systems necessary for work, communications;
provision of stationery, paper supplies and other office material;
provision of services of an assistant or assistant;
providing an organized storage area, a box with a locking device in which it is possible to store personal items, including outside the working day;
organization of Halls for conferences, meetings, seminars, master classes, meeting rooms;
providing space to foreign organizations that do not have an official representation in the city;
organization of public places, kitchen service, lounges and rooms for conversations that are not related to work issues, a personal plan;
organization of showers, dry cleaning, a gym, vending machines with drinks and food, play areas and much more;
organization of a children's room with the presence of animators and security, to organize an uninterrupted workflow;
organization of legal and legal services, including lawyers, lawyers, accountants, tax agents and specialists in other financial professions;
organization of marketing support, including coverage of the coworking area in the media as a well-known brand.

At the same time, partner companies can offer franchise packages in various modifications, both initial and complete. The range of services provided and, accordingly, the cost depends on this.

The experience and knowledge of franchise companies will help novice entrepreneurs to get comfortable in the coworking services market and develop their business under reliable protection.

In contact with

The benefits of freelancing can hardly be overestimated: being at home, people work more productively, better distribute the workload and generate new interesting ideas more often. However, these factors appear only if the employee has responsibility and interest in the result: not everyone is able to work hard in the absence of control and motivation. To solve this problem, a freelancer needs to immerse themselves in a comfortable work environment - for example, visit a co-working space.

Coworking - what is it: in simple words, the meaning of this concept can be revealed by imagining a large room equipped with comfortable furniture and modern appliances, in which anyone can rent a place to work, hold meetings with clients or display other types of business activity. Moreover, co-working spaces, which appeared initially to reduce the cost of renting offices, today have become centers of attraction for freelancers who are interested in combining productive work with interesting communication, the exchange of original ideas and the establishment of new useful contacts.

Characteristic features of coworking

It is extremely difficult for a person to work from home without strict self-discipline: he is constantly distracted by household chores, a working TV, entertainment sites, children playing, or noisy neighbors. However, the impossibility of creating suitable working conditions in your own apartment is not at all a reason to refuse freelancing: practice shows that co-working spaces are completely devoid of such shortcomings, while maintaining the main advantages of working at home.

What is coworking: the meaning of this term implies both a way to organize joint work in a common room, and the center itself - a collective office for remote workers and freelancers. A characteristic feature of coworking is the lack of direct connections between its visitors: they can be employees of different companies, self-employed citizens, and even start-up entrepreneurs who do not have the means to rent their own premises.

Why do freelancers prefer to do business among their own kind? This desire is fully explained by the human need for social contacts. Someone does not tolerate home loneliness and lack of communication, others gain motivation only at the sight of actively working colleagues, others try to make business contacts, find customers or get new ideas. Thus, a small community is created in coworking, whose members help each other, exchange experience and knowledge, provide or receive advice.

Which specialists most often choose such conditions:

Programmers and web developers;
Software and website testers;
Graphic and interior designers, artists;
Marketers, advertising specialists;
SEO optimizers, SMM and SMO managers;
Content managers, moderators, administrators;
Webmasters, typesetters;
Copywriters, writers, journalists, translators;
students;
Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Startup Creators.

In the largest cities of Russia, the number of co-working spaces is already measured in dozens, while in ordinary regional centers and medium-sized settlements this market is almost free. Meanwhile, this business is quite promising, since the level of initial investment looks loyal for a novice entrepreneur, and the payback period for coworking due to high consumer demand does not exceed 12-18 months.

Advantages and disadvantages of coworking

When examining the reasons why freelancers prefer to work in a coworking space at home or in an office setting, several key factors, not only economic, but also psychological, should be mentioned:

Renting a space in a coworking space is cheaper than repairing and maintaining a full-fledged office, especially in the case of small rooms, the cost of which per square meter is one and a half times higher compared to large rooms;
Office space owners usually insist on a long lease term, while in a coworking space you can book a place even for one day;
In coworking, everyone is busy with their own business, so no one will distract the freelancer in the process of work;
Here you can establish many useful and interesting contacts with other specialists, find clients and even business partners among them;
Coworking spaces regularly host informative lectures, seminars, master classes and other events that improve the skills of entrepreneurs;
In the centers there is not the slightest hint of office formality, such as dress code, corporate rules, boring environment and uncomfortable furniture;
At home, it is impossible to recreate the same positive energy-charged work environment, so a person’s performance in coworking increases;
Cleaning, putting things in order, maintenance of equipment in the centers is carried out by support staff, the cost of whose services is included in the tariff;
The workplace is equipped with all necessary office equipment, including presentation equipment, telephone channels and the Internet.

On the other hand, the joint organization of work cannot be considered an ideal solution for free workers, since this format also has some disadvantages:

Many freelancers and aspiring entrepreneurs do not allow themselves to rent space in a coworking space, preferring to save money;
The inevitable noise and a large number of bystanders can be distracting for those used to working in a more relaxed environment;
It is impossible to guarantee the decency of all people - someone will probably want to steal someone else's thing, peep an idea or copy the customer base.

What are coworking spaces?

The concept of "coworking" implies, first of all, joint work, so visitors come here solely for the sake of work, only allowing themselves to chat with colleagues and drink a cup of coffee during breaks. Depending on what exactly freelancers do here, you can classify the centers as:

Industrial coworking. Such establishments are intended for people who earn by intellectual activity - copywriters, programmers, webmasters, freelancers, employees with remote employment. The owners of the centers create the most comfortable conditions for them - they equip workplaces, areas for negotiations and meals, rest rooms;
Creative coworking spaces. This format can be called a creative club - artists, writers, musicians, poets and other representatives of similar professions gather here, author's evenings and exhibitions are held. Although the centers are intended primarily for communication of people with similar interests, those who like to work in solitude can also find a free corner;
Craft coworking spaces. Designed mainly for people who like to work with their hands, but do not have the opportunity to equip a workshop at home. The centers are divided by theme and equipped with all the necessary equipment: co-working spaces for carpenters, furniture makers and seamstresses are especially popular. This format allows masters to actively exchange experience and secrets, conduct master classes, and entrepreneurs to receive additional income from the sale of raw materials, tools and materials to customers;
Coworking spaces for kids. They are an intermediate option between kindergartens and creative centers for kids. Here you can find playrooms, workshops with tools for children and teenagers, rooms for dancing and active games. Qualified teachers conduct entertaining and educational activities, master classes, and experiment with young visitors. Sometimes co-working spaces have separate rooms for parents who want to entrust the baby to caregivers in order to work on their own.

We should also mention some unusual formats of the centers that appeared as a result of the attempts of entrepreneurs to create a unique concept of the institution:

Street coworking. In countries with a mild climate, freelancers practice working in open co-working spaces, using parks and squares for this purpose;
Coworking spaces for night owls. In the Philippines, they created a coworking space for those who like to work at night. The institution opens at 3 pm and closes only in the morning;
Men's coworking spaces. Men often complain that any attractive woman completely deprives them of the opportunity to focus on work. Therefore, Australian entrepreneurs have limited access to the fair sex in their center;
Women's coworking spaces. American businessmen came to the opposite decision, opening a coworking space exclusively for women.

What services do coworking spaces provide?

Before you organize a coworking center, you need to carefully consider the list of services it provides. This is especially important in large cities where dozens of similar enterprises already operate: only by offering some interesting and unusual services in addition to the basic package, a new establishment will be able to acquire its own client base.

In addition, an entrepreneur will need the help of a lawyer to draw up accompanying documents: the coworking service model implies a full-fledged sublease of the workplace, which radically distinguishes this type of business from anti-cafes or other leisure centers. Therefore, it is necessary to conclude an agreement with each visitor, containing not only a list of rights and obligations, but also the details of the parties.

Below is a typical list of coworking services, which is considered a standard minimum among entrepreneurs in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and other large Russian cities:

Jobs for rent. The main activity of coworking spaces is providing jobs for freelancers. Entrepreneurs practice a fairly flexible system - you can rent a place for a day, a week or a month, book a specific table or take any free chair, use your laptop or center computer. Most often, the monthly fee includes water and drinks, consumables, paper and stationery;
Renting space for events. Coworking spaces can be partially or completely rented out for corporate events - trainings, seminars, meetings. Such a service is especially in demand in large cities, where it is not so easy to find a cheap site;
Conducting workshops and lectures. Often the owners of coworking spaces conduct various training courses or master classes on their own, or invite relevant specialists for these purposes. You can open several trial courses on different topics in order to choose the most popular ones later;
Provision of additional services. Entrepreneurs are trying to make extra profit by combining their co-working spaces with cafes, gyms and even hostels. Some of these decisions are controversial, but everyone agrees that two or three vending machines with snacks in the establishment will not be superfluous.

In addition to food, the list of services of a coworking center often includes:

Personal lockers with keys for storing things in the coworking space;
Dedicated places for rest, meals, telephone conversations;
Active zones with tennis tables, fitness equipment;
Shower cabins;
Presentation equipment - magnetic boards, projectors, TV;
Unlimited Internet access;
Consultations of specialists in jurisprudence and accounting;
Personal page on the coworking site;
Virtual office and secretarial services.

How to choose a coworking space

Choosing a space for coworking is much more difficult than finding a place for a shop or a hairdresser: in the search process, an entrepreneur has to take into account many different, sometimes even contradictory parameters:

First of all, you need to pay attention to places with good accessibility - for example, in the center, near public transport stops or near the metro;
Renting a space in shopping or business centers is not recommended, as many coworking spaces eventually switch to a 24-hour work schedule. It is best to use a separate building or extension;
In addition, it is important to make sure that there is a parking lot or a parking lot with sufficient capacity nearby. It is advisable to have a margin for the number of places, since many freelancers acquire their own transport over time;
Finally, the view from the window matters. Visitors to co-working spaces prefer to be inspired by the view of a park or a pond, rather than be discouraged by a wasteland or an industrial landscape outside the windows. At the same time, the room itself should be bright, with high ceilings and large windows.

Before organizing a coworking space, you should think over the interior design, choose original artistic solutions and noteworthy decorative elements. This need is connected with the desire of many freelancers to show off their workplace to colleagues and publish photos on social networks, thereby making free advertising for the institution.

In order for renting space in a coworking space to be profitable, you need to place at least 40–50 people in it. Given the norm of 4–5 m² per person, an entrepreneur must select a hall with an area of 220–250 m² and above. When equipping workplaces, one should remember the various preferences of freelancers and use not only standard office tables with chairs, but also sofas with coffee tables, and even bean bags.

The coworking space itself must be divided into several zones:

Work area where visitors will work;
Recreation area with large soft sofas and TV;
One or two meeting rooms with demonstration equipment;
Eating area with kitchen equipment and tables;
Bathroom (if possible, it is desirable to install a shower cubicle);
Sometimes entrepreneurs equip a separate conference room.

How to set up a coworking space?

In the process of developing a business plan for a coworking center, you can see that the main expenses of the enterprise are related to the purchase of furniture and office equipment. It is impossible to save on these positions, since their quality directly affects the comfort and convenience of work that are important for visitors. However, when opening a center for 50 seats, it is not at all necessary to buy 50 computers - many freelancers prefer to use their own laptops. The creator of coworking only needs to provide good Wi-Fi coverage in all corners of the room and connect a fast, uninterrupted Internet access channel. In general, to equip the center you will need:

Equipment for a coworking space for 50 people

Name	price, rub.	Quantity, pcs.	Amount, rub.
office equipment
Laptop for staff	18000	2	36000
Client PC with monitor	18000	20	360000
MFP	9000	2	18000
network router	2000	2	4000
Wireless router	1500	4	6000
Telephone set	1200	5	6000
TV	25000	2	50000
Screen projector	25000	1	25000
Cash machine	12000	1	12000
POS terminal	7000	1	7000
PBX	15000	1	15000
Work area furniture
Large office table	3000	10	30000
Work chair	1500	50	75000
Small sofa	8000	12	96000
coffee table	2000	6	12000
Hanger	3000	5	15000
Locker for things	10000	4	40000
Meeting room furniture
Large office table	3000	2	6000
Work chair	1500	20	30000
Magnetic board	5500	2	11000
Leisure and kitchen furniture
Table	1500	4	6000
Chair	800	12	9600
Kitchen set	15000	1	15000
Bag chair	1500	10	15000
Sofa large	20000	4	80000
coffee table	2000	4	8000
Security systems
Video surveillance system	20000	1	20000
Security and fire alarm	28000	1	28000
Kitchen equipment
Electric kettle	1000	1	1000
coffee machine	75000	1	75000
Microwave	3000	1	3000
Fridge	12000	1	12000
cooler	3000	1	3000
Other equipment
Accounting software	25000	1	25000
Lamp	1000	25	25000
Stationery	–	–	5000
cleaning tool	–	–	5000
Bathroom equipment	15000	1	15000
Sockets and switches	200	50	10000
Total:			1214600

Coworking staff

An entrepreneur should not be afraid of high labor costs, since it is possible to open a coworking center with a minimum number of employees. Strictly speaking, one administrator is enough to perform daily tasks. His list of responsibilities will include:

Ensuring order and compliance with internal rules;
Notifying visitors about ongoing promotions and events;
Ensuring the operability of coworking equipment;
Consumable inventory management;
Acceptance of payments for additional services, sale of subscriptions.

Since the recommended working day in the center is 15-16 hours (many co-working spaces are open around the clock), the entrepreneur needs to hire at least two administrators working in shifts. Also, to solve secondary problems, you will need a computer technician who repairs and maintains office equipment, and a marketing specialist whose list of duties will include advertising management and attracting new customers. Considering that the document flow of co-working spaces usually does not exceed reasonable limits, accounting services can be outsourced:

Coworking schedule

Job title	Rate, rub.	Qty	Amount, rub.
Administrator	25000	2	50000
Office equipment repairman	25000	1	25000
Marketing Specialist	25000	1	25000
Cleaning woman	15000	1	15000
Insurance premiums	–	–	34500
Accounting service	–	–	10000
Total:			159500

How to attract visitors?

As a business, coworking especially needs advertising: this format of the workspace has appeared especially recently, and therefore the marketer has to not only promote the center, but also explain to the representatives of the target audience the advantages of this way of doing business. Since it is quite expensive to use the entire set of tools proposed below for a long time, it is necessary to constantly analyze the effectiveness of certain advertising channels in order to choose the most effective of them:

Promotion of your own website, publication of information materials and reports on past events on it;
Maintaining communities in social networks, inviting new members to them;
Publication of advertisements on local and thematic forums;
Distribution of leaflets at exhibitions, conferences, seminars;
Promoting courses and other learning events;
Publication of master classes, photo reports, videos on the relevant sites;
Publication of advertisements and feature articles in local media.

How much does it cost to open a coworking space?

One of the most important sections of the business plan for a coworking center with calculations is the calculation of the economic efficiency of the project. First of all, it is necessary to determine the start-up costs associated with the design and renovation of the premises, the purchase of furniture and equipment, while not forgetting about such important items as website development and the creation of the necessary stock of consumables. This should also include the rent that the entrepreneur will pay during the repair of the premises:

Initial Costs

Article	Amount, rub.
IP registration	800
Registration of permits	5000
Opening a current account	2500
Rent for the first month	75000
Premises renovation	375000
Design project	125000
Signboard and plate with a schedule of work	20000
Launch advertising campaign	50000
Coworking equipment	1214600
Connection of communication lines	5000
Purchase of consumables	40000
Total:	1912900

The current costs of a coworking space depend on its area, the number of employees and attendance. Obviously, an increase in the flow of customers will lead to an increase in the cost of paying utility bills and buying free coffee, drinks, printer paper and stationery for visitors:

Monthly expenses

Income and profitability

The pricing policy of establishments of this type is determined by the location, the popularity of the center, the purchasing power of the target audience and the list of additional services. On average in Russia, the price of coworking space per hour ranges from 60–120 rubles, however, when purchasing a subscription, the user is offered a corresponding discount. For example:

One working day - from 300 to 800 rubles;
Monthly subscription - from 8000 to 16000 rubles;
Rent a meeting room - from 1000 to 4000 rubles for the first hour, from 800 to 3000 rubles for the next.

According to statistics, the daily attendance of co-working spaces is at the level of 65–80%. Thus, it is possible to calculate the income of an institution for 50 seats, where 50% of visitors buy a monthly subscription:

Coworking monthly income

Service	Tariff, rub.	Qty	Profit, rub.
Workplace rent daily	400	20 x 30 days	240000
Monthly subscription	10000	20	200000
Meeting room rental per hour	1000	40 hours	40000
Hosting an event	10000	4	40000
Total:			520000

As a business, coworking is characterized by extremely high profitability: the break-even point is reached with only 50% attendance. Thanks to a well-thought-out marketing policy, an entrepreneur will be able to significantly exceed this threshold and get a good profit from the business:

Profit and profitability

Conclusion

Given the increase in the number of people who prefer freelancing or remote work to an office setting, it can be assumed that the popularity of coworking as a business and as a way of organizing workspace will only grow. Of course, this type of activity is not without some drawbacks - for example, due to the relatively recent formation of this niche, an entrepreneur cannot yet use ready-made effective solutions or buy a franchise: in the absence of collective experience, he has to independently look for the right ways to optimize business processes and develop service technologies.

However, technically, opening a coworking space is quite simple. It is enough just to choose a suitable room, buy comfortable furniture and carefully consider the list of services. Further success depends entirely on the businessman: by constantly monitoring his clients, studying their needs and adjusting the work of the center in accordance with those, he can create a truly popular and sought-after institution.

20 voted. Grade: 4,95 out of 5)

So, it's decided. You leave the office for free bread and become a freelancer. Imagination draws rainbow pictures: here you wake up early in the morning, slowly brew coffee, prepare a light breakfast and sit down to work. Nothing and no one distracts. Negotiations with customers and colleagues via e-mail or instant messengers. No sudden deadlines, hysterical bosses. After lunch, walk and back to work. In the evening time for family and friends.

And now we will tell you what will actually happen. A family wakes up with you in the morning, and in its absence, neighbors from above or builders from a neighboring apartment. Noise, din and any other factors distracting from work begin. Morning coffee gets cold while you help feed and dress your baby. Afternoon walk is covered with a copper basin due to the fact that you were distracted all the time. And the evenings are becoming from "family" purely "working".

You have two ways to solve this problem:

Organize your work at home so that nothing can distract you. Arrangement of a personal office, sound-absorbing headphones, education of relatives and neighbors.
Is it possible?
- Certainly
- It's complicated?
- Incredible.
Find a job outside the home. The first freelancers huddled in coffee shops, rented offices in business centers, but now it is much more convenient to use the services of co-working spaces. Now they are opening in all major cities.

Coworking spaces are spaces created just to make you feel comfortable working in them. This is not an office, the main purpose of which is to provide you with a workplace. The creators of such spaces strive to make their sites as convenient as possible for a person who runs his own business. For singles there are tables and chairs, for teams there are rooms with boards and everything you need. For presentations and training, you can take a meeting room or a conference room. In our experience, productivity in a coworking space is one and a half to two times higher than in a home or even an office.

War is war, and lunch is on schedule. In offices, everyone often eats at their workplaces or raids nearby cafes. This is inconvenient and wastes your time. Almost every co-working space has a great kitchen where you can warm up or even prepare meals, as well as enjoy complimentary tea, coffee and cookies.

For fans of full immersion in work with short-term shutdowns for sleep in co-working spaces, capsule hotels are arranged. There is no need to explain what it is, just look at the photo.

In general, you can even live in coworking spaces. Many novice freelancers treat their new place of work in this way, thereby risking running into negativity from colleagues. In coworking spaces, there are certain rules that it is highly desirable to follow:

1. Be quiet

Your very important call, which can dramatically change your life and bring a huge income, is completely unimportant to others. This is not an office where colleagues will listen with bated breath to your negotiations. And people with headphones around you probably don't listen to Heavy Metal at maximum volume.

So, if you have an important conversation, then go out somewhere or take a meeting room. Respect your colleagues and they will respect you.

2. Do not take up the meeting room more than the scheduled time

If you need a meeting room and you understand that a meeting or Skype call goes beyond the originally scheduled time, then try to reschedule the conversation. You are almost certainly already occupied by other people who have arranged a meeting with a client.

3. The main thing is cleanliness

In coworking spaces, as in a hostel, you need to clean up after yourself everywhere and always. It is unacceptable to leave any garbage for later. We talked with the client, gave him coffee, signed the contract, saw him off ... Then come back and clean up after yourself. Dinner - wash your dishes. And never store dirty lunch boxes in bags.

4. Look after your appearance

Of course, no one requires you to wear a suit, but you should also refuse beach shorts and slippers. Coworking spaces are democratic, but still you should not test the patience of colleagues.

5. Communicate but don't distract

One of the main advantages of coworking spaces for freelancers is the ability to connect with colleagues. Show them your achievements, receive objective criticism, learn new things, improve. But at the same time, it is worth remembering that the person you want to contact at the moment may be busy with his own project. Quite often, an indicator that a colleague should not be distracted now is wearing headphones.

The market did not immediately come to ideal coworking spaces, as well as to the rules of conduct in them. The first spaces were opened in former factories or on the model of classic office Open Spaces. As a result, something was always missing. There is little space, few meeting rooms, problems with shops and restaurants. In the end, some co-working spaces were difficult to get to, and finding a parking space in Moscow is not an entirely trivial task.

Coworking 14: we ate more than one dog

"Coworking 14" is a combination of our own experience and the experience of colleagues. We studied coworking projects all over Russia and implemented everything that a freelancer or a small team might need in ours. Our space is currently the largest in Moscow, the entire 14th floor of the AeroCity business center, which can accommodate 300 people. The location is very good, as far from all our clients and their guests have easy access to the center of Moscow, where other co-working spaces are located. There are no problems with parking and traffic jams.

"Coworking 14" is not only tables and chairs in a huge room. We managed to implement all types of spaces for work and leisure: open space, mini-offices, meeting rooms, conference hall, sleepbox and shower cabins. We took into account that very often our clients do not have time to run to the grocery store, and therefore there is a mini market on the territory of the coworking.

Of course, the main coworking area is designed for freelancers sitting in a common space. But we took into account that very often they gather in teams in areas or just by acquaintance. For their convenience, we made "island zoning" with the help of rounded podiums. Moreover, they are located not in the depths of the building, but near large windows.

We also took into account that many freelancers strive to play sports, but often do not have time for this. Therefore, we have a zone with simulators. Any of our clients can use them. Agree, it is not only convenient, but also economical. No need to pay for a gym membership, the cost of which is equivalent to our standard offer.

In addition, our partner, hosting provider RUVDS, provides all coworking residents with big discounts on modern cloud infrastructure. Considering that developers are now very often engaged in freelancing, such opportunities will be very useful for the development of their startups.

At the same time, let's talk about the cost of our services. Now 3 main tariffs S/M/L (600 rubles/day and from 12 to 15 thousand rubles a month) have been formed, which give our residents the opportunity to use all the necessary set of services for the successful organization of their business. Such prices are much more profitable than renting offices in business centers.

From our clients, we always expect not only compliance with the rules of conduct in coworking, but also feedback. What should be removed, what should be changed, what should be added? From readers, we also want to hear advice and objective criticism. We promise that we will listen to everything and make our Coworking 14 ideal for work.

New terms are constantly appearing in the business sphere, and you need to be able to operate them correctly. By the way, most newfangled words mean fairly simple concepts that can be easily explained in simpler language. The same goes for coworking. What is it and how to use this phenomenon in business?

Definition in clear words

Coworking is nothing more than "working together". This is how this term is translated from English. If we talk about the use of this term in the business environment, then we are talking about providing office space where everyone can work. You can do anything, but in most cases it means working at a computer. Alas, work on a lathe or a rock band will have to rehearse in another place.

Coworking is needed for those who do not have the opportunity to work at home or in the office. Initially, these centers were akin to . But then the two services separated, and there were areas for business people.

Simply put, this is an office without a boss, where people work, hold master classes, and meet like-minded people. For being in such a center, you must pay a certain fee.

In this regard, such a business idea looks quite interesting. No specific knowledge or skills are required. All that is needed is to rent an office and advertise.

Pros and cons of coworking

First about the pros:

Saving money. This is the main plus. There is no need to rent an expensive office space, pay for utilities, security, cleaning, buy a computer and other office equipment. The owner of the coworking center has already paid for all this. The client remains to make a one-time payment or buy a monthly subscription.
Saving time. The client does not have to spend time organizing the workspace. Everything has already been done for him. Administrative issues are decided by the owner of the office.
Self-development. Seminars, trainings, master classes are regularly held in coworking centers, in which everyone can take part.
Convenient schedule. The client himself determines for what period of time he will pay. Vacation, business trip, illness - all these are good reasons that allow you not to pay for the location in the center. If you rent your own office, then in any case, the monthly payment will be charged in full.
Useful acquaintances. Coworking centers are visited by your like-minded people. And it is very useful for business and development. You can always get the right connections.

Now for the cons:

Staying at home is cheaper. If it is possible to work outside the office, then why not do it at home? Indeed, in this case, you do not need to pay at all.
Noisy neighbors". It is important for one to work in complete silence, while the other likes to work to the music. It can get in the way. Therefore, this option is not very suitable for those who need to focus entirely on the process in complete silence.

Coworking centers are just a godsend for freelancers

How to open a coworking center? Step-by-step instruction

To implement such a business idea at first glance is not difficult. All that is needed is to rent a room of the required area, purchase the necessary office furniture and office equipment, and advertise.

But in practice, certain difficulties arise, otherwise almost everyone could implement such a project. How to plan everything so that this business brings a good profit?

Niche relevance

First, you should determine how much such a service will be in demand in your city. To do this, it is necessary to analyze how many people in the following professions live in the settlement:

Journalists (copywriters)
Programmers
Designers
translators.

Among them may be freelancers or aspiring businessmen. Having studied the target audience, you can roughly predict the demand for this center.

Practice shows that coworking is most relevant in megacities. In small towns, people are quite skeptical about this kind of service.

room

To open the center, you need a room of a sufficiently large area. It should be located in an office or just a separate building provided for this kind of occupation. The space should be divided into zones: workers, rest rooms, toilets, meeting rooms, presentations. On the basis of the coworking center, you can open a small cafe.

Location

It is definitely best to place such an office in the city center. This will allow convenient access to all customers without exception. In addition, such an arrangement increases the prestige of the institution itself.

Worried about high rents? Throw in the difference in the cost of services. Many clients are repelled by the location of offices almost outside the city, so most will be willing to pay a little extra, but visit a coworking center in a prestigious area.

You will need a complete set of office furniture and equipment

Equipment

Considering that we are talking about a standard office, you will need all the equipment necessary for fruitful work:

Office tables, chairs
Lockers, hangers
Racks, shelves
Computers, laptops
Printers, scanners

A telephone network and the Internet are required.

Staff

First of all, you need an administrator. He will keep order, accept payment, inform visitors about the end of the paid time, monitor the serviceability of equipment and the availability of consumables (paper, stationery, coffee). You will also need a cleaner.

Promotion of the coworking center

Website and groups in social networks
Distribution of flyers at various seminars, exhibitions, presentations
Announcements on web portals and in paper catalogs.

To increase the number of visitors, hold promotions, give discounts to those who have brought a friend to your center, organize raffles, and create a comfortable working atmosphere. Free tea and coffee is a nice addition.

Calculate income and expenses

For example, let's take the opening of a coworking center with an area of 150 sq.m. in the metropolis. The initial costs will be about 1.5 million rubles. This amount will include rent of premises, repairs, purchase of furniture, equipment, installation of video surveillance, advertising.

You will also need to bear monthly expenses, the amount of which is approximately equal to 200 thousand rubles. In this case, it means payment of rent, utility bills, wages to the administrator, cleaner, purchase of consumables, advertising.

If about 20 people visit the center per day, then the monthly net profit will be 130-140 thousand rubles.

Do you think the coworking center will take root in your city? Leave your comments below!