It’s worth clarifying a few of the common shared workspace terms that are often used interchangeably.
Coworking spaces are large common areas filled with desks and chairs where small business employees, freelancers, all types of consultants and gig workers can work.
Some people may differentiate this from shared office space, which would essentially be the same setup but with SMBs or startup teams renting sections of a coworking space floor instead of freelancers and gig workers leasing desks side-by-side one another.
In a lot of coworking environments these two things can be done interchangeably as needed based on each member’s needs.
Reasons a Business or Freelancer May Join a Coworking Community
- You want a more affordable commercial space without sacrificing legitimacy
- You don’t like the isolation of working from home and you want to be around a group of like-minded professionals
- It would benefit your career to network with relevant professionals near you
- You have distractions at home or benefit from a separate space to concentrate on work
- You’re interested in investing in educational opportunities to help you grow your business or build a better team
How Do You Become a Member at a Shared Workspace Like MAC6?
- Before joining any coworking space you should first browse through their website and find out about their amenities and features
- If you’re interested in a desk or a more private space for your business, consider scheduling a tour to see the environment for yourself
- Ask about the community’s character and the types of professional enrichment and networking opportunities the coworking community offers members
- Get a feel for the campus – consider features like security and parking and weigh those benefits against what you’d find at traditional commercial rental properties or working from home
- Fill out our space assessment form if you need a workspace for your team but aren’t sure how much room you require
- Contact the management team at the coworking community and become a member
Becoming a member in a coworking community requires business owner to overcome far fewer hurdles than they’d face when entering a traditional commercial lease. Commercial leases may require:
- Stringent credit checks many startups or entrepreneurs may have trouble passing
- An invasive assessment of the prospective renter’s assets
- Assurance you can cover out-of-pocket costs (tenant improvements)
- Analysis of your business’s health and the length of time you’ve been a going concern (which isn’t always long for SMBs and startups)
- Variable security deposits, which may go up based on your business’s perceived risk
There may even be potentially damaging small print in a commercial lease contract that could cause a lot of headaches for you and your business down the road.
Joining a coworking community is a lot easier since it’s a solution designed in part for freelancers, gig workers and other entrepreneurs who can’t afford or have no interest in jumping traditional lease hoops.
Why Coworking Spaces Appeal to Many Businesses in Tempe and Phoenix
When coworking communities first began coalescing they were most frequently associated with freelancers and gig workers, but their appeal has grown a lot in recent years. Businesses of varying size have begun utilizing coworking spaces for their flexibility and ease of use.
Corporations in sprawling metropolitan areas may hold coworking memberships for employees who want to shorten their daily commute and would prefer to work somewhere near home. Large nation-wide businesses sometimes use coworking spaces for remote workers or employees who may be visiting from out of state.
Small businesses of all types, especially startups and entrepreneurs, often utilize coworking spaces in their early days when their space needs are in flux and they don’t want to be bogged down with a long-term commercial lease that’s hard to break.
Startups can easily grow their team by adding more desks to their membership, which is a lot easier than getting out of a lease and finding a larger commercial space to rent.
Joining the MAC6 Community in Tempe
Flexibility is a key benefit enjoyed by professionals who join coworking communities. At MAC6 we make it easy for interested business owners and freelancers to become members.
If you have specific questions about our campus or facilities, we encourage you to visit our frequently asked questions page, or feel free to give us a call.
Small business owners or entrepreneurs who are unsure of how much space they may need can also utilize the Space Assessment form on our tools page for an estimate.
Becoming a member in a friendly growth-oriented coworking community is a great way to network, meet other professionals in Tempe and make connections with local organizations like the Tempe Chamber of Commerce.
The best way to determine whether MAC6 is the right coworking community for your business is to schedule a visit. We’d be happy to walk you through a tour of our campus and its many amenities.
Call us today at (602) 837-2664 to learn more.
