Good morning!
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how better office coffee is good for your company culture. But what about all the freelancers, remote workers and laptop ninjas working outside of the company framework? This week, I thought I’d write a column for all of those working nomads, many of whom rely on co-working spaces to reap the benefits of community and office coffee.
I’ve really enjoyed writing this week’s column. In itself, it’s become a micro-example of just why coffee is so vital to the success of co-working spaces. Getting the chance to go out a talk to co-workers about the part coffee plays in their co-working space was a buzz, and a great exercise in ideas sharing!
Co-Working Space – Membership-based workspace where diverse groups of freelancers, remote workers, and other independent professionals work together in a shared, communal setting.
Working from home can be a lonely existence. There’s only so much time you can spend in your local coffee shop, after all! Freelancers, online entrepreneurs and remote workers crave the kind of social interaction that comes from an office environment, and have been flocking to co-working spaces in their droves over the past few years.
There’s more to it than the chance to chat and procrastinate, though! Co-working spaces are a melting pot of different skill sets, backgrounds and experiences. They offer a wealth of networking opportunities, as well as the chance to share knowledge and bounce ideas off an objective soundboard of creative types. The co-working revolution has well and truly taken hold – it even has its own manifesto!
Innovation breeds innovation, and co-working fosters the kind of entrepreneurial spirit, learning and participation required to innovate. It’s a new, sustainable and open working model for the future, based on collaboration and community.
So What’s Coffee Got to Do With It?
So, co-working isn’t just about getting out of the house. It’s about freelancers and remote workers from a wide range of different businesses, industries and backgrounds working together in a creative, collaborative and social space where they can network, share ideas & draw inspiration.
What better way to do this than over a coffee?
We asked Wales’ leading co-working company, IndyCube, how coffee contributes to a co-working culture in their spaces, and they tweeted back:
@GreenerMediaUK Offer someone a #coffee & you’ve got instant conversation! #networking#coworking#chatting#gettingtoknowyou
— Indycube CIC (@indycube) June 9, 2015
@GreenerMediaUK we love @welshcoffeeco – couldn’t get any work done without it! Will RT article if you send it our way 🙂 #coffee#coworking
— Indycube CIC (@indycube) June 8, 2015
I also sat down last week with co-workers at Hamilton House, a social enterprise and co-working space in Bristol run by CoExist, and asked them what (good) coffee in a co-working space means to them.
Just chatting to @GreenerMediaUK about coffee and co-working… #betterofficecoffee
— Claire Ji (@Clairejiwrites) June 12, 2015
Here’s some of the ideas we chalked up:
“The ritual of good coffee is a talking point, and coffee made in a big pot encourages sharing between co-workers. That’s what co-working and coexistence is all about!”
Claire Holmes (@Clairejiwrites), Space Manager, CoExist
“While you wait for the kettle to boil, you could sign a million-dollar contract”
Coen De Groot, Web Developer & Co-Worker
“I like the smell. I might have had my coffee quota for the day, but the smell of good coffee wafting over to my desk always draws me back to the communal space”
Joe Armstrong, World Challenge Expeditions
“Whether it be sharing coffee knowledge or other skills, expertise or business opportunities, coffee is a shared experience”
Petronella Tyson, Sustainable Solutions Group (SSG)
“Coffee has feed-in contributions to your work. Often, if I have hit a wall with my work, I move swiftly towards the kettle, and coffee and my coworkers offer the light relief and inspiration I need to keep going!”
Brendan Tate, Director, CoExist
Wherever it might be, coffee brings people together. Offering a fellow co-worker a coffee and sitting down together can yield unexpected and beautiful results – many successful business partnerships, great ideas and groundbreaking projects have been forged in such ways. The ritualistic process of brewing good coffee is also a real conversation-starter, too. Give my cafetiere brewing method a try, and see how many people ask why in the heck you’re putting in the coffee after the water. It’s quite the talking point!
We’d love to hear about how coffee encourages conversations and relationships in your co-working space. Tweet us @GreenerMediaUK or leave a comment in the section below. A big thanks to everyone that helped me out with this week’s column!
Next week, it’s time to get back to the nitty gritty of #betterofficecoffee – I’m going to look at the pros and cons (are there any?) of grinding your own coffee in the office. Have a great week everybody, and I hope to see you here, 10am next Monday. If you are reading this in a co-working space, go and put the kettle on. You never know what might come of it!
