If you’re self-employed or work mostly alone, you know how hard it can be to get motivated. A day planned to be productive can turn into sleeping in, getting sidetracked by Buzzfeed, eating and then going to the gym because you feel too cooped up.
A solution to this problem is quickly emerging in rentable workspaces that are not only thoughtfully designed to spark creativity but also serve as a place to form business connections. And it’s not just bloggers who are taking advantage. Businesses are starting to rent spaces out, too. Here, we highlight three local places:
WeWork
WeWork has 26 locations and 14,000 members.
Credit: Provided
With 26 locations world wide (12 of which are in New York City) and 14,000 members, WeWork is truly on the forefront of this movement. Founding partner Rebekah Paltrow Neumann tells us the three components that make up the WeWork platform are space, community and services. Unlike other members-only workspaces, WeWork actually offers health insurance and backend tech support. And they’ve found it isn’t just startups and independent workers taking advantage of their locations, workshops and other perks, like the WeWork app, that connects people who are looking for help with, say, WordPress. Big, global companies, like Reddit, rent out WeWork space, using it as their satellite offices.
NeueHouse
This six-story space has an industrial-chic feel, with a full restaurant on the ground floor, open tables and plenty of private conference rooms.
Credit: Provided
This six-story space has an industrial-chic feel, with a full restaurant on the ground floor, open tables and plenty of private conference rooms. Some members choose to only have access to the main level ($600 per month), while others rent a permanent space upstairs (roughly $1,400 per month). Magazines Monocle and Surface have both made NeueHouse their home base, as well as other small businesses like a startup coffee business and a small team of private investors. With a concierge to check in clients and arrange meetings, hospitality is paramount.
Makeshift Society Brooklyn
Makeshift Society Brooklyn emphasizes helping small businesses grow.
Credit: Provided
Located in Williamsburg, Makeshift Society Brooklyn has a totally different vibe, which co-founder Bryan Boyer tells us was made to reflect the neighborhood. (There is another location in San Francisco that he says fits more of the neighborhood feel there.)
Here, the emphasis on connecting people and helping businesses grow is especially strong. “When people join, we take the time to find out what they do and what they’re working on, and we’ll say ,’Oh, you should meet so-and-so.’ … Having things like a communal kitchen, open workspaces and mixers connects people without it being a ‘networking event,’” Boyer tells us. Makeshift Society Brooklyn has regular events and classes where topics range from typography to making the whole working-for-yourself thing actually pay off.
Different types of memberships are offered, ranging from a $30 day pas, $50 a month pass to use the open workspaces up to $500 a month for a permanent space where you can keep your computer and files.
