Dwyer says while a co-working space can offer start-ups numerous benefits, there are ways of knowing when you’ve outgrown it:
Vandenberg is quick to point out size isn’t the only factor, although it is an important one.
“The things they’re thinking about are ownership of their culture and ownership of their space and branding,” Vandenberg says.
“Obviously once you get up to 20 or 30 people, you shouldn’t be in a co-working space – that doesn’t make sense. I find the transition point is around six to 10 people.
“When companies get around that size – say around the 10 mark – that’s when it becomes a lot less valuable to be part of a community like that… There’s less opportunity for engagement.”
“The first thing is to communicate clearly with the space you’re moving out of. They’re a small business themselves relying on your rent for their income so they need to plan,” says Dwyer.
“Let them know it’s not working for you (for whatever reason) and give them a roadmap for how and when you’ll be moving out.
“Often these spaces are incredibly responsive to feedback so if there is an issue causing you to leave, make sure you let the space know – they might even be able to fix it.
“Finally it’s usually easiest to move on the weekends as it’s far less distracting for other members of the space and doesn’t interrupt your own work week.”
Another entrepreneur, who wished to remain anonymous, says they are considering moving out of their current co-working space, but doesn’t anticipate it will be a tricky process.
“I am thinking of moving to another larger, less crowded, less noisy co-op space. I would need to change my address on about three documents and that would be it,” the entrepreneur says.
Dwyer says it’s definitely worth staying in touch with your co-working space even after you’ve moved out.
“We still stay in touch with Inspire9 and go back to work out of there at least once a month. We still feel like we’re part of the community but we also enjoy the benefits of having our own space,” he says.
“By being a part of the community, we’re able to find out about upcoming events, find out what other cool start-ups are working on and find new people we can work with.”
“We’re going to see more specialisation going forward. That’s what should happen,” says Vandenberg.
“Personally, I’m not a big fan of just your regular co-working spaces… It can be a bit too social and not really focused on business. But I think there’s a huge space for more specialisation.
“We see more spaces opening up around hardware hacking, industrial design, video production and other markets that need different types of shared resources and infrastructure.”
