Co-Work Corner: the detail 💡

Here I describe my utopian dream...

Just to prove I do generate these ideas in an actual labororatory. Obviously I’ve had to crop out my third arm that Gencraft AI kindly provided.

Signs of a good idea

I always think the mark of a good business idea, is one that you really want to be a customer of. 

Whether you are desperate to buy a product that doesn’t exist yet (

Charlie Lidbury

can you hurry up with that time-machine please?), or sign-up to a service that no one has set-up yet, these are the ideas that are worth exploring, in my book.

Know your market. If you are the market it’s even easier.

Having started companies before, I am well aware of the monumental effort that goes into taking an idea from initial concept to actual deliverable service or product.

The idea itself is about 1% of the journey, which is why I don’t mind revealing this one to you.

If there was a service like this already set-up in my area, I would sign-up in a jiffy!

But there isn’t, so I may well give it a whirl, as I think it would be amazing!

And of course, my dear Advisory Board, if you agree…

A bit of background

I have always been very pro working from home, having been doing it in one form or another for the last 22 years.

The time and money saved not slogging it out to an office everyday is massive, but there is a downside.

Cabin fever

Once I stopped working in an offsite office at the end of last year, at first I very much enjoyed the freedom of being able to work from the breakfast bar kitchen table, sofa or at times greenhouse, just because I ‘could’.

I was very aware of suffering a bit from cabin fever. 

As I can now work from anywhere, needing only the smallest of laptops to write, rather than being tethered to a massive screen, I now like to mix it up and do a bit of WFP (Working From Pub).

I have several friends who predominantly work from home, and they have eagerly joined in my WFP excursions and find they break up the week nicely and are also hugely productive.

In the UK, the poor Pub trade has had a miserable time in recent years, first with Covid, then escalating energy prices and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Many have closed, which is such a shame, as I do think they could be a huge resource for all the millions of people who are now working from home (WFH).

We have found some gorgeous pubs that not only have great décor and free wifi, but during the hours of 14:00-17:00, only have 5-20% occupancy of the tables.

Which means we can rock up, spread our laptops out and not be taking up space that otherwise would be used for dining.

I’ve had several chats with the Bar Manager’s who would welcome a growing band of laptop toting patrons, who only order a Diet Coke/Coffee every 1.5hrs or so. 

Also, if I say so myself, we are adding to the otherwise ghostly quiet atmosphere, with our minimal and sporadic chit chat.

Come winter, they may even be grateful for the body heat that we bring in, and we, in turn, will be grateful for their open fireplaces and log burners.

WFP vs Co-working space

The alternative is a ‘proper’ co-working space, which although they do have a use, they tend to have the atmosphere of a library, no one chit chats to each other, it’s just stoney silence.

And for £20-£30 per day, I’d want more than that… like lunch. 😉

I’m not suggesting that WFP is a good idea five days a week, the chairs couldn’t be described as ergonomic, but for a few hours a week, they provide a great respite from the monotony of your own four walls, and solely digital conversation rather than IRL.

The vision

Ideally I can easily do an afternoon session WFP two to three times a week, but as you know, my schedule is beyond flexible, and at the moment devoid of Zoom and Teams calls, unlike most people who WFH.

Also, I’ve found that I’m very happy to drive up to half an hour to get to a WFP destination, even relishing the choice of podcast to accompany that journey.

Most recently very much enjoyed Jimmy Carr on The Joe Rogan Show, as recommended in Five Good Things by

Lex Hearth

This gives me quite a wide net, and means I get to see more of my friends (albeit in a very professional and productive environment) that would otherwise take months of trying to co-ordinate a free Saturday night with.

This translates as a 16 mile radius from where I live, so I’ve been trying out different ‘posh pubs’ with friends to see which ones work well.

The schedule and destination being based around who’s available and where their starting point is.

Let’s imagine we have bought a time machine and can skip into the future…

Presumably I time-travelled into the future to get that additional 6th finger.

Here’s the vision…

I belong to a WFP Co-Working Collective, who send me an email every couple of weeks, setting out the dates and venues that the Collective will be gathering at to do some co-working.

I can choose from up to three sessions per week, there is no need to book, all the venues are very able to accommodate a large number of people between 14:00-17:00, so only need to have a rough idea of headcount.

Hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks and meals are available at all these venues.

The décor is lovely, and the wifi is fast and free.

Some are in town, easily accessed by public transport, others are out of town with free parking.

I’m not sure who’s going to attend, although the online chat is giving me an indication of who might be there, I will try and coincide my sessions with my Besties, some of which are old friends, and others I’ve only just met.

The atmosphere is great, one of quiet’ish productivity, always someone on hand to ask a question or give an opinion.

The best thing is that, unlike a normal office, there is no hierarchy, as we are all working for different companies, or in a lot of cases Solopreneurs.

To be a part of this Collective costs me just £10/month, which puts me on the email list for the Session Schedule. 

At such a low cost I don’t need to stress about being able to make every session, even if I turn up once or twice a month it is still great value.

The thing I love most about it is being part of a group of professional people, who have a gentle camaraderie all working alongside each other on their own projects. Being a Solopreneur is a lonely business.

There always seems to be new interesting places to try and there’s always a mixture of people I’ve met before and newbies.

There is even talk of a Christmas Party and Summer BBQ. 😉 🥳

The mental health aspect is invaluable, as without this, many of the members would be working from home five days per week… unless travelling for the company, which isn’t exactly a holiday.

It’s gently spreading out across the UK (and will maybe go global one day), new venues are always being suggested by the current members.

In summary

• Monthly cost of £10 to access the session schedule.

• Attend up to four local co-working sessions per week.
  No booking necessary, just rock up. 

• Increased mental health.

• Meet new people, extend your network.

• Helping pubs keep the lights on in quiet times, providing an additional income in a battered industry that we don’t want to lose!

Next week…

I will summarise the two ideas, and you, my Advisory Board, will vote on which one I take forward!

Then the fun will really start! 🎉

Until next time.

K8x 

Join in the comments below:

Would you join this Collective if it existed?

What else could it offer?

Have you ever worked in the Laboratoire Garnier?

Thank you for being here, please ❤️ (below) if you enjoyed this piece, it really helps others find it.

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