In August 2013, I applied to join a coworking space in Manchester called OpenSpace. I’d been thinking about it for almost six months before I finally contacted them and went in for a look around.
I recently found my old application. Reading it thirteen years later made me smile.
That last line – “an intense need to become more sociable!” – was funny, but I meant it. I ran my consultancy business from an office I’d built at the bottom of my garden. I had a perfectly good place to work, yet I’d begun to miss having people around me, and felt quite isolated at home.
So why did it take me months to do something about it?
Home was familiar. Going somewhere new meant changing my routine and walking into a room where I didn’t know anyone. I wondered where I’d sit, whether everyone else already knew each other and whether I’d feel like the odd one out. Even the effort of packing up and leaving my comfortable little office felt like a hurdle.
If that sounds familiar, I understand. Although I’m the co-founder of Horsham Coworking, I remember very well being the person who wasn’t sure coworking was for me.
I’m hardly the only one who had doubts. A former member recently told me he’d worried that he might not have much in common with the people here, and that his work calls might disturb them. In practice, calls and online meetings are a normal part of the working day. Some people make lots of them; others, like me, tend to put on headphones and focus. There’s room for both.
That balance matters. You can have a chat over coffee or put your headphones on and get on with your work. You don’t have to arrive knowing anyone, be especially outgoing or turn every working day into a networking event. You can find your own way of working here.
I didn’t know it when I finally walked into OpenSpace, but that visit would change much more than just where I worked. I became part of the community, eventually joining the committee that ran the space, and when I moved to Horsham in 2016, it helped inspire me to set up Horsham Coworking.
I’m not suggesting a day at a coworking space will change your life. It might simply give you a good place to work and some welcome company. But I do know how easy it is to keep putting off something you might enjoy, just because the first visit might feel a bit uncomfortable.
If you’re curious, come and have a look around. I’ll show you the space and answer any questions you have. And if it’s taken you a while to get here, I’ll understand.
Matt, Co-founder, Horsham Coworking
