Coworking Austin: Finding the Perfect Workspace for Your Business
The debate about what constitutes the right work environment rages, but the science is indisputable. A safe, healthy, and positive work environment that provides people with the tools needed to thrive leads to the best outcomes. It’s not just companies that benefit from productive output either—employees themselves also benefit from an ideal coworking Austin environment. The right atmosphere offers a greater sense of commitment, more motivation to strive toward goals, and better performance.
When you’re deciding where your professional work hours should take place, it’s important to consider the very real impacts of the right space. Where is the right coworking space in Austin for your unique needs? What do your employees need in their workplace environment?
Because these questions are so vital to the wellness of your employees and your organization, it’s important to carefully choose the environmental conditions, amenities, and other features of your future coworking Austin workspace.
First, we’ll look at why coworking as a broad concept is so vital and why not any old space will do. Next, we’ll take a closer look at some different features that are a great fit for various business types. Then you can start exploring the options that satisfy your workplace requirements (and wishlist items).
Why Professionals and Employers Love the Growing Pool of Coworking Austin Options
Austin is the go-to place for tech companies, startups, and the professional services that bolster those industries. In these workspaces, users will find founders pitching to investors, independent consultants in closed-door meetings, and freelancers hard at work over their computers. 42% of people coworking in Austin and other global coworking hubs are freelancers, and one out of five coworking space members are in IT (with second, third, and fourth place going to PR/marketing, consulting, and design, respectively).
What does this diverse pool of professionals find so enthralling about getting work done in these sorts of spaces? Check out the following four major perks to embracing a coworking business style.
Networking Opportunities
Whenever you’re in a communal space where you share similar objectives to the people you see in the elevator, at the coffee counter, or in the park, conversation happens. These conversations provide more than just a boost in well-being and sociability—they’re valuable business opportunities for everyone involved. The freelancer can chat with multiple IT and marketing companies; the consultant can connect with up-and-coming startups.
Creativity and Inspiration
Professional roles are becoming more dynamic, especially in startups and small businesses. Compounded by AI—which is quickly taking on many of the manual tasks that previously required hundreds of human hours—this trend means people have creative problems to solve day after day. Coworking spaces can actually be designed to foster that creativity with physical amenities like plants, artwork, supportive architecture and furnishings, and more.
Productivity
Even proponents of WFH will readily agree on the value of a workspace, an environment distinct from your personal life and includes the tools you need to be productive. Coworking Austin spaces provide that. They’re separate from at-home distractions, are built to facilitate work, and help people set firm work-life boundaries. They also offer the flexible productivity conventional 9-5 offices and cubicles lack.
Cost Savings
At the end of the day, companies have to care about the bottom line, and real estate in Austin is expensive. Renting out a full-time office for a three-year lease simply isn’t in the budget for most businesses, and many employers don’t know how big their team will be or how remote the workforce will be.
Coworking spaces allow organizations to rent deskspace, offices, and conference rooms as they need them. There are no commitments that stretch into the unforeseeable future, and that significantly reduces the risk of wasted money, which is good for businesses and investors.
Related: Making Connections: The Benefits of Coworking Space in Austin
These are just some of the broad advantages that companies of different shapes, sizes, and industries share. Some also enjoy benefits like client-ready meeting spaces (for individual consultants) and conference rooms for occasional in-person meetings (for largely remote teams).
Benefits the Right Workspace Can Offer
In order to maximize your unique organization’s potential in a coworking space, it’s important to find one that offers the features and amenities you need. While many of the general benefits are accessible across many workspaces—such as the productivity of a focused space and some degree of flexibility—finding precisely the right coworking Austin office is even better because you can:
- Shorten the commute of your local employees or be near your target market by carefully selecting the location.
- Have meeting rooms that are the right size for client meetings, team meetings, and board meetings, all in one building.
- Rent dedicated desks for multi-week projects but without extended leases.
- Mix and match the memberships to fit your current number of employees and their preferred work styles.
- Give your employees a relaxing environment that is built to help them authentically enjoy work.
How to Choose the Right Space for Coworking in Austin
Coworking spaces are continually expanding—not only are there more than 5 million professionals using coworking spaces around the world, but the amount of locations devoted to coworking space has an anticipated 13% per year growth rate. There are increasingly diverse and creative options available on the market, and coworking spaces can cater to different types of businesses so you can access more niche benefits. Consider the specific amenities and features that are a great fit for different business types so you can start exploring local options in more detail.
The Perfect Coworking Space for Individuals
Professional individuals, such as solo entrepreneurs, consultants, and freelancers, may not need a lot of space, but there are several key amenities you should look for in your perfect workspace. These include:
- Rentable desks in open spaces or private offices, depending on the sensitivity of your work
- Access to virtual mail services for streamlined operations
- A professional business address and mail services
- 24/7 access so you can work at your convenience on different business ideas or side hustles
- Lockers for storing work materials so you don’t have to bring things back and forth from home
Depending on the nature of your business, you may want a dedicated space that’s solely yours three days a week or every weekday—or you may thrive with open access to the general coworking spaces to experience a change of scenery.
The Perfect Coworking Space for Small and Growing Companies
One of the biggest challenges growing businesses face, especially if they’re rapidly expanding, is getting real estate that perfectly aligns with your needs.
Related: When to Consider Shared Office Space for Remote Workers
Coworking spaces provide that needed flexibility and more. Look for workspaces with:
- Various membership plans that reflect different work style preferences for everyone on the team
- Hour-based access to a conference room for larger meetings
- Business address and mailing services for office supplies, tech, and other packages
- Private offices for key executives
- Dedicated desks for in-office employees with guest passes for remote employees that are infrequently in-person
- Group private offices that range in size from one person to 25 people
The Perfect Coworking Space for Your Big SPAC or IPO Moment
When your startup is going public, it’s an exciting moment—but there’s also a lot of work you need to do. SPACs require a very streamlined go-public timeline with a flurry of activity, and IPOs require meetings, organization, and consistent effort. The right coworking space will help your journey with:
- Right-size offices for groups of up to 25 and individual offices for your developing executive team
- Conference rooms with bookable slots for investor meetings
- Reliable package and mail handling so all of your paperwork stays trackable and organized
- Modifiable membership types so your office space fees are very trackable, flexible, and cost-effective as you prepare your books
The Perfect Coworking Space for Client-Facing Groups and Event Creators
Whether you’re an event planner or run a company that hosts occasional big-scale events, choosing the right workspace can feel even more challenging. Look for these features:
- Coworking spaces that also have dedicated grounds and rooms for formal occasions, big corporate events, day retreats, and mixers. Places that offer both space for work and space for events make everything much simpler
- Rentable office space for occasional or frequent client meetings based on your business needs.
- A business address, package handling, and lockers
- Conference rooms with a wide range of sizes so you always have the perfect fit for any meeting
- Outdoor spaces, general coworking areas, and meeting rooms that look beautiful—atmosphere is everything in this industry
Embrace a More Productive Work Environment
Coworking Austin spaces can be the key foundational element in creating a positive work environment where everyone thrives. Choosing a workspace location with the right amount of space, the right schedule flexibility, and the right additional amenities is essential, especially when your requirements can change quickly.
Vuka offers coworking spaces across Austin that are beautiful and flexible. And we offer a wide range of different options for every type of business or work style. Explore our locations and membership options, or book a tour to see the possibilities for your business in person.