Talking from experience and having been involved in offering shared workspaces for the past two and a half years, I can honestly say it has been really tough. First, we had to deal with restrictions due to COVID, which limited people from getting together. Now we have been faced with loadshedding, which has been pretty tough on businesses. This, coupled, with the fact that shared workspaces were a new concept in smaller Zoom Towns, should have spelt doom and gloom for Co-unity. But I am happy to say we are here, and our popularity has grown.

 

The Growth of Shared Workspaces in Zoom Towns

 

Below I am going to give a few reasons on why I believe this has happened, and why these types of shared workspaces will continue to gain popularity in Zoom Towns:

 

Loadshedding Relief:

 

Since Eskom’s announcement that South Africans will likely be dealing with daily loadshedding for the foreseeable future, finding places to work during outages is a major concern for many. Co.Unity has always offered uninterrupted WiFi, as our WiFi system operates off a UPS when the power is interrupted. While this was always meant to be a backup solution, it is almost becoming the norm. Our backup UPS has roughly 4 hours uptime. What this means is that in the unlikely event that the generator doesn’t kick in, we will still have WiFi and power to our dedicated plug points for up to 4 hours. Our offering has always included a generator, which keeps the lights on and our well-known café, so our members are still guaranteed their favorite brew and can continue working, irrespective of the Eskom loadshedding schedule. When people can trust that they will be operational, in spite of forces outside their control, it grows our family.

 

Reliable Business Fibre:

 

We have seen an increase in the number of people wanting to VLOG, create videos and do online interviews. This requires stable, fast WiFi. One of our first tasks was to ensure that we provided business class fibre, and this hasn’t changed. By offering this service, it has contributed to the growth of our spaces.

 

Semigration:

 

More professionals are moving to towns like Hermanus, this means more people are looking for office spaces. Few people want to move into their dream home, and then have to use this as an office, rather have a place where all business services are included. What is also really positive is the fact that our members have integrated into the society a lot quicker than they would have, had they just been sitting at home. Creating communities is a core value of Co.Unity, and we have helped achieve this to grow our business and grow our community.

 

Zero Risk:

 

When times are turbulent and people don’t know if the next crisis is around the corner, the most obvious way forward is to take as few risks as possible. Our services are offered on a Pay-Per-Use basis, which limits financial risks completely. Giving our members what they want and making their lives simpler and easier has ensured Co.Unity has grown in popularity over the past few months.

 

Co.Unity has a vision of expanding into more Zoom Towns, and the past 30 months have taught us many lessons on how to offer premium business services to smaller communities. We look forward to the years ahead, and we already have some innovative ideas on how to expand our business offerings. But whatever the future brings, our values wont change – providing reliable business services and bringing business communities together will always be at the heart of what we offer.

 

To find out more about our shared workspaces and how they make a difference, contact the Co.Unity team today.