The concept of a co work is combating isolation of new entrepreneurs. There are a total of three across the country. Currently, the headquarters of Coimbra have 26 people enrolled. The professionals come from areas like: architecture, design3D, automation technicians and technical installations, translators, psychologies, PhD, illustration, web design, authentication systems, a multinational business, photography, civil engineering and staffing firm.
In that context arises the concept of co work?
Eduarda Melo: If you are referring to the birth of this concept, it took place in the U.S. and appeared to respond to combat the isolation of the people working at home, providing an affordable alternative and fostering synergies between various people from different professional areas.
If you are referring to the context in which emerged the cowork Coimbra, I can tell you that emerged at a time when we were working on a model very close to the co working space in architecture invites. We have a small company that worked in our facility and with whom we create synergies. Also provide the meeting areas and our catalogs so the architects who worked at home could gather here. In this context, we learn the concept of co working and quickly adopt the same by making small adaptation works.´
What are the main objectives?
MS: Our goal with this project is to facilitate a series of services that enable professionals, freelancers, micro businesses, entrepreneurs in general get a decent work place that values their business, that will reinforce contacts, away from the isolation work at home and all at a much lower value than would implied the maintenance of its own office. We invest heavily in quality of design of all spaces and furniture, as agent and as a differentiating asset for those who work here and here they receive customers.
What is the profile of professionals who adhere to this initiative in Coimbra and why?
MS: If I had to draw a profile of our users at this time, I would say the majority are people from age 25 to 35 years old, married, with children, use cowork.Coimbra between 9h00 and 18h00, value the quality of space and decor, location, services, pricing, and human relations that take care with special attention here.
I think the concept of coworking is a response to varied niches. There are coworking spaces more targeted towards young people, sometimes even without occupation established, using the space to develop personal projects they carry out, but still dependent on their parents. Use the space mostly in night time or considered post-work.
This is not our market, not our option, but a result of an appetite and a requirement that a response of another niche encounters in our area. They are demanding people who value quality and design of environments, good secretarial services and human relations group. In short, I do not have a profile of users to Coimbra, or any other city, but a user profile for each particular project of coworking. I think that is very good!
Most coworkers are women, why the phenomenon? It is because they have more initiative? Less job opportunities, so they hope to develop their own businesses?
MS: I cannot guarantee a reason for this fact! So much so that not always they have been the majority. At this moment at Cowork.Coimbra, the percentage of women entered is slightly higher than men. If we consider only the stationary (that is used daily) this number increases. It is possible that has to do with the fact that they are more demanding about the quality of space, men generally value less the details of decoration, natural lighting, furniture, though they say they feel very comfortable here. The type of activity may also be a factor in this case to justify most women. There are a greater number of men with jobs that require them to "move" ... a work of the day outside the workplace. Anyway our sample is relatively small so that we can draw conclusions that are very reliable!
So why the workshops?
IN: Workshops are events organized either by entities outside the Cowork.Coimbra either by the host community. It usually formative character and fall into this aspect of training which is assumed by us as essential for personal and professional reasons. The themes are varied and aim to educate and inform both the residents and encouraged the public, thus promoting contacts between professionals from different areas and cultivating this attitude update and learning the different aspects of the person!
There is some exchange of experiences or partnership between the various co works across the country?
MS: Yes, Cowork.Coimbra is in contact with some of co workings across the country and has already collaborated with them in order to share services to coworkers who move between cities. At this time a national meeting is scheduled where we will meet to discuss the development of these partnerships.
What is your opinion on the greatest difficulty that professionals face in our country and should be corrected to facilitate their performance and professional growth?
MS: I think the professionals to gain training in areas rather in their professional activity, to learn to manage the career more broadly. I think a lot of times they lack a vision that allows them to capitalize on resources, which are not directly related to their profession and are wasted. They need to find small details that make a difference. Since we are talking about coworking, I'll give you an example: the difference between working at home and work can result in a coworking abysmal in terms of results and very little or no in terms of investment. Working at home may seem attractive, and some "few" people adapt well, but for most professions is terrible because the insulation is a bad companion either to a person's health or the health of their business, which needs abundant professional contacts to survive. Working in a co working space, not only overcomes the isolation and creates synergies with other community and also allows you to access the update training in different aspects of your business. Moving to a co working is a small step that can make the difference between success and survival of a professional!
