Shared workspaces were pretty much unheard of a decade ago. Now, there are about 11,000 scattered across the United States, and that’s expected to double in the next two years. Santa Barbara is now home to quite a few of them, including Impact Hub, workzones, The Sandbox, and Regus. A shared workspace or “coworking space” is usually a big, open space where people from different businesses gather to work.
“In a shared workspace, office costs like internet service, coffee, printing, and capital expenses like equipment are wrapped in to the membership and shared by members,” said Kyle Ashby, cofounder of The Sandbox. “This eliminates both up-front costs for setup or equipment and also keeps the monthly cost down for someone who is self-employed or runs a small business.”
Additionally, “the ability to get out of your home office into a professional environment can have big effects on productivity, professionalism, and the ability to connect with other professionals to grow your businesses together,” said Ashby. Other professionals can help you promote your business, can serve as a sounding board for big decisions and questions, and could potentially be your next new client or customer.