India’s business environment has undergone a dramatic change, with startups coming into being at an exponential rate. Mumbai is the commercial capital of the country. And people come here from all corners of the country to make their dreams come true.  

Mumbai is home to the best individual entrepreneurs and startups in the country, and there is a lot of opportunity for them to work in friendly and quirky coworking spaces helping them to make their work fun and engaging. 

But often, freelancers need to learn the pros and cons of coworking spaces, due to which they miss out on all important things when choosing a suitable coworking space.

With many companies struggling with finances and the exorbitant real estate prices in Mumbai, the problem of finding coworking space is Herculean. To counter this problem, it would be easier to see coworking space – shared office spaces utilized by several companies.

But don’t worry. We have designed a coworking space just for you and also made a checklist of how freelancers like you can choose a perfect coworking space that suits your need.

Also Read: 12 Pro Tips to Choose Perfect Coworking Space

10 Checklist To Find Your Next Coworking Space

1. Location

Given the long commutes and maddening traffic, when looking for a coworking space, ensure that it is easy to locate, close to central places, convenient, and certainly visible to current and potential clients. While it may be more expensive to rent, a coworking space in the middle of popular urban areas would give you more visibility and business. Of course, your company should also have the leeway to put up glow signage.

2. Lively Culture and Collaborative Community

Since there would be other companies working out of the space, it is essential to ensure that the people surrounding your team inspire them to work well. Coworking space is about community and the ability to work together, share, grow, and learn from each other. Hence, the culture and environment of coworking space would prove to be essential factors in the work performance of those working there. Ensure you thoroughly research the other ‘occupants’ before taking up any coworking space.

3. Encourages Networking

Adding to the point above, being surrounded by and working alongside like-minded people encourages Networking and increases productivity for the business. By being part of such an environment, companies can benefit from the experience, culture, and contacts of other companies sharing the space. For example, one company may have expertise in an area that another could be lacking, so it would save time and effort to look for such a resource outside. This creates a rich pool of knowledge, expertise, and skills, all centralized in one space. Owners of coworking spaces should work as facilitators for such Networking so more clients want to use their space.

4. Relaxed, Inviting, and Invigorating Space

Keep your workforce in mind when choosing a coworking space. The lighting, windows that allow natural light, water, pantry, washrooms, comfortable furniture, soft pipe music, and other features are necessary. They add to emotional well-being and help people carry on their duties in a relaxed yet encouraging space – ensuring higher productivity and optimized work performance. Research shows that if the physical working environment is pleasant, people work better, there are lesser chances of conflicts, and absenteeism is low. In addition, happy employees make happy customers who do successful businesses.

5. A Recreational Hub

Top corporates understand the value of ensuring that employees have enough leisure time/breaks between performing their job responsibilities. Hence, it would be great to keep in mind when looking for a coworking space that either the building has a variety of cafes, restaurants, and leisure areas or the coworking space itself affords such recreational facilities. It is about creating the right environment for your employees by showing them that you care.

6. Amenities and Facilities

A great coworking space would have speedy and uninterrupted Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, laptop charging points, ergonomic workspaces, individual workstations with storage areas, printers, stationery lockers, a courier facility, and other such facilities. Some coworking spaces may also have daycare facilities – ideal for young and new mothers.

7. Hygienic Food and Snacks

Most coworking spaces would afford the companies using their services, with a large lunchroom for the occupants to eat their afternoon meal and during the day snacks. A tuck shop and a kitchen facility in a coworking space will ensure that the workforce can eat and freshen up whenever they need. Solving sudden hunger pangs works wonders for people’s overall well-being!

8. Office Assistants

If your company needs to be more significant to employ full-time office assistants/administrators, check with your coworking space provider if they provide such a service. Most good quality spaces would offer temporary staff to support top executives, freelancers to provide ad-hoc yet critical services, and other such specialized roles at cost-effective rates.

Bonus feature: 

The round-the-clock tea and coffee facility is one of the best features of a good coworking space! Your staff would feel energized and have a mild distraction with their brew without taking too many breaks.

When finding coworking space, remember that such freedoms should bring together business professionals, entrepreneurs, and top talent from varying industries and areas of expertise. It should reflect uniqueness, engagement, and attractiveness from every aspect – attributes that would make it pleasurable for visitors too. Even though a large part of the business is now online, brick-and-mortar spaces are equally critical to a company’s success. The budget should not hinder setting up real-world office space, but looking for and finding the best workspace is essential to success. Happy coworking!

If you’re searching for all these features in a coworking space, call us at +91 922 221 3191 or visit Mumbai Coworking.