While I was off cruising around Northern Europe and Scandinavia, Evert wrote about setting up a co-working centre:
Spurred on by posts on co-working.ie and a recent post on Techcrunch UK I’ve decided to get serious with my plans for a Co-working/techhub/start-up center. While I have certain ideas on how I would like to setup & run such a center I need the input of potential users. I do not intend to run it for my own benefit so rather than just come up with a list of requirements myself I am looking for input from outside sources.
Paul Campbell’s comment holds a lot of water in my books:
From your list, I’d say only the following are necessary:
– post boxes
– fast broadband (most necessary)
– out-off hours access (definitely, keys ftw)
– security, storage facilities (generally a place that is free from potential theft is good)
Evert has kept it close to his chest where he intends to open this centre but it seems to be off the N7 somewhere near Nenagh.
The most basic co-working facility really just needs desks, power and internet. Everything else is really gravy (yeah, even toilets). You can get by on cheap plywood desks (or a door sitting flat across some boxes), wooden chairs and a slow 512 Kbps line. And if the co-working space is important to you, then this is how you’ll set it up much like how it’s possible to write and publish a book while subsisting on 9p Ramen from Tesco or how it might be necessary to sleep a couple of hours under your desk at work rather than bothering with the commute because time is of the essence.
So if it matters, then just do it.
For comfort, however, you’re going to want more. This could be a £350 coffee pod machine, Aeron chairs, multi-megabyte UPLOADS as well as downloads, air-conditioning, natural light, all-hours access, more than one power outlet per person, telephones, secure storage, meeting rooms, scrum areas, whiteboards, projectors and a flesh-and-blood PA – it’s all going to cost money which means you have to pay for these things up-front.
Before all of this, you have to find a place. Unless you know someone who owns property or own it yourself, it’s likely going to involve a commercial lease – and they’re seldom less than 5 years. You might be lucky and get it for less but there are usually onerous problems with that.
Don’t forget parking.
Hey you. I can’t find that 9p ramen book post. You just know I need to read that!
Parking is not an essential. Haven’t you noticed the price of petrol/diesel/gas these days? (my little joke).
As for the 9p Ramen. We still have 11p Ramen here. But Jared Earle wrote a few years ago how SLA Industries was written on an Atari Jaguar, several sofas and 9p Ramen…
Has Ormeau Business Park been considered for Co-Working Belfast?
http://www.ormeaubusinesspark.com/unitsavailable.asp
That seems to be the right size, should be a reasonable price as commercial space goes, the organisation should support the principle of the venture, it’s a great address in Belfast, a good space that you can customize to your needs, and best of all (IMHO), it’s a month-in, month-out lease, so low risk compared to the 5 year lease you mention above.