August, 2018 - UNOVA Coworking

Coworking as a movement, a business solution, and a supportive global community turns 13 years old today!

It was on August 9^th, 2005 that Brad Neuberg opened the first collaborative workspace in San Francisco and dubbed it “coworking.” What started as a tiny community office space in a converted Victorian in San Francisco has grown
to 1.74 million coworkers in 2017, with an expected 5.1 million members by 2022. To put that number in perspective, more people currently cowork than there are people living in all of Costa Rica! That not only means that memberships across the globe are making a statement in and of themselves, but that coworking will most definitely impact the future of work as we know it.

What Brad, a software developer at the time, wanted was “the freedom and independence of working for myself along with the structure and community of working with others.” Coworking allows members to experience the energy of being surrounded by like-minded individuals from different businesses, industries, and trades which benefits the professional worker in a way that a traditional office simply cannot.

Naturally then, on this day every year, coworkers and coworking spaces across the globe take a moment to celebrate their independence as well as their discovery of all the dreams that can come true when you’ve got a solid community in which to create and collaborate. Check out some of the Coworking Day events here!

Brad Neuberg, coworking founder — Photo courtesy of coworking.com

Brad created this model by which people from all walks of life could work together. But this is not a one-size-fits-all model, of course. Brad invited those who liked the coworking concept to share and remix it, to make it their own. What differentiates coworking spaces from any other office space is a commitment to the five values of coworking: Collaboration, Community, Openness, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability. With these core principles as a foundation, coworking aims to create a happy, helpful community of workers whose success and knowledge rubs off on those around them.

Happy #InternationalCoworkingDay!!!

Last week’s blog post discussed UNOVA’s definition of coworking and why we decided to open a coworking space in the Buffalo Southtowns. The coworking concept especially appeals to us because it provides independent professionals the flexibility and freedom of a “have it when you want it” workspace, plus a supportive business community, all in a polished work environment.

But don’t just take our word for it – check out any one of these news sources to learn more about coworking and its positive effects on the worker, the company, and the community:

CBS – Coworking: When the Home Office is Away from Home

CNN – Coworking Spaces Around the Globe

Fox Business – Coworking Spaces Spread to the Suburbs

Huffington Post – The Value of the Social Workplace

NBC – What is Coworking?

NPR – Coworking Spaces Are Redefining What It Means To Go To The Office

NY Times – Shared Work Spaces Spread, Mixing Styles and Services

Washington Post – For Digital Nomads, Work is Where the Laptop is

We’d love to hear from you – what’s your favorite part of coworking?