The world of work has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Nothing illustrates this change quite as clearly as the digital nomads who, with varying degrees of self-assurance, populate the cafés in the world’s major cities and earn a living online. Instead of going to the office or factory day in, day out like their parents and grandparents, these people have opted for a different way of earning a living.
For digital nomads, the internet is the place where they carry out their work day in, day out. They work as copywriters and marketing experts, programmers or designers. Their tools of the trade are tablets, laptops and smartphones. There is just one thing digital nomads do not have: a fixed place where they work. After all, the internet works everywhere. And so digital nomads can carry out their work in many different places. They often work in the pleasant atmosphere of a café. If an office is needed after all – perhaps because a printer, fax machine or meeting rooms are required – digital nomads use shared offices or so-called co-working spaces, where they share office space with others – exactly as required.
The dream of many people
For many years, relevant surveys have repeatedly confirmed this: self-determined work is a desirable goal for many people. Working whenever and wherever you like – that is the dream of many people. Quite a few, mainly young people, realised several years ago that the internet provides the ideal conditions for this dream to finally become a reality.
They have built a livelihood online – as copywriters, programmers and designers. They do not need a fixed workplace. They require neither strictly regulated employment contracts nor a fixed location from which to work. Instead, these mobile freelancers are free to choose where and when they work. They have become digital nomads who can earn a living anywhere in the world, as long as there is a reasonably fast internet connection.
But you can’t do without an office entirely
Yet however appealing the dream of being a digital nomad may be for many people, in most cases it’s not possible to do without an office entirely. After all, not all correspondence can yet be sent electronically via the internet. Sometimes it has to be sent by regular post. Some business partners insist on face-to-face contact: particularly for sensitive negotiations, the café round the corner isn’t always the best place. In such cases, a meeting room is needed. And last but not least: every business actually needs an office simply to have a registered address, so that it can be reached by customers, business partners and the authorities.
An office is therefore indispensable in most cases. Many small business owners and digital nomads make do with using their own flat as an office. This undoubtedly saves a great deal of money. However, you’ll soon realise that a home office can be more than just a major strain on the family. Many freelancers find it difficult to draw a line between work and leisure, or between their career and family life, when their office is set up right next to – or even in – the bedroom. Quite a few occupational psychologists therefore take a critical view of the home office and strongly advise keeping work and private life physically separate.
Shared offices – an affordable solution
For anyone who works as a mobile freelancer and only needs an office now and then for important administrative tasks and meetings, shared offices are an ideal solution. In these offices, which are shared by several like-minded people, digital nomads will find everything you’d expect in a normal office. There are well-equipped workstations, a fast internet connection, printers, fax machines and many other technical aids that digital nomads rarely have access to in a café.
Shared offices usually also feature quiet meeting rooms where you can plan new projects in larger groups or meet business partners in a pleasant atmosphere. Last but not least, there is of course very often a small office kitchen where you can make coffee and catch up on the latest gossip.
However, as you share the office with many other people, the costs are very low. Anyone who only needs the office for a few days a week can save a fair bit of money. This is because you usually only pay for the time you actually use the space.
Additional services
Providers of shared offices such as COLLECTION Business Centre have come up with even more ideas to offer digital nomads a great service. If you’re currently travelling the world and earning your living online, the office service will collect your post and parcels. On request, a company sign bearing the freelancer’s name can be displayed at these prestigious business addresses.
In this way, the digital nomad, who is at home all over the world, gains a prestigious business address that makes a good impression on their clients. This allows the digital nomad to work anywhere in the world – whilst always remaining accessible to their clients via an address, an office and a local telephone number.
Shared offices – the ideal platform for networking
Without contacts and networks, there can be no business success – this principle applies particularly to digital nomads. After all, many assignments are awarded simply because someone knows someone who knows someone… This is where the shared office can work wonders. The beauty of a shared office is that lots of people work there and new colleagues are constantly popping in.
They all share the spirit of mobile freelancers. They’re all living the dream of the digital nomad lifestyle. It’s not uncommon for chance encounters in the co-working space to lead to valuable business contacts or even lifelong friendships. In the best-case scenario, the shared office becomes a familiar home base to which digital nomads keep returning whenever they’ve had just enough of the world.
Cover image: pexels.com/Isa Sebastiao
