Tag: coworking

Friction points – isolation kills

Posted on by philipdodson

You need friction points – isolation kills business – by Philip Dodson

isolated

Over 50% of us will be self-employed/freelancing/solo-preneurs within the next 10 years or less. The issue for anyone who is working for themselves is the challenge of isolation.

If you work at home all day every day or as a nomad in coffee shops, three things will happen:

1 – You will find that you will not be engaging in human contact – esssential for happiness & well being

2 – You will not be hearing about new ideas or sharing yours

3 – You will not be getting the motivation that being around others, who are working, creates

These will lead to you lacking motivation, getting cut off from the latest views, ideas & thinking. It will lead to your productivity falling and it will ultimately result in you becoming Isolated.

Businesses thrive on opportunity, which often comes from a ‘friction point’ occurring by making a connection with others. This a great phrase, that Bernie Mitchell of Engaging People used when we had a ‘friction’ point, which lead to him doing a podcast on co-working with me. It sums up exactly why you need to connect face-to-face with others.

These friction points lead to opportunities being created, that would have never have happened if you were at home or in a coffee shop. They don’t happen by email or skype, they only happen when two people connect in real life.

These friction points create opportunity to share ideas, to discover new connections, to create a new network and will inevitably lead to more success in your business.

People need to be able to feel and touch your business, as your business more often than not, will be you. You are the brand, the service, the company and in the new world of a connected consumer, they will never be able to share experiences about your business, if you are at home and isolated from others every day.

So for the ever increasing number of self-employed the solution is co-working, where you can collaborate, share and connect with others.

Working for yourself should never be by yourself.

Working for yourself should never be by yourself

Posted on by philipdodson

Working for yourself should never be by yourself – by Philip Dodson

female%20homeworker_shutterstock_634644

Self-employment is on a massive increase right across the developed world. This has been part by choice and part forced upon people through lack of paid-for-employment opportunities.

For many it may well be the first time in their lives that they have been otuside the pampered and protected surroundings of the corporation – away from other people.

As I have said in other posts, setting up a business is easier than it has ever been – all you need is a good idea and an internet connection. However, the tricky bit as always is making that business a success.

A fatal thing, when you have just set up, is to isolate yourself and this often happens for cash strapped start-ups.

Initially, many think that it is a good idea to work from home all the time, as it saves money and also enables you to work without noise and distraction.

This is the worst thing to do all day every day. It doesn’t matter how dedicated or driven you are, you will end up going stir crazy, you will watch TV, walk the dog, pop to the shops, finish the ironing and for certain make yourself a great lunch and spend 45 minutes enjoying it.

All businesses are about people and to be a success you must interact, share ideas, collaborate and connect with others if you are to win.

Also you need a ‘working’ environment in order to get the right motivation and discipline to focus on your work.

The growing solution for the ‘army’ of newly self-employed is to co-work in a co-working hub and to get all the benefits of being around others, sharing ideas, finding new opportunities. However, without the noise of a coffee shop or the commitment of an office.

co-working

So simply put working for yourself should never be by yourself.