Article by: Stamford Hill Accountant: Snenhlanhla Ntetha
If like us you’re one of the fortunate (some might say unfortunately) business owners who travel on a regular basis for business, you might have found yourself working in some very unusual places. Because of this, we’re often asked which of these three is better, a coffee shop, co-work space or office for a busy entrepreneur.
The office has a sense of familiarity with your own desk, printer and a place to keep your ever-accumulating pile of paperwork. The downside for us though is the constant interruptions by colleagues who need “just 5 minutes” of your time.
Coffee shops on the other hand have no sense of familiarity as you never know where you might sit or who’s very loud and annoying conversation you may be subjected to. The upside of course is a great cappuccino and very often free Wi-Fi.
Co-working spaces, while relatively new to South Africa (+-6 years) but exploding rather quickly, have tried to combine the familiarity of the office with the vibrancy of a coffee shop by offering great cappuccinos and free Wi-Fi. Some of them get this right, unfortunately, most still have some way to go.
Personally, we like all three and use each for a specific task. When we need to be creative (designing logos, writing blogs, etc.) coffee shops work incredibly well as they are often very energising places (maybe it’s the coffee). When we need to focus and block out the world (drafting contracts, MOI’s etc.) we find the office is best – providing, of course, everybody understands that we’re unavailable. Co-work spaces we find, help when we need to solve a business problem. Maybe it's sharing a room with other entrepreneurs, that helps with deal/business structuring.
Our suggestion to you though – get out there and see which combination works for you? Maybe all, maybe none? Maybe drop us a line and we’ll recommend some of our favourite spots.
At SME.TAX we do more than just assist clients with finding a cool place to work, we are your “one-stop SME shop”, assisting with everything from Accounting, Business Management, BEE, Consulting, Company Registration to Payroll and Mentoring.
For more information, please visit our website www.sme.tax or give us a call on 072 207 4789
