I was brought up on the idea that you should “become the man your parents would want you to marry”. There’s a lot I could write about the realities of what happens when you do that, but I’ll save it for another time.
My mother was an air hostess, so naturally, I wanted to become a pilot. In 2022, only 4.9% of airline pilots were women, with 8,206 holding FAA certificates. The numbers were likely even lower back in 1993.
This dream was first squashed at the age of 6 when a doctor delivered the news that I was 15% deaf in one ear. “It won’t affect her in everyday life, she just can’t ever be a pilot.” the doctor said, laughing. My Dad looked at me, tears welling up in my eyes. The poor doctor had no idea that had been my dream.
It’s 1996. I’m 9. I see my Dad going to his job, leaving the house at 7:30 every day, to commute over an hour to his office, and always coming home at 6, just in time for The Simpsons. The traditional 9-5, wearing a suit and tie every day.
“Become the man your parents would want you to marry.”
Photo credit: Steven Ahlgren
Complete with a grey suit, a leather suitcase, a large clunky grey phone, and my own corner office. Probably with a varnished wooden curved desk and some ugly metal organisation shelves. Wires, plugged in everywhere.
When I was growing up, I dreamed of being in business. In pursuit of what I envisioned as ‘business,’ I took a full-blown briefcase to school. Instead of notebooks, I carried one of my dad’s first Palm Pilots.
Then I brought out a way too heavy for an 10-year-old laptop, complete with the red dot in the middle, that now just gives me the ick. A quick Google search has revealed the nickname “Nipple Mouse”, even more ick.
Fast forward almost three decades, and that little girl could never have imagined the amazing workspaces I’d get to experience. I’m so grateful that corporate attire isn’t a requirement—I get to wear what I want and be my authentic self. Back then, people worked in tiny boxes, doing tasks that computers can do for us now. We were separated, either by our cubicle or, once we moved up the career ladder, into our own corner office. We were alone, most of the time.
We are social creatures; humans need one another, they need human interaction. The most progressive and forward-thinking workspaces are diverse, culturally rich, with people with different lived experiences all collaborating and working together to challenge the way things have been done before, to innovate and use our shared knowledge to overcome the next challenges, together, and guess where they’re choosing to work from? Coworking spaces, like yours.
Coworking: A Disruptor and the Future
Coworking is a disruptor. It is the polar opposite of what traditional offices conjure up for some. Commute on packed trains, be quiet, stressed, uncomfortable. Miss time with your family, friends, pets, yourself. Stay in your box, your lane. Work late, miss bath time. We set the rules. Do as you’re told. We own you. Grey, grey, grey.
Coworking is the future. Wellness-focused. Events programs, serendipitous encounters. It’s vibrancy, abundance mindset, authenticity, people working together. Carving your own niche. Paving your own path. Feast for the eyes, full of colour, creativity abound. Public and private collaboration. Connection and community. It’s sustainable, people, planet and profit.
Photo credit: Soho Works by Ruth Costello
It’s no secret, we’re now in a consumer’s market. COVID accelerated our industry. The power is with the people. They get to choose what, how, and more importantly where they work. They will choose based on the values and experience they have within your spaces, whether it aligns with their core reason for going, and who they are and what they value as a human. Their chosen workspace will be an extension of who they are. Like where they might choose to stay on a trip away, whether that’s an AirBNB, Ace Hotel, Four Seasons or Premier Inn. It’ll be brand-driven.
I can’t wait to see where my daughter may be working in 30 years.
Join us at GCUC UK in London on Thursday, 10 October, to share and collaborate on making this industry continue its authentic and real growth.
We are the community builders, innovators, and differentiators in the market. We can’t stop now.