Running a business can often feel like something that must be done solo – looking for clients, providing services, finding solutions and wondering what comes next. While it can feel like there are always more tasks to accomplish, and sometimes even more competitors to beat, the most effective growth strategies aren’t always the loudest ones. Occasionally, all that is needed is the right conversation with the right person. Someone completely unexpected can provide an answer, a new client, an opportunity in an unknown market or even a business model that one might find themselves using. This is often one of those overlooked perks of working in the presence of others.
Why Business Connections Matter
When it comes to building any form of sustainable business around oneself, entrepreneurs need more than just clients. They need a network of people to learn from, grow with and even refer business to. A graphic designer may find themselves working with a content writer after meeting at some point. A consultant might find a new client base through someone they met while working together. Small companies may stumble across incredibly useful services that they never knew existed until they needed them. These kinds of connections can be fostered in almost any workplace when the people within it are receptive to them.
Networking Does Not Have to Feel Forced
Simply throwing business owners into a room full of strangers while handing out business cards does not always create the kinds of connections that benefit everyone involved. Coworking can facilitate networking in a much more organic manner, replacing the feeling of an interrogation with something more akin to casual conversation. Sitting next to someone at a desk while working, meeting someone at a coffee machine or even finding out that someone nearby shares a mutual interest in one’s field of work does not require an immediate exchange of numbers and a promise of future services. The most valuable connections can often be the ones that seem the least planned.
Working Around Different Professionals
One of the main draws of a Coworking Space in Lagos is the sheer variety of professionals that one is likely to meet there. From independent workers and consultants to established businesses and everyone who falls somewhere in between, a place like WorkSphere by Eridan puts together a collection of people who would not typically meet. This allows for the free exchange of knowledge and opportunities between vastly different occupations and specialisations.
From Introduction to Collaboration
As with most kinds of professional networking, connections formed at a coworking space usually begin with a conversation. While there is no shame in simply finding someone who can provide one with better working conditions, the most important connections tend to be those where mutual learning and cooperation can occur. This can begin with a simple introduction that leads to a referral, which can then turn into a long term collaboration. Entrepreneurs who enter a coworking space with an open mind, however, can be presented with countless opportunities in their field and beyond.
Making the Most of a Coworking Community
With all of the benefits of a business network clearly laid out, it is easy to overlook the kinds of effort that go into making one. Building a connection usually requires a firm approach, one that leaves behind any self serving intentions in favour of something more mutually beneficial. Getting to know someone and engaging with them on a professional level beyond handshakes and small talk is what most entrepreneurs should strive for. Attending any events that this person may attend, engaging in conversations and following up on any useful information are the kinds of behaviours that will help build a network that serves everyone involved far beyond their first meeting.
A Professional Space Can Bring People Closer to Opportunity
For businesses based in Ikeja, a Professional Workspace in Ikeja can therefore serve as more than simply a place for individuals to set up shop and get to work. It can be the cornerstone of an emerging professional network, built around the kinds of conversations that do not usually occur in the office. WorkSphere by Eridan is a great example of how a coworking space can provide opportunities for people who work in similar fields as well as those who would not typically work together. The value of coworking therefore extends far beyond the walls of the office itself, building a space for people to learn, network and grow outside of their everyday workspace. Entrepreneurship can be a lonely endeavour, but it does not have to be one’s sole method of operation. The person next door can become one’s new collaborator, referral source or long term client. Someone one barely spoke to can become the one to introduce a business to a whole new market. This is how a Coworking Space in Ikeja can be so much more than a desk to work at.
