Remote workers are usually presented with just two options: work from home or work from a coffee shop. Sometimes they get tired of being in their house all the time and they need to get out. However, they also crave a more professional environment than a coffee shop. 

This is where collaborative workspaces come in.

Amy Sivertsen is the co-owner of CoWorkQC, a shared workspace and thriving coworking community in downtown Davenport, Iowa. They exist to encourage productivity in work and life for small business owners, nonprofits, remote workers, and freelance creatives. 

CoWorkQC acts as that collaborative workspace entrepreneurs, creatives, solopreneurs, remote employees, and small teams desire so much. The members work on their own, yet together, in an open space ready for productivity, conversation, and collaboration.

I recently got the chance to talk to Amy on Leading the Factory Forward. We discussed her journey towards starting CoWorkQC, what co-working spaces are, and all the benefits of using one. 

Amy’s Story

Originally, Amy worked from home in her family’s business. When that contract ended, she was looking for the next thing to do and was introduced to her current business partner. She also worked from home and told Amy about co-working. 

Amy did a lot of research and saw the incredible spaces where people from all different professional backgrounds came together and worked in the same place. From there, she started looking around and talking to people. 

She found out that there was a pretty large network in her area of people who worked from home. They were getting tired of being by themselves all day and getting distracted by home projects, chores, and pets. They also didn't want to be in such a public place like a coffee shop. 

Amy and her business partner gathered some of those people together and they started working in a shared space to see if it was something that would work for everyone. It worked very well so from there they continued to advertise and develop their space.

Benefits of Co-Working Spaces

As Amy learned, there are so many incredible benefits to using a co-working space. Some of them include:

• It is a space where you can come and bounce ideas off of other remote workers

• It provides resources to the community

• It creates a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and other professionals for you to talk to

• There is a mix of different kinds of people, providing a great opportunity for collaboration

• You can work alongside people with different experiences which can give you an idea of what you want your work, company, or services to look like if you’re just starting out

• If you have kids, you can get designated time to get out of the house and focus on work 

• Working from home has downsides such as getting lonely very quickly and your pets or chores distracting you 

• Being at a co-working space provides great flexibility for you

There are also a variety of options for those considering using co-working spaces. Specifically at CoWorkQC, there are many different options for members. 

Firstly, they have a floating desk option. People can come in with their own equipment (such as their laptop and whatever else they need) and sit down at a desk for the day. Then they can pack up their stuff and take it home with them. 

They also have dedicated desks where people can put their dual screens and filing cabinets and use as a primary working space. 

By now they also have a few private offices for people and companies who need four walls and more privacy but still want to work within a community. 

Finally, there are part-time options. These are for people who may not want to work there full time but want to come in a couple of times a month, once a month, or a couple of times a week just to be around other people.

Look more into co-working spaces today by visiting Amy’s website at http://www.coworkqc.com.