Well Steve, I personally lean towards your take, that small businesses increase in proliferation during economic downturns... But I've also seen another side, here in my coworking office. The advent of a recession means budget slashing all across the board, b/c business and projects are simply not abundant. Which means... there is less money that can be used to hire outside consultants, experts, etc.
One of the guys in my office has been thinking lately, whether he should go back to a big firm, where the work is more steady. He currently works with a partner 2 time zones away, to get jobs done. I suspect that since jobs are harder to come by, he has to take difficult clients that he normally would have brushed off. Although beggers can't be choosers (hey, a job is a job, and money is money), there are benefits to be had, working for a larger firm, who can give you employer benefits. On the flip side, I have another guy in my coworking office who terminated his lease, b/c his company basically laid off the entire department- except for him. So he has to wear about 36 hats now, and can no longer telecommute from this office, b/c he has to make the horrendous drive to the company headquarters everyday. So it could go either way. Some people will come to you b/c they've been laid off, and decided to work for themselves, and some people may end up leaving for the sanctuary of a more steady paycheck, since finding new clients is becoming increasingly difficult in today's environment. On Oct 18, 11:37 am, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi: > > My name is Steve King and I'm a long time lurker on this site:). I'm > a researcher focused on small business and I'm curious how the current > economic turbulence is impacting coworking. I'm also interested in > how the you think the recession is going to impact coworking and the > coworking movement over the next year. > > In past recessions, small business formation increased due to declines > in traditional employment opportunities. And during and after the > 2001 recession the number of single person businesses grew much faster > than before. The growth rate also slowed as the economy improved. > > So what do you think?? Will recession increase the demand for > coworking space? Will more people choose or be forced to go out on > their own?? Will you get more corporate traction as companies reduce > their office spaces?? Other impacts?? > > Thanks for the help. > > Stevewww.emergentresearch.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
