Changing the Way the World Does Business

Who came up with the idea for Coworking? This question has always intrigued me since entering the workforce, and more specifically since gaining experience in coworking spaces.

Brad Neuberg, a machine learning engineer, is credited with starting coworking and he even made a webpage to give himself the credit: The Start of Coworking.

Brad, like any other entrepreneur, saw a challenge in his own life and became interested in finding a way to fix it. He made the issue clear when he said, “I wanted to work by myself, but I wanted community.” I don’t think Brad realized that his solution, coworking, would change the way the world does business.

Inspired by the design of Google’s offices, Brad wanted the luxury and convenience of a modern shared office without having to work for a massive technology company to achieve it. He wanted an environment where he could accomplish his own personal work while surrounded by other motivated and interesting people, especially his friends.

In 2005, it was difficult to get that type of experience while working for yourself.

“I couldn’t seem to combine all the things I wanted at the same time: the freedom and independence of working for myself along with the structure and community of working with others.” – Brad Neuberg

Brad made the analogy that bars always have people standing around but not talking, where house parties are often filled with conversation. Why the difference? A house party has the shared context of everyone being friends with the owner of the home.

A good coworking space offers the same kind of shared context, people who both enjoy the space and come to rely on the pleasure of one another’s company and the synergy of a shared working community.

Brad acknowledge that without coworking spaces, he would not have been able to meet many of the interesting people who have helped him accomplish his goals and further his career.

That makes me think of where I would be right now if had not met all of the great people in coworking spaces that have guided me in my own business ventures. So, thank you to Brad Neuberg for creating coworking spaces and changing the way I do business.

At ProSuites2, we are experts at balancing work and life, as well as building a healthy, vibrant coworking community for your business.  Give us a call at 412-246-8208 or visit our Contact Us page today.