Is it just me, or is the entrepreneurial spirit at an all time high lately?
Chances are, you or someone you know decided to ditch the corporate office stuffiness to give a shot at a hustle that makes you feel alive. Whether you run a website, sell your marketing tips on Instagram or run a drop shipping business, you can possibly relate to the struggles of bouncing around coffee shops or working from home. There are many opportunities for distractions that slow the work pace down and divide our focus.
I too have a side hustle and if you’re anything like me, you need something in between: a work environment that has more structure than a home office that you can call your own. This is where taking advantage of a co-working space comes in handy.
Here are a few general reasons you should consider using a co-working space:
- Structure. You can keep your work and home life separate, you’ll have a reason to get out of the house and you’ll get sh*t done.
- A sense of community. You can even bounce ideas by your co-working peers and receive emotional support throughout your entrepreneurial journey.
- Opportunities to network with like-minded go-getters and chances for new business.
- It’s cost efficient. You don’t have to worry about the bills associated with renting a permanent office (eg. utilities, install infrastructure etc).
- It’s flexible. You can rent for shorter, more flexible periods of time.
I’ve looked into a few of these spaces in Toronto and thought I would take you through a quick tour of Love Child Social House so you can see what it’s all about!
Love Child Social is where hustle meets social. It’s unique because it’s a co-working space by day and event space by night. These guys believe collaboration is the real mother of invention, so they created a workspace especially designed for connection and collaboration.
My top reasons why I choose Love Child Social House is:
- It’s located right in the heart of downtown Toronto, making it easy for transit access and accessible for running meetings, hopping in and out throughout the day.
- There’s an option where you can bring guests.
- You can bring outside food and beverage into the space.
- Preferred pricing and discounts for awesome workshops, events, food and other items.
- The space has some seriously relaxed and inspiring vibes.
Aside from providing co-workers with a comfortable and awesomely-decorated space (picture lush, tropical, relaxed vibes), they offer exclusive access to a curated range of enriching mindfulness, meditation and yoga workshops on site to help strike that ever elusive work-life balance. There are also opportunities for their members to grow professionally, ranging from talks on wellness and how to feed your body and mind to getting the most out of your workday, to Q&As with industry leaders for the latest trends in tech, food and business.
In addition, members get perks like 10% off all menu items at Calii Love (which is right down the street), special prices on certain clothing brands, members only- sales on the latest tech and one of a kind dining experiences.
If you haven’t heard, they host an array of popular wellness events every so often. These events have been known to be unique experiences featuring a range of uplifting activities including Prana yoga flows, Irie Soul meditation, and ecstatic dance and movement workshops. They’re often topped off with a yummy vegetarian and vegan brunch provided by Calii Love using fresh, local produce that doesn’t cost the Earth. Love Child members get exclusive early bird access and discounts so they can experience these totally tubular events. You can check out their events here.
So as you can see, you can enrich your mind at Love Child and make networking fun, without sacrificing professionalism. When I checked it out, it felt almost like a little oasis amongst the concrete jungles of Toronto!
(I also didn’t mind grabbing an expertly crafted coffee provided by Barocco at their in-house café. They have $1 lattes on Mondays, sweet!)
But besides all that fun stuff, members have all the perks and conveniences of a more conventional office space, with high speed internet access and free black and white printing, copying and scanning all built into their memberships- all the tools you need to succeed in your business.
Love Child has 3 membership rates that I find quite affordable for any newbie-hustler out there in the city.
Have you used a co-working space before? Let us know what you think in the comments!
