If you think that coffee shops are just for friendly hangouts, think again! Times have changed especially in how and where people work. There were times when people used to think that offices were the only work station, but this thought is now long gone. However, this is where the coffee shop culture marks its existence.
In the startup community, the coffee shop has an important role to play. But if you think that the coffee shop culture is recently marking its existence in the world of creative business, then you are wrong. This culture has been a part of the business for years now.
Back in 1688, merchants and ship owners used to gather in the coffee shops to gather information about the latest shipping news and even discuss business plans.
This long-lived coffee shop entrepreneur culture has become very popular in the past decade. According to market research, in 2008 there were 10,680 coffee shops in the UK and now there are around 19,000. It is estimated that the number will reach 27,000 by 2020.
For entrepreneurs, coffee shops are a great alternative to a home-based business, coworking spaces, and incubators. In fact, many entrepreneurs use coffee shops as their primary work location. On the other hand, there are few entrepreneurs who think that their employees will be more creative as well as productive when they are given the space to work outside the office in some nearby coffee shops.
How Can Coffee Shops Become Your Office?
Entrepreneurs who are very concerned about the work will organize everything so that they can work in comfort and make the maximum profit for the business. As an entrepreneur, you will surely engage yourself in generating a creative plan, innovative ideas, and design a workplace that should lead to efficient and creative work. But very soon you will gradually feel that there is something that does not go hand in hand.
As the feeling of discomfort starts to evolve, you do not feel like sitting in your perfect office from 9 to 5. However, this might be the same case with the employees if you have some. It is obvious to feel so, as you have surely not chosen the same path as others.
This change even leads to the alteration about the mindset of working and this is where coffee shop entrepreneur culture kicks in. Interestingly, you will find that it is in the coffee shops and co-working spaces where promising and creative ideas will strike. Gradually it changes into must productive work area accompanied by better networking and little distraction.
Why Entrepreneurs Should Work from Coffee Shops
The official and effective reasons are as follows:
- Coffee shops create a space for efficient work and enhance productivity.
- They increase networking and creativity.
- There is very less distraction.
You might be having a good furnish and an organized office but it is very easy to fall into the unproductive cycle within these four walls. This leads to the destruction of your creativity. Moreover, while you change your surroundings from time to time then this will bring within you a new type of inspiration.
One scientific study has shown that noises around 70 decibels stimulate creative thinking. You will encounter such noise level commonly in coffee shops.
Nowadays, coffee shops are filled with people who come to work there. Therefore, you will even be inspired to work by watching others as well. On the other hand, you might even come across people who have new ideas and different perspective about matters which you are giving thoughts about. And in this way, you can increase your networking space.
Coffee shops are also great places for business meetings because they have an apt atmosphere of conversation. But the other way round, you are even supporting a local business. As you work from a coffee shop, you are aiding them by spending some time and even using their service on a regular basis. Moreover, you might even have their support when the time comes.
They are less distractive than an office because you might be interrupted by co-workers and work in the office but this is not the case with tiny coffee shops. The unwanted chats and work reminders can be a barrier whereas; it is even not good for productivity. In the coffee shops, you have your own independence in interacting with people whenever you want. More precisely: there are rare distractions.
Lastly, it is easy to focus on work in coffee shops compared to offices. In the coffee shops, you are surrounded by hard-working people who are too much into their work. However, as an effect of your surroundings, you tend to work harder and become productive. Moreover, in these coffee shops, everyone is dealing with their own work problems and this will surely encourage you to deal with yours as well.
How to Work From Coffee Shops?
Coffee shop entrepreneur culture is not magic. To get the best results out of the environment, you will have to follow some key rules.
Pro Tip: The key point that you should always remember is that no matter how work-friendly location it is, they are after all local business and a public place.
Here are the rules you need to follow to work from a coffee shop:
- Buy Yourself Something:
Do not forget that coffee shops are local businesses and they even think about their profit. You won’t be getting a warm welcome every day if you just buy a cup of coffee and sip on it the whole day. Mindfully order enough to justify the amount of time you spend there. For instance, you can order sandwich, fries and cold coffee. - Sharing Is Caring:
If you see customers standing because he cannot find a place for themselves, then invite them and share your table. Be proactive and do not wait for them to ask you for permission to sit down. Pro Tip: bring your headphones so that you can work in complete peace.
- Clean Your Own Mess:
After you have completed your work, do not expect someone else to clean your used tissues. Do it yourself and keep your work stations neat and tidy. Doing this will make your coffee shop owner happy and everyone around you feel good.
- Maintain Silence:
The most important rule to work form the coffee shop is to maintain silence. Most people come to coffee shops to spend some good time or to work. Therefore noisy background would be the last thing that they would want. Try to attend your audio and video calls by keeping your voice low via headphone or you can even go out for receiving them.
The coffee shop entrepreneur culture is booming everywhere around the world. It was an unconventional practice before. But in the past decade, people have become so inclined towards it. It is definitely a different approach to working and making money, but a great one nonetheless!
Need more tips for staying productive in a coffee shop? Check out our other blog “How to Work from a Coffee House.”
Thanks for reading!
PS – Online Expert Empire is how you efficiently create your first product and build your online business so you can live/work anywhere (coffee shop, home office, while traveling).
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