How to build your own community in a co-working space

Our understanding of how to work has changed. A growing number of co-working spaces such as The Bureau Business Center (The Bureau Dubai), are opening doors to new ways of building careers, both personally and professionally. The Covid-19 pandemic has become a part of our reality, but it has pushed us to think about unconventional ways of working, and its stance on our everyday life. Co-working spaces offer many benefits, but one of their most significant qualities is the sense of community they foster.

There is something so beautiful about connecting to like-minded individuals. Creating a strong community is at the essence of the Bureau’s female co-working space. These kinds of workspace communities allow you to expand your network, meet compatible people and grow together with them on a daily basis.

A strong sense of community is essential for wellbeing. It allows us to form genuine social connections and gives us a feeling of belonging which boosts happiness and confidence. Further, they can help us become the best version of ourselves by exploring avenues that we never dared to do before. Being part of a community is important, but being a part of a community that is meaningful to you, is even more important.

In this article, we will focus on providing 7 ways on how you can build your own community at The Bureau that has personal importance to you. Let’s take a look into these in more detail:

 “”There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about” – Margaret J. Wheatley

1. The Bureau events

The Bureau Dubai will be holding weekly thematic events and workshops which will focus around women’s wellbeing, and business 101 such as how to find the right investors, or how to invest in stocks. These events can not only be used to enhance your knowledge on certain topics, but it can create indirect business for you, by allowing you to talk to people that have similar interests with you, or better yet discover and become parts of new communities and groups, you never thought of before!

2. Get people involved in decision making

There is a beauty in sharing an idea or vision with like minded individuals who can help you with growing certain aspects of your business. As the saying goes ‘two heads is better than one’. Being in a work space means you are surrounded by people with different knowledge, and skill sets from yours. Our weakness may be someone else’s strength, and vice versa. This can be a great way for you to find different perspectives in a big decision you want to take for your company or brand. You can also reach out to our community manager to help you connect with someone who would be an asset to your decision making.

3. Support and influence

The beauty about a co-working space is, chances are if you found this space useful, somebody else with similar interests as you did also! It’s easier to socialize with friends recreationally, but the same does not always apply in businesses. In a co-working space, you get to meet new people, and build relationships with other people who use the space, but also others who may be interested in the same field as yours. This can allow you to take your business or idea even further by collaborating and growing your own interests with others. These kinds of actions allow you to support other women in the space, and influence them for the better. Empowering others is important about making positive changes in your community.

4. Take advantage of our needs and leads events

Every single month at The Bureau, we will be holding a needs and leads event for all our members to really take advantage of networking from the space, and connect with women that can potentially be their mentor, partner, or help connect with others that are essential for their business or personal growth. How does it work? Let’s say you are trying to grow your personal brand, and you are looking to connect with someone who is an expert on marketing and social media use. You provide your needs in the event, and chances are someone in the event can help connect you with what you are looking for, or better yet, there is someone there who can help you directly! And you don’t need to feel shy for asking, everyone there is. This will help build our community of successful women, which is at the heart of what we strive for.

5. Be active in our workshops

Workshops are the cornerstone of successful community engagement initiatives and are a staple of co-working spaces. They can represent community building, skill building, and can be a way to help you engage in things you want to grow for your development. Identify what are some skills you are looking to build? Is there anything that you think or skills that could help you grow your needs? If there aren’t any workshops currently of your interest, speak to our community manager, she may be able to help set something up!

6. Organize social events

What’s a better way to show off your skills and abilities, and reach the right people in your area of expertise? Organizing workshops and events of course! At The Bureau, we offer our members an opportunity to create and lead events in their area of expertise. These events start from women’s mental health, to building your own start-up and more! You can reach out to our Community Manager for more information.

7. Partake in discussion boards

We really want to make this process easy for you at The Bureau Dubai. As a Bureau member, you are able to start a discussion board on your dashboard where you can ask questions, ask for a connection, or just anything you need starting from ‘does anyone where I can find a good graphic designer’ to ‘hey, anyone down for a coffee at Jones?’. People can respond to you and you can respond to others, which can help you reach out to people more quickly and efficiently. The discussion boards are a big part of our community building and are accessible to all in the space.

In summary, co-working spaces offer a chance to connect with other like-minded people, make better decisions by bouncing off the right people, and allowing us to grow confidence in ourselves, and our business by empowering ourselves and others. To learn more about our community events and membership packages go to www.thebureaubc.com