In Spain, rural areas suffer serious depopulation problems. Migration to more urban settings and an aging population have left some towns and villages totally abandoned, on the brink of disappearance. However, in the face of this pessimistic perspective, initiatives arise innovators that seek to bring these peoples back to life and that have been strengthened by a growing trend of people seeking cleaner and quieter spaces to escape pollution and the fast pace of cities.
El coworking it is an interesting option to create job opportunities in abandoned villagesIt is an initiative that goes beyond tourism and that would be very useful to establish population, reactivate the economy of the towns, make them known, open them to new opportunities and help their repopulation. But before I tell you how to set up a rural coworking, let's establish what it is and how exactly the coworking.
What is and how does the coworking?
El coworking is a way of working that allows independent professionals to share and develop in the same workspace. In this way, although each one works on different projects, since they do not even have to belong to the same company, collaboration between people with different skills and from different sectors and se encourages the creation of joint projects. But ... How is a space different coworking from a shared office or a traditional business center? Around this work philosophy, a community of coworkers. This community is normally managed by a community builder, person in charge of knowing the professional profile of each colleague and that connects them to each other to feed the spirit of these spaces.
How does the coworking? In itself, the operation is simple, since it does not need too much infrastructure to mount them. The basic ingredients would be: a good internet connection, a set of rules established for coexistence and an available space to open it to others. Thus, anyone can reach out with their laptop and join the community. In fact, many of these initiatives arise in existing offices in which there is plenty of space and whose owner decides to open it up to other professionals and, of course, to their ideas.
What is rural coworking?
One of the advantages of spaces coworking it is the flexibility they allow in terms of their location. The coworkers work and connect with their companies, if they are not ., remotely, so they don't have to work in a specific location. Mount a coworking in an abandoned village it has become an idea not only possible, but viable Why might abandoned villages be ideal sites for the founding of a coworking?
Quality spaces available
If there is something that is left over in abandoned villages, it is space. Have a suitable place to found a community coworking it would not be, in principle, any problem. In addition, the quality of these spaces must be highlighted. Rural environments have characteristics that can hardly be found in more urban settings.
First, the price of land and housing is infinitely lower, so when creating a new coworking the initial investment should not be very high. On the other hand, the nature of rural environments would be tremendously attractive for professionals looking to work in a quiet and less noisy environment. Silence is not, however, the only advantage. Participate in a coworking rural would allow coworkers enjoy green and clean shared spaces in your spare time. This environment, ideal for disconnecting, would help increase the productivity of workers and forge ties between them, which is one of the main objectives of the coworking.
A double source of value
El coworking rural areas would not only benefit its founders and coworkers who participate in it. The peoples urgently need new initiatives to save them from disappearance. El coworking it is a new way to attract fixed population and revitalize empty villages.
While it is true that, in principle, coworkers who go to these spaces do so temporarily, the communities mutate, grow and are nourished by new workers. Thus, around these very particular offices needs arise. Restaurants, gyms, tourist offices, organizers of hiking trails, shops, supermarkets ... A wide variety of businesses would have a place when offering services to these communities. These businesses would have a staff of people who would move and who would remain in the town. Therefore, we should not think of this incentive as if it were only a source of employment for those who are directly involved in the coworkingbut as a source of value for the whole village.
El coworking It gives a solution to one of the main problems posed by rural tourism, temporality. Creating trade structures and networks that are necessary and profitable throughout the year. Let us remember that coworkings They are not offices that are rented to companies, nor are they tourist accommodation that is intended to organize business coexistence experiences, they are spaces intended for collaboration and improving productivity and that remain active all year round.
How to set up your own coworking in an abandoned village?
If you would like to live in a tiny town or wonder how to repopulate it, if the idea of a coworking rural seems an interesting option, pay attention to the following summary of the steps you must follow to set up your own coworking rural in an abandoned village.
Find a space
We have already insisted on the importance of space and have stressed that for a coworking works it is vital to have adequate space. Luckily there is characteristics inherent to the rural environment that will provide significant added value for your spaces. The abundant natural light, the spaciousness of spaces, the tranquility necessary for work: these are elements that are positively valued in a coworking and the rural environment can offer them.
If your idea of setting up a coworking It arises from the will to help the repopulation of a town in which you already own properties, you have already advanced a little step. On the other hand, if the idea arises because you are looking for professional opportunities away from the cities, you should know that there are properties and even entire villages that are for sale and that you can acquire, through the internet, to start your project.
Study your space
When you buy land to place your coworkingNormally, you analyze that space before acquiring it. Before buying, you make sure that the conditions are right to bring your idea to fruition. But if you already have a space from the beginning, it is important that you study it to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. You must ask yourself what this space can contribute to those who are part of it and recognize what problems it presents and which of these problems are solvable. This analysis will also help you determine what your target audience will be. Once you have it clear, it will be much easier for you to adapt your space to your needs.
Although there are many advantages to setting up these workplaces in a village or town, not everything is rosy. Accessibility is an important requirement for a coworking works and not all towns have a comfortable and efficient transport network. Internet connectivity This is another important point and, although the network is increasingly global, there are still places where connection and coverage are slow or unstable. By last, environmental conditions they can also make it difficult for the project to function. If the village or town in question is in an area that is too remote or with extreme weather conditions, you should take this into account when properly conditioning the spaces and ensuring supplies.
Think about your value proposition
When you offer your coworking you are not renting tables in an office to share expenses, you offer a space in which you will promote the creation of networks, ideas and common projects. Therefore, it is not enough to set up a venue and advertise it on a web page. If what you want is to get started in this work philosophy, you have to give something else. It is important to define what makes your coworking rural an attractive proposal and how, from its facilities, you will promote collaboration and the appearance of new opportunities.
So, before starting, you should clearly state what makes your proposal special, because you coworking rural can benefit your futures coworkers and how it would nurture its independent projects (since it is not only seeking to create common projects).
Create a communication strategy
However, it is not enough to be clear about the strength of your coworking. It is important that your stakeholders know your project. "What is not communicated does not exist" and that is something that you have to apply in your coworking rural. It is useless to have the best facilities, the best space or the best ideas if you are not able to tell others what the spirit of your proposal is.
Thus, social networks will become your greatest ally to publicize and publicize your Coworking However, your communication strategy should not be limited to advertising or sporadic presence in networks. You should create a brand to promote, with your image and your identity. You have to be present constantly in social networks and create an attractive website that is positioned in search engines. The content that you disseminate in your profiles must be valuable content. You have to offer more than just ads if you want them to be interested in your Coworking Disseminate about the philosophy of coworkings rural areas, about what life is like in a village or sharing how your space works on a daily basis, are good ideas to bring your project closer to the public.
What legal procedures should I carry out?
Un coworking rural is a business and therefore to mount it you need to establish a business plan and have some licenses. The business plan establishes if your project is viable or not and if you have enough own financing to start it. As for licenses, it is probably one of the issues that gives you the most headaches. In reality, there is no specific license for this type of space, it will depend fundamentally on the type of activities that will be carried out in it. Note that the procedures are important and that you will have to dedicate part of your investment and your time to be sure that your business meets all legal requirements.