How Entrepreneurs Can Build Business
Connections Through Coworking

Running a business can often feel like something that must be done solo – looking for
clients, providing services, finding solutions and wondering what comes next. While it
can feel like there are always more tasks to accomplish, and sometimes even more
competitors to beat, the most effective growth strategies aren’t always the loudest ones.
Occasionally, all that is needed is the right conversation with the right person. Someone
completely unexpected can provide an answer, a new client, an opportunity in an
unknown market or even a business model that one might find themselves using. This is
often one of those overlooked perks of working in the presence of others.

Why Business Connections Matter

When it comes to building any form of sustainable business around oneself,
entrepreneurs need more than just clients. They need a network of people to learn from,
grow with and even refer business to. A graphic designer may find themselves working
with a content writer after meeting at some point. A consultant might find a new client
base through someone they met while working together. Small companies may stumble
across incredibly useful services that they never knew existed until they needed them.
These kinds of connections can be fostered in almost any workplace when the people
within it are receptive to them.

Networking Does Not Have to Feel Forced

Simply throwing business owners into a room full of strangers while handing out
business cards does not always create the kinds of connections that benefit everyone
involved. Coworking can facilitate networking in a much more organic manner, replacing
the feeling of an interrogation with something more akin to casual conversation. Sitting
next to someone at a desk while working, meeting someone at a coffee machine or even
finding out that someone nearby shares a mutual interest in one’s field of work does not
require an immediate exchange of numbers and a promise of future services. The most
valuable connections can often be the ones that seem the least planned.

Working Around Different Professionals

One of the main draws of a Coworking Space in Lagos is the sheer variety of
professionals that one is likely to meet there. From independent workers and consultants
to established businesses and everyone who falls somewhere in between, a place like
WorkSphere by Eridan puts together a collection of people who would not typically meet.
This allows for the free exchange of knowledge and opportunities between vastly
different occupations and specialisations.

From Introduction to Collaboration

As with most kinds of professional networking, connections formed at a coworking space
usually begin with a conversation. While there is no shame in simply finding someone
who can provide one with better working conditions, the most important connections
tend to be those where mutual learning and cooperation can occur. This can begin with
a simple introduction that leads to a referral, which can then turn into a long term
collaboration. Entrepreneurs who enter a coworking space with an open mind, however,
can be presented with countless opportunities in their field and beyond.

Making the Most of a Coworking Community

With all of the benefits of a business network clearly laid out, it is easy to overlook the
kinds of effort that go into making one. Building a connection usually requires a firm
approach, one that leaves behind any self serving intentions in favour of something more
mutually beneficial. Getting to know someone and engaging with them on a professional
level beyond handshakes and small talk is what most entrepreneurs should strive for.
Attending any events that this person may attend, engaging in conversations and
following up on any useful information are the kinds of behaviours that will help build a
network that serves everyone involved far beyond their first meeting.

A Professional Space Can Bring People Closer to Opportunity

For businesses based in Ikeja, a Professional Workspace in Ikeja can therefore serve as
more than simply a place for individuals to set up shop and get to work. It can be the
cornerstone of an emerging professional network, built around the kinds of
conversations that do not usually occur in the office. WorkSphere by Eridan is a great
example of how a coworking space can provide opportunities for people who work in
similar fields as well as those who would not typically work together. The value of
coworking therefore extends far beyond the walls of the office itself, building a space for
people to learn, network and grow outside of their everyday workspace.
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely endeavour, but it does not have to be one’s sole
method of operation. The person next door can become one’s new collaborator, referral
source or long term client. Someone one barely spoke to can become the one to
introduce a business to a whole new market. This is how a Coworking Space in Ikeja
can be so much more than a desk to work at.