A while back we ran a post on the growth of co-working spaces amongst Small and Medium Businesses (actually, amongst anyone – it seems that the appeal of co-working spaces is vast, spanning from the entrepreneur right through to travelling road warriors from F100 companies). Check out the Co-Work directory that we posted last year.

That said, Co-Works may not be the best fit for everyone. There are a number of other very viable alternatives out there that might work better for you. In these times of total mobility and working wirelessly from anywhere at any time, I expect that we will see more non-traditional workspace options coming up. Here is a brief synopsis of some other alternatives for the mobile worker, along with some links for more information.

Workplace Solutions – The most common non-traditional office-type suppliers are the very large providers of ‘workplace solutions’ along the lines of Regus. There are many types of packages and options to choose from to meet any business’s types of needs. Plus many are global so you may be able to opt for access to their buildings in various locations depending on where your business or personal life takes you.

Office Business Centers – These tend to be more in line with the Regus model of office space rental/lease than Co-Works, but there are many and they are varied across North America and the rest of the world. Business Centers in this category tend to be more local and individually owned, so they likely have their own flavor and style. They sometimes have reciprocal usage options amongst them as well.

Incubators or Accelerators – These are usually based on an application for entry and come with additional services and consulting to help get your company off the ground. Normally, the expectation is that you wouldn’t stay in an incubator or accelerator for the long term. They are meant to do what the name implies: get your business going to the point where you ‘graduate’ and go it on your own.

If none of these are what you are after, the local coffee shop with free Wi-Fi® is also a tried, tested and true solution.

Where do you like to work? Do you use a combination of these solutions to be most productive?

As the world recently celebrated Global Entrepreneur Week, I thought it relevant to share some information about an emerging trend in small business: the coming together of like-minded individuals in a well resourced, collaborative work space – “COWORKING”.

I was in New York City recently, and I had the opportunity to visit a coworking space (cleverly called “New Work City”). Coworking spaces are designed as a shared work/collaboration environment where a desk is available on a membership or casual basis. The idea is that while you may choose to be an entrepreneur, remote worker or even part of a small business, you don’t need to go it alone. Coworking spaces provide work spaces with all the benefits of a functional office setting (including Wi-Fi®, photocopiers, kitchens – who doesn’t need a water-cooler? – meeting rooms, and even nap lofts in the case of New Work City) in a more relaxed, cooperative environment.

Part of the cowork ethos is based on community building, and an area in the cowork is dedicated to additional programming that is beneficial to either the professionals participating in the space or the community as a whole. “Office Nomads” in Seattle offers a yoga class every Wednesday and occasional networking mixers as well.

Coworks are a growing phenomenon and can probably be found in an area around you. Click here to check the cowork directory. Additionally, these spaces exist as part of a global network and you can gain access to coworks almost anywhere your work/life takes you. Most have a reciprocal membership arrangement in place where some of your membership benefits are transferable between locations.

What do you think? Do you have any experience with coworks? Would they work for you?