Ready to Escape the 9–5 Corporate World? Why Not Dive into Melbourne’s Co working Culture

If you’ve been thinking of escaping your corporate job and want to try something new, Melbourne is one of the best places to do it. In 2016, Kimberley Paterson (Knight Frank Senior Analyst, Research & Consulting) came out with a report that found “Australia has recorded the highest growth of co-working spaces in the world (per capita).” This co-working trend has been widely adopted all over Australia and its momentum is showing no sign of slowing down. Here at Inspire9, after 10 years of building a great community in the co-working space, we think it’s great we’ve gotten company.

Our community is not industry-specific and ranges from freelancers, founders, small startups, entrepreneurs, growing enterprises and more. In this article, we would like to highlight a few residents that have left their corporate jobs to embark on something new and foreign to their previous roles. The common denominator in their stories is the desire of self-agency, creative freedom, autonomy and the drive to learn by doing.

Scott Ko, the founder of ColourSpace, is changing the way people engage with art by turning our workspaces and cities into a giant, moving galleries. He craved to see new artwork on the walls of his office, so he decided to change them. That’s when his journey into co-working began. His decision to launch into something new stemmed from the desire to create something through self-agency; by learning and doing. He wanted the autonomy to conceive and take ownership of his journey and narrative.

Anton Stout left his job at corporate giant, Telstra because he had, “too many creative ideas.” And we hate to burst your bubble but, creative ideas are not synonymous with office politics. “Having a budget and a s*** ton of resources is very enticing. However, you’re sold autonomy, but you never really get that — at all.” Therefore, it was time for him to step out and be in charge of the direction of his very own project, Clue Group.

The Sharing Economy

These stories are only a handful of the many people that have joined the co-working phenomenon. Shifting trends and the demand for collaboration and more flexibility are leading businesses to “re-examine traditional work practices and processes (Paterson 2016).” One trend, in particular, is the economic attraction to sharing commodities and services for a variety of daily necessities like Uber and Airbnb. This concept of sharing is a fundamental trait for millennials, who by 2020 will make up 50% of the global workforce (Paterson 2016).

One Size Does Not Fit All

So, now you’re ready to leave the 9–5 job and check out what all this ‘co-working’ is about. Here at Inspire9, we understand that one size does not fit all. With so many amazing co-working spaces out there, it is important to take a moment to think about what your business or idea is set out to accomplish, the problem you would like to solve and the journey you will take to get there. Are you interested in a collaborative, open setting? Or, a space to put your head down and grind? Either way, there are so many to choose from and we would love to help you find your fit! Feel free to check out our space here in Richmond and, for a limited time only, start your free trial with us. We would love to open our doors and introduce you to our amazing community of entrepreneurs, corporate escapees, freelancers and just downright awesome humans.