How coworking helped my business (& my mental health)

When I first joined Village Coworking back in November 2024, I didn’t do it for business reasons, I did it for me.

At the time, I was struggling with my mental health and feeling lonely working from home. I decided to join Village for a month, just to get out of the house for a change of scenery and to hopefully meet some new people. But almost immediately, I realised how much I needed that sense of connection in my life.

The space was warm, welcoming, and full of inspiring women, building and running their businesses, and there was such a sense of community. When I eventually launched my Virtual Assistant business, I was overwhelmed with the support I received. Chats over making tea in the kitchen, turned into genuine conversations about business, confidence, and growth.

Although I became a VA to have the flexibility of working anywhere, anytime, I quickly learned the importance of finding my people. There’s something special about being surrounded by like-minded women who get it. I’ve gained so much inspiration, knowledge, and confidence from simply showing up and working alongside them.

I’ve met more people, and made more meaningful friendships, through co-working as a self-employed person than I ever did in my previous employed role, where I worked in a company of 250 people.

Fast forward 12 months, and I’ve now worked with six incredible clients from Village. But they didn’t become clients just because we happened to swap business cards in a co-working space. These relationships grew naturally, over time, chatting over a cuppa and learning about each other's businesses. It has been so important to build trust through genuine connection, and I am so grateful that Village has enabled me to do this.

Being part of a co-working community has reminded me that business isn’t just about services and invoices, it’s about people. It’s about trust, shared experiences, and helping each other grow.

If you’re a business owner working alone and feeling a little stuck or isolated, I can’t recommend co-working enough. It might just change more than your workday, it might change your whole perspective and give you the boost that you need!