Co-working spaces provide an ideal field for someone to break ground for an entrepreneurial venture. These independent offices function differently from a regular and predetermined 9-5, wherein an individual has the freedom to work autonomously on their enterprise, with flexible hours that match their preferences. A product for work-at-home professionals, these spaces simulate a more professional environment, helping freelancers and startups on their project at hand. With the increase in self-governed businesses, coworking spaces have witnessed a rise in many parts of the world.
Is there a need for co-working spaces?
Oman’s economy is rife with startups. Companies are training and supporting the Omani youth, in order to help them start their own small and medium-sized enterprises. Oman is on the cusp of economic growth in its private sector. But, are training programs and funds enough to encourage people to start their businesses?
There is a need for Oman to start investing in more co-working spaces. Whilst capital and skill make for a strong base, these spaces will provide an environment that can help young Omanis cultivate their innate business acumen and streamline their focus on building successful SME’s. Additionally, their low-price point may draw in more candidates, as compared to commercial spaces, whose expensive rent may cause some hesitancy on the part of grassroots startups.
Supporting Omani SME’s
Oman currently has a handful of co-working spaces. Al Rudha, being the first ever co-working space in the country. Offering a fully equipped office space with board rooms and meeting rooms, they also provide daily, weekly, monthly and annual membership subscriptions.
One reviewer of Al Rudha (The Lounge) said, “Al-Rud’ha guarantees I enjoy my time and be productive. With free wifi, creative people and coffee I’m bound to find new ideas to work on and the much-needed encouragement. I personally come here when I’m in need of inspiration as Al-Rud’ha’s community is very creative with a diverse educational background and experiences. This is the go-to place when you need to get work done, need help and don’t know where to start. I enjoy and learn a lot from the members, workshops, and events that take place here and highly encourage people to join.”
Apart from helping individuals create their own SME’s, a co-working space can be an excellent place for networking and connection building. Bringing creative and potent talents under one umbrella, co-working spaces may just be the necessary push Oman needs in order to increase their SME influx.
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[…] In 2017, the mining sector in the Sultanate saw a growth of 16.4 percent. PAM has identified private sector based mining projects with an investment value of $2bn. The projects stemming from PAM’s 2018 mining lab initiative predict a projected growth of RO378mn by 2023 in the mining sector’s GDP contribution – to be three times more than its current input. The initiatives are also set to create around 1,600 new job opportunities for Omanis. […]