Tiny Costa Rica offers a little something for everybody. Great tourist attractions, sunny weather, a stable democracy, rule of law, an excellent geographical location, you name it. It is the business ecosystem is relatively young, with a well-developed technological infrastructure and a very educated and capable labor force ready to meet the needs of many multinational companies. World leaders such as Intel, Procter & Gamble, Amazon, St. Jude Medical, Western Union and many more have offices in Costa Rica. In recent years a new business demand has to be satisfied: the need of meeting spaces where entrepreneurs can serve clients, organize meetings with allies, business partners or simply where they can relax in order to create, innovate and initiate their projects.
Whether you own a startup company or work in a global corporation, it is likely you are already familiar with the concept of coworking. Just in case you are not:
Coworking is a concept which first appeared in San Francisco (USA) in 2005. It was born as a short-term solution but its popularity has since grown exponentially. It is a way of working where independent professionals, startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and small companies (SMEs) converge and share a physical workspace, usually a desk, (although it can also be a virtual one as well).
Coworking Highlights
– A coworking space gives a sense of community. Professionals can relate, share ideas and projects and thus create synergy as they change their mentality from one based on competition towards one of collaboration.
– it can foster a flexible work model, in which the professional himself organizes the time as it suits him best, with no fixed schedules.
– As is not necessary to rent an entire office, coworking gives users the benefits of a full-time office, but with the costs of only whatever services and equipment, you use. Some figures indicate that it allows savings of up to 60% on fixed costs such as electricity, office cleaning, and maintenance or telephone.
– Another advantage is scalable growth. If the team starts to grow, space can adapt to your growing needs. This allows for expansion and increase of revenues while minimizing increases in costs.
– In a well-equipped coworking space, all sorts of services and extras are available. Depending on the customer’s budget limits they can, for instance, have a kitchen, a receptionist to receive your guests and a business address to show your clients (really important detail for many PMEs and startups).
Do You Resonate?
The solutions provided by the coworking model have cast positive results to its providers and facilities everywhere in Costa Rica. Enter Resonance, a company founded in early 2019 and launching their first site in Guanacaste. Daniel Yepez is a business consultant, social entrepreneur and alternative energies specialist. He is the main voice for this project. Here are some of his views.
TCRN: What’s Resonance?
“Resonance is a coworking project with an edge. We go beyond providing co-working spaces for freelancers, startups, and companies big and small. With us, you can have all the usual services that any state-of-the-art coworking provider offers. From high-speed communications to fully scalable spaces that can be adjusted to any budget…”
TCRN: What makes it different from the competition?
“Well, we are different in many ways. For instance, we to help companies and their employees evolve from a cubicle workplace into an environment where, they can surround themselves with Costa Rica’s nature, and furthering their productivity as well as their well-being.”
TCRN: Some companies offer a coaching/mentoring service. How about you?
“At Resonance we are working on a mentoring system that we think is unique. We would mentor our customers in traditional business areas like business creation, startup management, productivity and so on and so but we want to do more. Mentoring cannot be constrained to business environments and their fields of expertise alone.”
TCRN: How so?
“A business mentor is a person who guides you through the process of setting up a new business.” Now, we are talking Costa Rica here… How about mentors that would help you enjoy our Pura Vida style? Most fun activities like surfing, hiking, fishing could use a mentor. And how about making a difference where it counts? Take the experience from your neighbors, your community. We think that the interaction and exchange between the local communities and company people would be mutually beneficial. Local communities could provide a new kind of mentor. Visitors would learn how to fish, for instance, not in a luxurious boat but with a local artisan. And that’s only a first stage.
TCRN: interesting approach. And what would the companies and their employees get out of that?
We see Resonance as much more than a coworking provider. For us Resonance is an organically-developed loving community where individuals can work, live, prosper, enjoy and eventually retire, all this while they are surrounded by similarly minded people that “resonate” with one another.
“Coworking places usually include perks like on-site rock climbing walls, pools, cafeterias, gyms, daycare stations and things like that. They are great. At Resonance activities like plant healing, yoga, plant-spirit healing is going to be on the menu too. It’s a way of leveling through a life healing, a transformational if you like, array of experiences.”
“There is even a work trade plan and volunteering. Meaning: What set of skills do you have? Those skills can be exchanged for a living and working with us. Become a mentor yourself, maybe?
TCRN: Thanks for your time and your input Daniel. Keep us posted.
Thank you! And remember this: Do you resonate?”
