Navigating the Storm: 5 Years of Owning a Coworking Space Through a Pandemic
1345 sign ups, 19,327 bookings, 81,641hours and 45minutes of coworking since we opened the doors in 2019. Wow!
As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of our coworking space, we find ourselves reflecting on the incredible journey we've been on, especially navigating the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic (which now seems a lifetime ago!). From excited beginnings to facing adversity head-on, these five years have been a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the support of our bustling community.
Inception and Growth:
Half a decade ago, our vision was to create a dynamic workspace that fostered creativity, collaboration, and community. We started small, with a handful of freelancers and entrepreneurs sharing desks and ideas and a small monthly events calendar. Over time, our space grew, attracting startups, remote workers, and small businesses seeking a vibrant environment to thrive in. Now we have a wealth of members across a vast range of industries, 15 private offices, and many teams using the space to get together on a weekly basis.
Suite 4 at Rume2 Headquarters
Community Building:
Central to our ethos has always been the creation of a supportive and inclusive community. We organised networking events, workshops, and social gatherings to support connections between our members. Witnessing friendships blossom, partnerships form, and ideas come to life within our walls has warmed our hearts. Hosting the monthly networking group Last Friday Club since early 2023 has been one of our highlights. Seeing 50+ people in our space every month, sharing, chatting, laughing and supporting their peers has been very rewarding, thank you Debbie and Emily for partnering with us!
The Pandemic:
Back in early 2020 when everything was on the up and we had just (2 weeks earlier) opened our second space, our journey took an unexpected turn with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As lockdowns were enforced and businesses shuttered, the future of coworking sure seemed rocky. Overnight, our bustling space became eerily quiet, as members transitioned to remote work, and new health and safety protocols were implemented.
Rosie and her cleaning products
Adaptation and Innovation:
Determined to weather the storm, we swiftly pivoted our operations as much as possible. We took our community online offering remote get togethers and resources. We introduced flexible memberships and enhanced cleaning measures to ensure the safety of anyone using our space..
Libby using Zoom in Lockdown
Resilience and Renewal:
Despite the challenges, our community remained pretty resilient. By re-evaluating our priorities, streamlining our ops and rolling with the punches we finally made it through. We had taken a huge hit to our finances but were bolstered by all the new faces that joined after the restrictions were lifted. . Years later you can still see the remanence of tape on the carpet indicating what direction to walk in, a daily reminder to us that we overcame adversity. Good news is the pandemic has reshaped the way we work, and coworking spaces will continue to play a vital role in the post-pandemic world.
Social distancing and Charlie the poodle
We certainly don’t know what the future will bring to Rume2 but we remain committed to nurturing the brilliant community we have created and helping people & businesses to work, talk & grow together.. We’ve done so well to get this far and and we look forward to the next chapter of our coworking adventure.
The past five years have been a rollercoaster of challenges and triumphs, but through it all, we’ve been kept going by the people who use our space. We move forward with immense gratitude for the incredible individuals who make our coworking space truly special.
Here's to the next five years!