Would you WNH? “Work Near Home” is an idea I’ve been thinking about for some years and is waiting to happen, particularly in commuter towns (and as I live at the edge of London, that is the area I am thinking of first).
Already we see more and more people commuting only around 2 to 3 days per week and I do not see that changing, but what about the many people who either want a change in energy by leaving the house to go to work and/or don’t have the right kind of space at home to work?
For those people, I feel there is a real opportunity to create spaces for them where they can go one or two days per week to work and somewhere that is close (walking distance, ideally) to home in their suburb or small town or village. An added benefit to this is that they will have the opportunity to meet people who live in the same area and build connections in their community, which simply doesn’t happen when everyone commutes into the city centre.
Just in the last week, I’ve seen numerous pieces in the media about the “WNH” idea, but these will be slow to scale as they are all looking to buy or long-term lease dedicated spaces and then fit them out to be slick or even “biophilic” (yes, me too, I had no idea what that means, but read “we add plants and membership fees to match).
What if, as an idea, entrepreneurs instead created collaborations with local councils to open their local libraries every day of the week instead of the (often) only one or two weekdays they are currently open due to budget restraints? Libraries are almost always centrally located in a town and village and already have tables and desks for quiet work.
So, the picture above is one I took last Saturday of the library in a town of about 25,000 that is five minutes walk from two railway stations and in the heart of a high street with multiple cafes and restaurants within moments.
This library though, is under-funded and under-used, only open Monday, Thursday and Saturday each week and, to my eye, is not very welcoming right now with tired furniture and dated lighting and decor.
As a beginning stage to get community involvement, it could be an easy win for the council to have an entrepreneur take on opening the library as a community “WNH” space on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday each week. If I were that entrepreneur I’d begin with something like the following:
- Set up a website and allow people to book in advance to come in for a window of 3 or more hours
- Charge only a nominal amount (say £5-£15 depending on the duration of booking) and commit to people that funds would be reinvested into further developing the space and things such as events.
- Invest in a coffee cart (that can be stored in the library when not in use) and have quality barista coffee available to WNH members onsite
- Ensure that wifi is high-speed
- Collaborate with local cafes for lunch deals etc
This initial prototype could be set up for a tiny investment to prove the concept, then, over time, as the relationship with the community and local council grows, could be built into something that justifies a larger investment, such as updating furniture, decor, lighting, as well as creating distinct spaces, adding portable “call cubicles” for those who need to take phone or video calls.
I was asked recently if I was interested in volunteering in a local community garden. The answer was no, as a) I’m not energised by gardening, and b) there are many people around who can do this. For me, I am much more energised by an idea like this, as I love business and love to use business and entrepreneurial instincts and skills to help the community.
PS if you are in or around London and would like to talk more about WNH ideas, I’d love to!