Yasmin is an ambitious entrepreneur who has worked in 6 start ups, she regularly writes about her experience of this and provides advice on making the most of your career in the start up scene. 

Working in a small company can be isolating and often you need an office to have meetings, bring in clients and have a central place for your team to work together. 

Buying/renting your own office can be incredibly expensive and inflexible, especially if you don’t know how big/small your team will be in the next few months.

One of the best solutions to have somewhere to work can be a co-working space. The concept of co-working has been around for some time and has become ever popular, especially in London over the last 5 years. If you think co-working is for you then make sure to dedicate some time finding the perfect space for you. For me, my top 3 factors were having 24/7 access, a great atmosphere/friends I could make and the ability to use all facilities without any worry (all inclusive).

Settling into a space can take some time and one of the most important factors for everyone is remaining as productive as possible. One of the most inspiring things to be among is an environment where other people working just as hard and longer as you, it really keeps up the motivation.

Making the most of your time in a space means different things for different people. Defining what for you is a good time is the first step to having a good experience. For some, it may be to have a good social life and make friends; it may be to make business contacts or to simply have a space to work in away from the house.

Here are some tips to make sure you get the most out of the experience:

- Remember that you are spending a lot of your time at work and even if you’re not looking to be social, there’s no harm in keeping on good terms with your co-workers. Everyone wants to be in a friendly environment and if there is one team that doesn’t converse or say hi to the others, then be sure to receive a reputation for being the ‘ones who everyone dislikes’.

- One of the best ways to make business contacts is by socialising. Attending socials, even if for a short while can mean you gain rapport with people who are then more open to connecting with you on business terms. If you like a more formal approach, ask the co-working team to introduce you.

- Understand that not everything, can and will be perfect. Remember when you were at university sharing your flat with other students? Well luckily co- working spaces aren’t as bad as that, but as you don’t own the whole office, not everything that you request for is going to be implemented. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to suggest things to your co-working owners, there may be things that they didn’t think of and would be happy to introduce.

- Make sure you keep one activity/social just for your team. Working in a space where your employees can make friends with others can really boost the morale among your team. It’s also important to remember that your own team needs to be together and maintain their relationships with each other. Organise a weekly/monthly social only for your team. You’ll be surprised by how much it can strengthen the work relationships.

Check out Yasmin's website: http://thestartupgirl.co.uk/

Follow her on Twitter: @_TheStartUpGirl