If ever there was a city so full of distractions, Bangkok is it. With enough bars and restaurants to fill a small country, the city is an international playground for foodies, party-goers and rampant socialites.
The morning after the excess, however, Bangkokians are getting their heads down to hustle.
The city is becoming a melting pot of entrepreneurship with creatives, marketeers, developers and – masters of professional ambiguity – digital nomads aplenty.
One of the most important decisions you can make as an entrepreneur is where you’re actually going to set up shop and carry out your work.
Working from home may be manageable for a while but eventually you’ll find that it blunts your creative juice, blurs the lines almost totally between the concepts of work and home life, and (bonus!) drives your girlfriend crazy.
On the flip side, especially if you’re a startup founder, you’re probably not in a position yet where you’re ready and willing to lay down the big bucks for an office in Sathorn on an annual lease. If there’s anything more damaging to the hair line, let me know…
Enter the co-working space:
You’ve got your own desk among other like-minded professionals in a productive, buzzing atmosphere – motivation plus networking.
It’s affordable, too, with many co-working spaces offering daily, monthly and yearly memberships depending on how often and when you’ll want to use the space.
And there’s plenty of value-added facilities onsite too – meeting rooms, coffee stations, hell – one’s even got foot massages!
Here’s our run-down of the co-working spaces on Sukhumvit…
Hubba
Ekamai
With the Liverpool-esque motto of “You’ll Never Work Alone”, Hubba is really the pioneer of the benefits of co-working in Bangkok.
Stand-out features
- Open 9am – 10pm
- Free coffee
- Garden with a trampoline
- Team tables/private office/hot desking/function rooms/meeting rooms
- Networking opportunities – power lunch, business matching, business consultant, access to VCs
- Regular events and workshops
- A huge number of different rates and membership types to suit every budget and sensibility
ONEDAY: Forward
Phrom Phong
Huddled at the back of top coffee spot Casa Lapin, Forward is the co-working space inside ONEDAY, particularly popular with freelance writers and travellers.
Stand-out features:
- Open 24 hours
- High speed internet
- Individual desks
- High quality printer
- Meeting rooms available
- Different memberships available from ‘quickie sessions’ to yearly
The Hive
Thonglor
The Hive, marketing itself exclusively to the creative industries, is a 6-floor space dedicated to both work and play in the heart of Thonglor.
Stand-out features:
- 24-hour access with a key card; reception staffed from 8am – 8pm
- Roof garden and bar
- Spa offering foot and shoulder massages
- Hot desking, solo workstations, private office units, meeting rooms
- Business address and post box
- Fibre optic connections
- Print stations
- Lockers
- Free water, coffee and tea
- Flexible memberships including discounted rates for startups and charities
Kliquedesk
Asok
Kliquedesk is definitely one of the more brightly colored office spaces in Sukhumvit and enjoys excellent positioning on Soi 23, close to both BTS and MRT stations. It describes itself as ‘no frills’ so there is admittedly less value-added facilities here.
Stand-out features
- 24/7 access
- Hotdesking or fully furnished serviced offices
- Virtual office space
- Meeting rooms
- Business address
- Options for incoming mail handling
- Free drinking water
- Ergonomically designed furniture
Check out Glowfish if you’re interested in serviced offices in Asok.
Storyline
Phrom Phong
A brand new cafe-cum-coworking space on Soi 39, Storyline isn’t quite at the level of The Hive or Hubba but does offer an inspiring and relaxing atmosphere to get your head down and get some work done.
Stand-out features
- Dedicated individual work space
- Creative group space
- Outdoor terrace
- Extensive menu and coffees available
- Regular happy hours
Are you an entrepreneur on Sukhumvit? How do you best maintain productivity levels?
Research by Shayan Naveed
Featured image is from Storyline
