Happy and connected- co-working in Schwerin

"I created the café because people in Schwerin simply needed a place like this. I wanted to help shape my hometown," said Witt. The co-working space is now a hub where creatives can develop their projects and work temporarily. It also attracts locals and their guests who simply want to relax, have a lemonade and chat. The café remains popular even after moving to a new spot n Schwerin's enchanting old townlast autumn. The co-working café is now bigger and brighter after expanding from 100 to a good 350 square metres. The quiet spaces are ideal for working and feature lots of cosy corners for drinking coffee as well as a conference room for meetings and events.

Witt is not the only founder creating opportunities for modern working and networking in the north-east of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. More and more offers for founders and creatives are popping up beyond major cities. In Ludwigslust, for instance, the DeveLup has opened where startups can avail of affordable workspaces, fast fibre-optic internet, training and coaching opportunities, and crucially, a maker space with tools and a 3D printer. Last year, Grabow, a small town 50 kilometres south of Schwerin, hosted the Summer of Pioneers. This saw 20 creatives and digital workers living and working together in the countryside on a trial basis. Experiments are also underway in Wismar which is gearing up to host the Über Morgen - Future Festival MV in September. Stakeholders from commerce, education, politics and society are expected to host all kinds of interdisciplinary talks during the festival. Topics on the agenda include business and work models suitable for future generations, sustainable education concepts, and the transformation of rural areas. Participation is expressly encouraged!

Opening her own café was like a leap in the dark for Witt. Despite high overheads for staff and rent, she went ahead and took the plunge: "The good thing about Schwerin is that it's easy to make contacts here. You sometimes bump into the mayor in a small town like this." As a native of Schwerin, Witt naturally drummed up support for her idea. And she eventually won over the jury of a competition, run by the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), to revive old town centres. The resulting support proved invaluable. And Witt is not one to be put off when others have doubts. Networking from the outset has proven that many things are easier and best done together. This led to contacts with the Schwerin Junior Chamber of Commerce, the North German Business Association Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Gründungswerft. Witt has also learnt from other people's positive experiences and this has gone a long way towards promoting her co-working café. Having her family on hand was an added bonus and proved the best thing about her hometown. 

There is no typical business season at "Tisch". Footfall varies all the time. "A few days ago, for instance, two secondary school leavers who were studying together, sat here beside a pastor working on a sermon. And there was a woman sitting nearby, who had just quit her job as a managing director to start her own coaching business. That's exactly what I wanted," said Witt. And "yes, she would start her co-working café again. Witt is now aiming for a smoother business future. Many co-working spaces have contracts with companies whose employees work there. The more companies involved, the better the revenue can be calculated. More such contracts are important. "The pressure is huge. You can't be faint-hearted in a place like this," she notes. Nevertheless, Witt has no regrets about becoming self-employed. Her previous jobs often became routine, prompting her to change jobs frequently. "I've loved working on this project for almost six years now. People come in every day and say, 'Thank you for doing this; it's so nice here.'"
agu/kk/pb