At a time when "home office" was a foreign concept and work was almost always associated with fixed premises and clear structures, Nikolaus Dürk, founder and Managing Director of X-Net, took a radical step. He founded a shared office long before the word coworking even existed.
We spoke to him about the beginnings, challenges and the importance of shared workspaces.
#schongenial: How did you come up with the idea back then and what were your motives?
Nikolaus Dürk: A long-time friend and I were teleworking at the time with the advent of ISDN-Complete. After two years at home, the ceiling literally fell on our heads. We met regularly at Café Meier just to see people again and not sit in front of a screen all the time. Then I read in the newspaper "Die Zeit" about shared offices in New York and Hamburg where old spaces were being converted into shared offices. So we thought to ourselves at Café Meier: why not do the same in Linz? The idea was born while waiting to pay. And a company along with it.
#schongenial: Can you remember any key experiences from the early days?
Nikolaus Dürk: Money was tight. We five self-employed people from completely different fields started out in a 120 square metre flat in Herrenstraße: industrial design, caricature, sociology, cultural work and network technology. A Wuzzler (editor's note: table football table) took centre stage. When the phone rang, we interrupted the game and "ran" to work. We knew each other's successes and failures. This not only brought us closer together, but also created friendships that have lasted to this day.
#schongenial: What were the biggest challenges back then?
Nikolaus Dürk: Clearly the costs. And getting orders as young freelancers. Our approach was to support each other and give young people opportunities. Today, many coworking spaces are commercialised, sometimes with horrendous prices. We reject that. Our principle was and is: sharing costs without profit interests.
#schongenial: Has the shared office changed over the years?
Nikolaus Dürk: Yes, a lot. We are now in our third office, around 900 m² in size. Today we have everything from EPUs to companies with 35 employees.
#schongenial: Why are you still sticking to this model today?
Nikolaus Dürk: Because work is our lifetime. We prefer to spend it with people we like, who inspire us and support us, even when things aren't going well. Everyone has their place here, their (dis)order, their habits. We not only share the space, but also life. "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.". This quote hits our and above all my understanding on the head.
#schongenial: Thank you very much for this open and, above all, inspiring interview. And to anyone interested in premises in this shared office: please contact Nikolaus Dürk directly at nd@x-net.at.
