This text was published on March 22, 2022. 

It's amazing that it's already been 1.5 months since I started in Kobben! Time has flown by, which is probably due to the fact that I have met an incredible number of committed people and been able to participate in exciting discussions and workshops. It strikes me that much of the activity that has taken place has arisen because we have been able to be physically present in the (office in) the incubator. It's super easy to have a short chat in the hallway and greet new faces that appear here and there.

I find myself thinking that I have almost forgotten how valuable the "random" chat and the informal meeting can be at times.

Over the last two years, several have known what it's like to be able to take just a few steps from the bed, via the coffee machine, and onto the office space. The phenomenon of "home office" (with a capital h, not g) has become a new norm for many and has proven quite effective in several ways. And as the habits we humans are, many have become quite comfortable with it.

Now that society has reopened, and you can actually get out among people, more people probably know about the well-known doorstep mile. It is also easy to think that you can work more efficiently at home, without interruptions from others.

But what if it is actually the small "interruptions" that make the big difference?

At home you can be quite isolated and alone in your thinking, and you can feel a little alone about your issues. It is easy to get stuck on a track where it is challenging to think outside the box.

This applies regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur in a start-up company, employed in a startup or in a more established company. The continuous sparring with others is not as easy virtually and individual questions along the way may never be asked. In a way, quick clarifications lose the "quick" of them.

So my point is quite simply that one must not forget the value of sitting in an office, an incubator, an entrepreneurial community or other places where one can discuss big and small challenges with others.

Instead of spending a lot of time pondering for themselves, probably someone else can see opportunities you never thought of. This may perhaps especially apply to those who are in an idea and start-up phase, where there is a need to spar about choices within e.g. strategy and business model.

At the same time, it may just as well apply to established companies that can get inspiration to move in new directions. In just a few weeks, I have at least seen several examples of how useful and motivating it can be in an environment where there is always someone to discuss or have a coffee chat with. It is really in such places that innovation, job satisfaction and creative processes are created. Welcome out of the home office folks!