starting coworking tulum
It’s been about two months since launching the concept of CoWorking Tulum.
I have been living and working in Tulum Mexico since the pandemic hit. I, like many others, moved to Tulum as the opportunity to work remotely for an extended period was too golden to pass up. As soon as my lease in New York ended, I packed my things and moved to sunny Tulum!
The transition was not an easy one though. I had a corporate job which required me to be online and accessible for most of the day. I did not have a decent internet connection from my apartment in La Veleta and I may or may not have been spotted desperately trying to find WiFi when my internet cut out 5 minutes before a check in with my boss… multiple times.
Tulum is not like a big city. This is one of the few places where you can't “just Google it”. Digital nomad guides on where to work from are grossly outdated and Whatsapp groups, Facebook and word of mouth are primary sources of information. Every day a new person would ask the same question “where can we get the best WiFi?”. And everyday.. I read the same three or so locations being suggested. I tried these recommendations and personally found them either overcrowded, expensive or just not practical. One centrally located coffee shop recommended on virtually every Tulum blog, was blasting music at 10am the only time I visited, which did not go down well on my video call..
So, I started to look for quiet, reliable places to work from and found some boutique places in town that had everything I needed - WiFi, beautiful workspaces, indoor and outdoor seating, air conditioning, a comfortable environment, and best of all – some of the the most eclectic group of people I had ever met in my life.
Each time I found a new hidden gem, I felt like a local and I loved it! I never knew who I would meet that day, but have now worked alongside producers, creatives, visionaries and others that had escaped the corporate world. Some of these people are now good friends here, which has been so refreshing given how challenging it can be meeting people when moving to a new city. These connections and conversations have been so different from those I was used to in my corporate job and ignited a light of creativity in me.
As more people moved here, Tulum became more of a hot spot, and co working more of a hot topic. This has inevitably led to the rise of coworking locations here. I wondered why so much investment was going into new coworking spaces when the reality is that Tulum is already full of incredible locations to work from. I then realized it was because no one knew about them! This is how CoWorking Tulum was born.
Unfortunately, Tulum has a reputation for having slow or unreliable WiFi. In reality, all that is missing is up to date information on locations to work from. This lack of information forces many remote workers to solely trust their WiFi connectivity at home, or go to the same places repeatedly.
CoWorking Tulum started as a website that listed a handful of locations found in town that offered high speed reliable internet – that were NOT on any other blog or whatsapp group. It was a way to support the local businesses that had been hit hard by the pandemic and a sustainable option to meet the rapidly increasing demand for remote working options.
After going live, my younger brother decided to escape the London lockdown and come to Tulum and we were reunited after almost 10 years apart. Since then, he has been a godsend in supporting me with getting this platform to where it is today.
In just a over a month, CoWorking Tulum has expanded to offer almost 20 locations from Aldea Zama, La Veleta and Centro to Tumban Kaa and the beach. That’s right, there ARE fast WiFi options available on the beach! Our partners recognize the paradigm shift the world is experiencing and the influx of remote workers moving here - and many have upgraded their services to meet the needs of this growing trend. We have now done all the groundwork by visiting each location, testing their WiFi and partnered with the locations that met our requirements. Not only that, but all our partners are offering discounts and other added benefits to people who come through our platform. From super reliable places in town with upload speed over 100MB to secret jungle hideaways, beachside escapes and speakeasy bars that are open to a CoWorking community, our list of locations gives you an opportunity to explore and visit some lesser known parts of Tulum while doing your day job!
Right now, we are confident that CoWorking Tulum is the most up to date and exhaustive list of options you can reference for amazing places to work. Our list of remote working options far exceeds the information on any existing blog, YouTube video, Google, reddit forum or trip advisor post. What is even more exciting is that we are adding more locations to the platform every single week!
Today, a traditional co working space in Tulum is averaging around 350 MXN per day. Call me loca (Spanish for crazy), but I find this mind blowing.. even on my New York salary.
Given the CoWorking Tulum options are not traditional co working spaces, our pricing model is more affordable. Our partner locations offer discounts exclusively to our members on their menu, provide WiFi, give you the opportunity to use their space, make friends and meet amazing people - at a fraction of the cost of a traditional CoWorking pass. I would rather spend my hard earned pesos on something useful like food and exploration, rather than throwing it away just to sit on a chair.
We are now ready to accept members to trial our platform through Early Access membership through registration on the website. We are still working quietly in the background to refine, iterate and make changes to the initial business model taking into consideration feedback from both our users and partners. Our aim has been to build a model where everyone involved is a winner. We have been so overwhelmed by feedback received to date and are so excited to launch our platform to everyone soon.
Stay tuned for our next blog where we will reveal some of the best places to work along the beach… and yes, there are more options than Selina :)
