Working on the Lima, Peru Coworking space has made me think of how
many possible options are to make a space self sustainable.
So far I see that there's probably no right business model for a
space, but just to think of ideas to make some cash along the way to
keep the space open. For me the decission to open a Coworking Space is
not to make a profit or money, but to start integrating the design,
consulting and tech community here in Lima, as Tara points out is not
about the money economics. But I surely want the space to be self
sustainable and right now I'm brainstorming (alongside with my
Coworking and Business Partners) ways in which the space can get some
cash in order to have a couple of months of spare cash for the tough
times. But like Alex Hillman said in his blog post and comment on
other discussion here: there needs to be case studies in order to know
what to do or at least use as a guide.
For me what's most important in a Coworking space is the Passion that
you put to build it and to promote it and make it sustainable. It's
like a 'small business' in some form, you need to be there and hustle
for sponsorhips, donations, memberships and work out a model that will
work. That passion and higher purpose will make a space happen, not
because of the money, but because you're creating a space for sharing
ideas, thoughts, debates and learning. And also because you're
innovating in the way freelancers and small teams work giving people
and new approach to freelance-independent work.
Jorge Jaime
On Aug 20, 9:06 pm, Tara Hunt <
[email protected]> wrote:
For me it has less to do with the money economics (CS has been more of a
money suck than a money maker over the years) and more with the social
economics. Coworking as a movement has been personally rewarding for me as
has being part of Citizen Space. I meet all sorts of cool people, get to
give back to my community and take pride in watching a movement grow over
the world.
That's worth more than money to me...and I have a feeling that many others
who are part of coworking are probably in it for the social and personal
benefits over the monetary benefits. But I could be projecting...
Tara
p.s. Interesting to note that Bill and Dane sold Workspace a year ago to
someone else who hasn't really reached out to the coworking community like
Bill and Dane used to. I
haven't met Jayson nor his wife and hadn't stopped by Workspace since
the transition.
On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 9:30 PM, Christian <[email protected]> wrote:
Having read about the impending closure of Workspace, I wanted to
start a dialogue regarding the sustainability of coworking spaces. The
reality for most coworking spaces is that the space itself does not
provide reasonable income for the space owner. The situation for most
spaces seems to be that either the space is a break even or slightly
above water venture used as a primary office for the owners work, or
the space is one that the owner would have occupied regardless of the
other users, and coworking is a means of giving back and creating a
beneficial environment while recouping some of the expenses you would
have had anyway.
So, the real question is, can coworking BE a reasonable profit
business. Do you think the business model allows for sustainable
profit? If your design or programming firm begins to hemorrhage
clients due to economic conditions, will your coworking space be
sustainable? If you have a sustainable model, or are even making your
living from the space itself, what are your suggestions for those that
are not?
It seems to me that there IS an economic tipping point, where the
expense of the space for the member is too much to justify the benefit
of the space. How do we begin to gauge this? It will be different for
all areas, certainly, but do you feel there are economic or activity
indicators that can serve as a warning to a space owner that they are
approaching a cost-benefit switch?
And I suppose the last question is, should we worry about it? Is the
situation for Workspace unique enough that coworking as a whole will
be free of impact from it?
--
tara 'missrogue' hunt
Book: The Whuffie Factor (http://www.thewhuffiefactor.com)
Blog: HorsePigCow: Marketing Uncommon (http://horsepigcow.com)
Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/missrogue
phone: 514-679-2951
