Marilee, Are you involved with any of your local coworking efforts? Hearing our dialogue on this list is pretty one sided, despite how insightful :)
I'd highly encourage you to get out there and experience a few (or a dozen) different styles of coworking for yourself, as well as spend some time talking to people who participate as members, rather than operators. Our members tend to be far more insightful than I can, even when they don't mean to be :) -Alex /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 8:57 AM, marileebowlescarey < [email protected]> wrote: > I'm awed by the number of insights about this topic. As I have been > doing my due diligence, I have been both inspired by what is > happening, but also concerned about where it is going. So I appreciate > all your perspectives. > > Marilee > > On Jul 12, 2:06 pm, Campbell McKellar <[email protected]> wrote: > > All of these comments have been spot on; however I'd like to offer > another > > perspective (as a coworker). > > > > For some background, I'm working on Loosecubes, a website meant to > connect > > independents and travelers to the right coworking spaces and desk shares, > > and to facilitate connections between spaces and the people working in > them. > > We have a basic prototype out and are working hard on the second phase > > (thanks to the many of you who've been beta testers and provided > feedback!). > > So in some ways, I am not the typical coworker; however, in many ways I > am > > (if there is such a thing). > > > > In the last two weeks, working at New Work City, I have: > > - sat next to a publicist for startups who gave me some incredibly > valuable > > advice for about a half hour > > - had a successful facebook application builder review our wireframes and > > offer feedback > > - been introduced to a NY Times tech reporter and numerous bloggers > > - had my blackberry fixed by a handset expert who was able to talk me off > > the ledge after mine exploded > > > > All this for the price of a basic part time membership! > > > > If coworking spaces are able to communicate these types of experiences to > > people - using community members to do so - any business person is going > to > > come to the same conclusion I have: the economic benefit to my business > is > > 10x what I pay to come to New Work City. If you added up the cost to me > (as > > a understaffed startup entrepreneur) to track down a publicist, > developer, > > reporters, and tech support on an ad hoc basis (not to mention the cost > and > > time of engaging these services or spending time to meet with them and > > develop trusting relationships outside the workplace), it would be > > astronomical. In fact, I probably just wouldn't do it, and my business > > would suffer because of it. > > > > I think if people are considering business centers, staying home, or not > > willing to pay for memberships, it's because we're not 1) building > > communities that collaborate or 2) our members are not communicating > clearly > > to the outside world the incredible economic opportunity coworking > creates > > for them. > > > > Maybe the next wave of adopters needs to be recruited on economic, not > > strictly personal/lifestyle terms. > > > > (Just my two cents!) > > > > Campbell McKellarwww.loosecubes.com > > beta invite code: lovemonday > > > > ps. I know what Tony has created at NWC is incredibly special AND > > incredibly difficult to do, so please take my comments with a grain of > > salt! > > > > On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 12:06 PM, mark gilbreath <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > > > > > > Marilee > > > > > You've gotten some great feedback on the barriers to growth for the > > > human/"community" aspects of coworking. Let me add a couple of > thoughts > > > regarding the physical and operational aspects. After all, coworking > > > facilities are real places with real expenses, offering a real product > to > > > customers from whom we expect/need to be compensated. And, in many > cases we > > > owners/operators have ambitions for our coworking operations to be our > > > primary livelihood. So while there may not be any barriers to growth > of > > > the human community, there are real practical challenges and barriers > to the > > > business operations. > > > > > *We should expect increasing competition in the marketplace.* The > barrier > > > to entry to open a cowork facility is relatively low. It is > unavoidable > > > that some communities will eventually be "overbuilt". We should expect > the > > > serviced office/executive suites industry (Regus et al) to wake up... > at > > > some point... and view coworking venues as competition. We should > expect > > > competition from new players in the commercial real estate world who > are > > > scrambling to figure out what to do with a massive over supply of high > > > quality office space. > > > > > *We need to be able to operate our facilities at a profit, however > modest*. > > > Facilities that are running at a loss or at just breakeven will not > be > > > able to sustain themselves against competition or unforeseen changes in > the > > > market. We need to to have sufficient profit margin to maintain our > spaces, > > > invest in generating awareness to attract new users as we experience > > > turnover from our founding/first generation members, pay our staff and > > > overhead etc. > > > > > Yes the community - the people, left to freely interact and self > organize > > > ARE the culture, the heart and soul of our cowork facilities - *however > > > the spaces we create and the administrative processes we establish for > this > > > interaction are the backbone. *How we design these spaces and the > > > business model we apply, has an enormous influence on member > productivity > > > and have a substantial impact on our cost of operations. *To survive > and > > > grow as a movement* in a competitive marketplace we need to look for > the > > > same level of refinement and optimization that other real estate driven > > > businesses have discovered. Look to successful hotels and coffee shops > for > > > inspiration. These companies are constantly looking for marginal gains > in > > > all aspects of their operations to survive and grow. This may sound > like > > > "going corporate" to some of us - but whether we remain individual > > > independent operators with a single great facility or aspire to grow to > have > > > multiple locations in a region (as many of you do and or hope to!) > scaling > > > will demand paying attention to the myriad of small physical and > operational > > > details....efficient utilization of space, effective marketing, > simplified > > > administration etc. > > > > > Mark > > > > > On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 4:50 PM, marileebowlescarey < > > > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > >> What do people think are the key barriers to growth in coworking? > > > > >> Marilee > > > > >> -- > > >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups > > >> "Coworking" group. > > >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > >> [email protected]<coworking%[email protected]> > <coworking%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups .com> > > >> . > > > > >> For more options, visit this group at > > >>http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > > > > -- > > > Mark Gilbreath > > > > > PO Box 2830 > > > Ketchum, ID 83340 > > > > > mobile 208-720-8107 > > > skype mfgilbreath > > > twitter markgilbreath > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups > > > "Coworking" group. > > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > [email protected]<coworking%[email protected]> > <coworking%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups .com> > > > . > > > For more options, visit this group at > > >http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<coworking%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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