Hi Michael -- I suspect the responses you're going to get on this will be wide ranging -- and they should be, as start-up costs will very much be a function of the location, size and objectives of each space. Also, you're going to need to translate the info you get into "apples to apples" comparisons for the data to be valid... for example, many folks who don't come at this from a business / accounting background will attribute both capital and operating expenses to "costs."
In terms of my own space, I have chosen to bootstrap my endeavor. Consequently, my initial capital investment was limited, and I am using operational revenues to pay for additional capital needs as the community grows. I did not have to undertake any leasehold improvements in my space. A portion of my furnishings and equipment were cannibalized from another business, and IKEA is my friend for what I have opted to purchase. My total investment for capital items thus far is under $1,750 for a 1,000 square foot suburban space outside of Boston that maxes out at 10 concurrent users. Do you consider ongoing "costs" for marketing and sales-related activities part of the information you're looking to collect? If so, then how would you like to measure these (annualized gross costs or in some other fashion)? My pre-opening marketing expenses were very limited -- about $250 for some flyers, brochures and digital ads. As of the end of January, my space will have been operating for 4 months. In terms of operational performance, we're almost at break- even (and even that's a bit misleading, as I haven't really been marketing aggressively). Hope this is helpful. Jack ---------------------------------------------- Jack Speranza Principal, Main Street Ventures 15 Main Street, 2nd Floor Hopkinton, MA 01748 T: 508.858.5440 x101 F: 508.858.5441 Toll Free: 866.472.1035 http://mainstreetventures.com http://zenbungalow.com ---------------------------------------------- On Jan 30, 11:33 pm, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: > I was thinking about writing a blog article about the costs of > starting a coworking space on my website and I thought what the hell? > Why not just start a thread here and get actual feedback from people > who have been through all this before. This way i can get some great > material for a killer blog post and this can also be an informative > thread for people who are thinking about opening their own coworking > space. > > So here are my questions for anyone who has started a coworking > space : > > 1)How much did it cost you to start your community coworking space? > > 2)What was the cost breakdown? > > 3)Were there any surprise costs which you never considered? > > 4)If you has to do it again how would you spend differently? > > 5)What were your smartest cost saving measures? > > 6)What is your biggest on-going cost? > > Please add any more questions you can think of! > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Advertise your coworking spaces for FREEhttp://www.myecodesk.com -- 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]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
