I have posted this before, but, maybe it is time to do it again. My experience with coworking in a small town for 5 years plus:
https://techymike.com/2015/01/27/coworking-in-a-small-town-lessons-learned/ Mike On Fri, May 27, 2016, 10:12 AM Laura McGlynn <[email protected]> wrote: > Gosh, I (and I bet many of us with similar smaller spaces) can relate so > much to what you are going through. I feel your pain - you're not alone in > all of these issues. > > I don't have any magic bullets, but I did want to share my number one > realization about myself and our space over the last year. When something > is 100% your own and you touch every aspect of the space and business, it's > easy to take these issues personally, but you have to try not to. It's > business. I've gone through this and all around this, and have had > sleepless nights wondering why people can be the way they are, but to them > it's a business arrangement and they "won't get what they don't ask for." > They WILL keep asking and taking as long as they are there. They feel that > they have to, or they wouldn't be doing the best for their own businesses. > I think the more quickly you can separate your personal feelings from this, > the better owner/operator you will be. Getting upset and feeling > (justifiably) taken advantage of has never been productive for me; when I > changed my way of thinking and started to make decisions about our business > based upon what it really is - a service - we began doing whatever we could > to make people happy - AND immediately cutting ties with the people who > never would be happy and were poisoning our environment. Because it's just > business, and that goes both ways. Regardless of how they've treated you, > this is a business decision - are they right for your space? Do they > contribute to the environment you are trying to build? > > That said, I don't see how our space would ever function without providing > a certain level of service. Our members don't expect to clean up after > themselves; that's what they are paying us for. A cleaning person was my > first 'hire', and we pick up after our members, wash their dishes during > the day, restock the bathrooms and paper towels, etc. (We go way beyond > that, but that's our brand.) I can't even comprehend asking them to take > out their own trash! I know all spaces are different, but our focus on > service is what I think differentiates us and will keep us viable as > competition increases in our area. What you're expecting of them feels, to > me, more of a co-op situation - maybe that's an avenue for you to look > into? I think there was a thread here in this group on just that topic, and > I know it was discussed at GCUC. Either way, I'd use a lot of caution in > pushing your rules/T&C's to the forefront of your conversation and thereby > putting walls up in front of your prospective members. Coworking spaces are > supposed to be all about inclusiveness and good vibes. It's up to you to > decide how much service that entails, but if you could fill your space and > pay the bills by just taking out the garbage and cleaning up a few messes, > wouldn't you be happy to do that? > > On Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 11:12:07 PM UTC-4, Anakowi Paul wrote: >> >> Hi Jessica, >> >> I have "experience" having done exactly that but I'm not sure I can give >> you ANY good advice. I've really hit the wall this week and questioning my >> level of naivety in this venture. >> >> I apologise if this post comes across as a whinge but I'm struggling to >> understand where I've gone wrong. >> >> My space is comfortable in a roomy and well appointed sense but TINY when >> it comes to catering for a viable revolving door community of workers. We >> have a max. 8 fixed desks plus we can accommodate another 8 in the >> group-table, coffee-table lounge areas. Town population probably 3-4k >> people, high unemployment but a lot of early-adopters of innovation. It is >> not your typical office space being an old renovated hall. The space >> includes a residential apartment... so the lounge area has a large >> home-office ambience – an atmosphere that will suit some but not others. >> >> We've been operating for a little over six months now... and haven't >> grown much. I've needed to adapt my ideas and tighten up the rules a bit >> (not easy with those who've joined early) – but so necessary. Maybe this is >> the hardest part when you don't have a stream of people lining up for a >> desk... because it's the people who set and shape the culture of the >> community. >> >> Regional populations in Australia are very small - so marketing is not >> easy. However I saw a need (not necessarily a demand) for affordable and >> social working options. While I've been prepared to operate at a loss for >> 12 months, with the idea of pricing products very competitively and >> attractively, I hadn't factored in the heavy lifting involved in site >> maintenance. Rules around "cleaning up after yourself" don't relieve me of >> the janitor role. >> >> Pricing correctly (and sticking to it) is proving to be an issue. In >> particular because I have a group of people from a single organisation who >> are dominating – in the sense of "owning" the space, and over time becoming >> less mindful of others (solo workers). They have asked for and I have given >> the group concessions on their argument that they deserve discount for >> volume. That was the beginning of more demands and I'm beginning to feel >> quite manipulated. They now want 24/7 access without an increased rate >> adding that they would probably look for their own office space. I >> responded simply with the obvious – it's a coworking space, there is no >> "lease", people come and go as needed. >> >> Two days later I was greeted with a bunch of flowers! and an offer to >> take over the whole space. I said I would think it over. >> >> The feeling of manipulation is clouding my ability to think >> strategically. Yes, I am taking it personally. It confronts my original >> vision. I'm leaning towards a decision to increase my monthly rate (to >> better cover maintenance) and to revoke the "discount" with the suggestion >> they find their own office. I will take the punt that other coworkers will >> materialise. Do I stick to my vision or do I acquiesce? >> >> I realise that part of my problem stems from starting out "soft". I >> didn't develop and deliver the Terms and Conditions from the outset. Don't >> make that mistake. And I wasn't clear in myself about the nature of >> offering a coworking facility. Do customers have a right to expect >> coworking to be a fully serviced option where they don't have to worry >> about taking out the garbage? >> >> I would really appreciate a no-punches-pulled reality check from more >> experienced coworking vendors. >> > -- > Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
