Hi All, I'm just catching up on this awesome conversation! Great insight on all fronts...
I just cofounded a cowork in a VERY small town (12,000) people and we had most of our memberships full before we even opened. The key was gathering a team of community "leaders", educating them and getting them on board. We have 9 people who are not members and are not a "board of advisors"...they are visionaries who get "it" and their only role is to show up and offer their insight. They have been critical in spreading the word. We have also linked up with the local college and their entrepreneurial program...I interviewed their assistant director (also on our team) who offered some SUPER insight into his view on the impact of coworking on small towns (check that out here http://thecoworkconsultant.com/impact-of-coworking-on-cities/ ) Also, we ONLY have monthly memberships, no drop ins (the population isn't big enough to sustain it AND it has an negative impact on the community vibe)! Build the community first and get them excited to participate by having mini events that introduce them to one another...we are noticing that there's a BIG draw from nearby small towns too. People are willing to travel 15 minutes vs. their 45-60 minute commute to find something similar to our Cowork. The good news is, it's TOTALLY doable! Please lmk if anyone want to hear more. I have a ton of experience doing this in rural and "small" (from 12k up to 400k population) cities. Be great and thanks for coworking! Keep it up, you all rock:) Chris -- 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.
