We use the free edition of Slack and the paid version of GroupBuzz for email discussion (we are our own first customer) since it lets people get messages where they already are: their inbox.
Other software you might find useful/valuable enough to pay for: - zapier.com for linking different systems together. We use this for SO MUCH. https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2015/01/6-automated-workflows-that-make-our-coworking-space-better-every-day/ - typeform.com for creating signup forms and surveys - meetup.com I have a lot of mixed feelings about meetup, but if you’re gonna use it to organize members it does cost ~$150/year - frontapp.com or something like it for keeping your public facing inbox organized (something that handles emails as cases rather than threads is super helpful for keeping everything organized) There’s other stuff we pay for that you might already have/use, like Dropbox and subscriptions to Adobe products for doing graphics work for promos and other design related needs. One last one might seem obvious but I often see people forget is credit card processing. It’s so much better to be able to automatically debit memberships vs sending invoices and waiting on receivables (we started and ran this way for a LONG time before stuff like Stripe became available). But remember to factor in the 2.9%+$0.30 processing fees. They add up! On Oct 10, 2017, 3:27 AM -0400, Mark <[email protected]>, wrote: > Thanks Alex - I had some accounting software in my head, but certainly > communication tools had escaped my thoughts! > > Instead of imposing specific software on future members, my plan had been to > speak to them and try and tailor the software to their > needs/requirements/wants - my thinking is that some people will prefer email, > other's facebook, twitter, slack etc. but I'm going to go out on a limb and > suppose there's not going to be a one-size-fits-all that everyone is happy to > use! > > > > On Monday, 9 October 2017 14:58:38 UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote: > > Two big ones not on your list are both human service costs: > > > > - staff (unless you want to be chained to a desk, you're gonna want someone > > at least part time to help steer the ship on a daily basis) > > - cleaning service (I'm a big advocate of setting an expectation that > > members help take care of the space, but at the very least bathrooms need > > generally need professional care and normal foot traffic means floors will > > need to be cleaned at least weekly if not more often. > > > > Another big one that people often forget but adds up quickly is business > > software. That's your website, billing/management software (including > > payment processing fees), communication and support tools, etc. There's > > quite a bit of decent free stuff out there, but biz software does start to > > add up fast! > > > > -alex > > > > > > > > > > ------------------ > > The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself. > > Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org > > Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com > > My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten > > > > > On Mon, Oct 9, 2017 at 9:45 AM, Mark <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Hi all, > > > > Alongside meeting people and making contacts within my local community > > > > I’m putting together the outline of a business plan - more for my own > > > > information than anything else. > > > > > > > > As part of that process I’m compiling a list of (very) loose monthly > > > > outgoings and I was wondering if anyone might share theirs - not > > > > figures, just items. > > > > > > > > There are going to be all the obvious ones - rent, internet’s, rates, > > > > coffee (!) etc. - but it’s the less obvious ones I’m hoping to discover > > > > - the slightly left field stuff that nobody thinks about until after > > > > they’ve launched! > > > > > > > > Thanks in advance, all feedback is gratefully received by this > > > > enthusiastic wannabe! > > > > > > > > Mark > > > > > > > > -- > > > > 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. > > > -- > 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. -- 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.
