Hi Nathan, Thank you for the reply and the invitation to "pick your brain" (gotta love the RoRo community - so helpful!).
Basically any words of wisdom from your experiences... any got-cha's, and even common sense things - like, "buy quality Coffee - keeps the dev's coming back for moooooore", or "plan to buy a large conference table - not only does it give clients the impression of grandeur, but with a tiny net attached it converts into a kick ass table tennis table for lunch time" ^_^ I'll give you a bit more info about the space / vision and see what you think... Firstly, it's located in Coffs Harbour, NSW (actually, Boambee East, a suburb 10 minutes south of the city center). The property (potentially my new home if we purchase)... Realestate.com: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-boambee+east-107222171 Google Maps: http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=115+Linden+Avenue,+Boambee+East,+New+South+Wales&hl=en&ll=-30.3535,153.070182&spn=0.006323,0.009602&sll=-30.352940,153.069541&layer=c&cbp=13,79.77,,0,2.34&cbll=-30.352919,153.069235&hnear=115+Linden+Ave,+Boambee+East+New+South+Wales+2452&t=h&z=17&vpsrc=0&panoid=52UUscNkPDq2lFAcwY7GtA The "office space" is on the ground floor. It has: Independent entry http://images3.au.reastatic.net/800x600/props/107222171/ImageF/20110302171140.jpg Smallish Lounge / Kitchen (sink, bench, cabinets) http://images2.au.reastatic.net/800x600/props/107222171/ImageI/20110302171140.jpg 1 good sized bed room - with window view out to open "empty land" and pool http://images2.au.reastatic.net/800x600/props/107222171/ImageJ/20110302171140.jpg Shower & Toilet Aircon and Ceiling fan's Pool and Outside deck http://images1.au.reastatic.net/800x600/props/107222171/Main@20Feature/20110302171134.jpg http://images1.au.reastatic.net/800x600/props/107222171/ImageQ/20110302171140.jpg There is also a "games room" - a converted double garage with polished cement flooring... but thinking of turning that into a "Yoga Studio space" - my wife's pet project if we buy the place ;-) ... will also have some gym equipment in there, which could be appealing to co- workers. http://images4.au.reastatic.net/800x600/props/107222171/ImageC/20110527111359.jpg Plenty of street parking. Also it's a busy/popular suburban street - so plenty of "free advertising" if I were to put up signage out the front. ... there are 2 other "home business" within 5 houses either side (hair salon + hair and day spa). IGA supermarket + bakery + chemist + news-agency + bottleshop within walking / bike ride distance. Thing's I think people might like: - Deep desks - Spare monitor to plug into - ADSL2+ (fastest I can get) - Discounted bulk "Day pass" system - like http://www.co-worka.com.au/desk-hire.html - Optional early / late access - PC, Mac, iPhone & iPad - for device / browser testing - Shared book library - Sandwich-press, kettle, biscuits & bar fridge - Deck with comfy lounging chairs - BBQ Fridays! - ... I may need to "invest" in a Wii & small wall mounted tv for the "boardroom" (aka the "I'm f-ing bored room" ;-)) - Whiteboard - Gym / laundry / shower - Off street bike rack The biggest perk tho - as corny as this sounds - is getting to work around other people... Coffs Harbour has a very segregated tech & design community ... which is my biggest challenge to setting this up. Thinking about "testing the waters" with a local classifieds ad; and count how many bites I get... I could also target the local University. At the end of the day I already work from home... so worse case senario is I end up with bunch of excess desk space... and a Nintendo Wii :-P Concerns: - Tax (could be really good and/or bad benefits here - really I just need to a tax agent to talk to) - Neighbours not liking extra cars parked on street (although there is empty land next to the house - so if cars park there then I don't see why people would care). - Whether I need council approval in some way - not sure if co-working & "hired desks" is a looppole in the residential / commercial laws... it' certainly not your normal "office space rental" setup. - Security & insurance - I don't really want anyone leaving expensive stuff on site, and me being liable for it. - Demand - "build it and they will come" is probably a bad approach - I should really research and network more before converting the space. There are a few people I know I can already talk to already. Also street signage, letterbox drops, and networking with local business & uni should be a good/cheap start - small community, so hopefully word of mouth will kick in. I could also look to host tech meet-up's & drinks - great ice breaker. - Pricing - finding the sweet-spot... affordability I think is a big factor in a regional area - particularly for people already setup in a home office paying no extra business rent. - Contracts - I want to keep things simple. Certainly no lockin's... but also want my arse covered. If you read even half of that then - THANK YOU - I'm quite passionate about the idea; and making a fun place to go to work every day. - Chris On Oct 30, 7:43 pm, Nathan S <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey Chris. > > I've done all those things. Ask me anything. :) > > Cheers. > > On Oct 30, 5:58 pm, chrisjacob <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Thinking about running a co-working office space from a home I'm > > looking to purchase (in Coffs Harbour). > > > If you've: > > setup an office, > > worked in a co-working space, > > or rented out some space in your house....I would love to hear about > > it! > > > Tips / experiences / successes / failures... > > > Also, question: > > What makes a good / bad co-working space? > > > ... P.S Oh, and if you know anything about tax or legal liabilities I > > might hit setting this up in a residential area I'm try to investigate > > that now...fun ^_^ > > > Thanks. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Ruby or Rails Oceania" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. 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