[Coworking] Re: How to organise a launch party or event to generate leads?

[Aloma Loren]

We did a bunch of pre-launch Facebook posts/advertising/tours (even during 
construction!)
We initially joined the local chamber since they provide some good support 
and bring a small group of people to your grand opening and do the 
traditional ribbon cutting.
We offered free coworking so people could come try it out and have had 
great success with that. We still run free coworking promotions often and 
usually get new members from it or great referrals.
I also reached out to any organizations that might be interested in what we 
were doing. People got really excited about it and helped spread the word. 
We put up flyers all around town especially at certain cafes known for 
startups and tech meetups, organizations like the Small Business 
Development Center were also great places to get the word out...
Craigslist still brings in leads!
Meetup.org also brings people in so we post our events there.


On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 6:06:48 AM UTC-7, Joanne Gerussi wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I am organising a launching party / open door at my space next week on 
> Friday. How can I ensure this event is successful and able to generate some 
> interested get people to sign up?
>
> What did you do when launching your space that really helped in generating 
> leads?
>
> Thank you and best regards,
> Joanne
>

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[Coworking] Re: Building Directory Board

[Aloma Loren]

We use a tv monitor with a digital directory that we created that shows a 
map of the space and the name of each private office member business. We 
just edit the file when it needs to be updated.

On Monday, July 2, 2018 at 10:40:12 AM UTC-7, Ward4 Coworking wrote:
>
> Hi everyone!
>
> I'm new to the community, and excited to be a part of it! I have a 
> question for you all regarding physical directory boards in your spaces. We 
> have several private suites and offices that are constantly changing, and 
> I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a building directory board 
> that can be easily changed and updated?
>
> Thanks in advance and looking forward to chatting more!
>

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Re: [Coworking] Non-profit vs for profit co-working spaces

[Alex Hillman]

Hi Cat,

Can you say more about why you think the 501c3 status is needed for your
programming model?

In my experience, even with hybrid models, the value of having a 501c3 is
to unlock certain funding opportunities...but I also think people grossly
underestimate the wide range of funding sources that *don't* depend on
501c3 status. Plus, a 501c3 comes with lots of additional paperwork,
reporting, and governance, and often limitations on *how* you're able to
spend your funds.

In certain environments, you absolutely *want* the slower turning wheels of
a board governing your every decision. And if you're depending on massive
donations to keep you afloat, 501c3 can definitely open certain channels.

But based on what you've described, you're opening a small business. I
consider agility and control are among the biggest assets someone can have
during the period of figuring things out. And as you've already noted, you
can build in a nonprofit arm down the road if and when it's *truly* needed.

Another thing to consider before doing your own nonprofit is exploring
options for what's called a "fiscal sponsor" which is a model that allows a
parent nonprofit to essentially "delegate" it's status to a smaller
organization. You generally have to agree to some rules, and pay them a %
of the money you move through their systems as a management fee. This model
is most successful when there is an alignment of goals/interests between
the parent and child orgs, naturally. And it's a LOT less work than setting
things up from scratch, but can be helpful if you're certain that you can
only access the money you need my having this infrastructure in place.

I hope this helps. All in all - you're already working double duty to
essentially launch two businesses at once - it's important to do ANYTHING
you can to simplify, streamline and stay focused on the REAL work (instead
of the meta-work, which can easily creep into being a time-suck if you're
not careful).

Good luck!

-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 Thu, Jun 28, 2018 at 2:06 PM Catherine Pena 
wrote:

> Hello all!
> I am new to the group and so very thankful that it exists. I am working
> with a small group to open a co-working space in Memphis, TN that supports
> creatives called Wonder/ Cowork/ Create (Wonder CC
>  for short). Memphis does not have a very large
> traditional co-working culture but that may not be the case for very long.
>
> We are working towards opening a two-year pilot project in the fall to
> test whether Memphis can support a full-service creative co-working space.
> We worked out a deal with a landlord to let us rent the space for $1500
> (utilities included) for two years. The space is in an up and coming
> neighborhood so at the end of the lease we may need to find a new
> spacebut we may also realize that we need more space.
>
> We want to set a high emphasis on programming that is partially generated
> by member skill sharing as well offer space for shows (art, music,
> literary, etc) and hosting workshops for needed skills that don't exist
> within the membership. We are starting out in a 3,000 sq ft space that will
> have two private offices, a meeting room, 4 ish dedicated desks, and lots
> of movable furnishings so that part-time community members needs can shape
> the communal spaces.
>
> Initially, we thought we would open as an LLC and then work towards
> managing our programming under a 501-c3. Now I am starting to wonder if we
> should open as an 501-c3 but worry about the two pilot project focus (i.e.
> putting all the work/time into getting that status if in two years we find
> that it doesn't work out).
>
> *MY QUESTIONs ARE: *
>
>- Do any of you have any advice you can share on this matter?
>- Do you know of/manage a co-working space that operates a
>hybrid model?
>- If so, how did the organization first start out?
>
> Thank you in advance for your help!
> Cat Peña
>
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Re: [Coworking] Landlord Owner/Operator as Manager

[Nanette Mattox]

The space we are looking at has it’s own outside entrance so I am guessing that 
we could keep that accessible after hours if need be. Good thought on the HVAC 
etc after hours. 

 

Would it be wise to start with negotiating a standard PSF lease (low-ball) and 
see how that goes and then if they don’t accept it bring up rev-share? The LL 
was very excited about the concept of coworking space since the mall is 
struggling and this space has been empty for at least a year. 

 

Nanette

 

From:  on behalf of Jerome Chang 

Reply-To: 
Date: Saturday, July 7, 2018 at 11:56 AM
To: 
Subject: Re: [Coworking] Landlord Owner/Operator as Manager

 

Please be careful with malls. They often have strict opening and closing hours 
which might not work with your operations. For example, mall stores often open 
at 10 but you might want 8am or 9am office hours. 

 

Then there’s the shared HVAC in big buildings like this where you have to pay 
for extended hours, just like in class A buildings. Often $100-150/hour. 
Exorbitant. 

 

You can negotiate any revenue share. The numbers will be dictated by your 
profitability and the landlord’s motivation. The LL might want market rate or 
simply break even, if even that, to generate foot traffic in his mall. 

Jerome

www.BLANKSPACES.com


On Jul 7, 2018, at 8:09 AM, nanette.mat...@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks! Rev Share. Thats the term I was looking for! The space we are looking 
at is inside a mall that has a lot of empty spaces. Would love to know exactly 
what those kinds of numbers look like. 



On Friday, July 6, 2018 at 4:31:29 PM UTC-4, Jerome wrote:

One key word that you can use that’s standard in the real estate world:

   - “rev share”. This is common for retail stores inside malls. The 
more you earn, the more rent you pay.

Another is like the hotel industry, where a hotel brand/operator might…

   - have a minority ownership stake in the building, but this requires 
the hotel to invest some $.

   - win a bid to operate a hotel b/c the developer wanted a hotel from 
the start.

 

So here’s the main difference b/w hotels and coworking: developers want a hotel 
from the start, so they need an operator. Office developers mostly don’t want 
coworking initially, but now are considering it, which is more of a fix for 
their vacancy or rental income after the fact rather than initially.

 

Good luck!

 

JEROME CHANG

 

talk to us: (323) 330-9505

chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat

 

WEST: Santa Monica | 1450 2nd St (@Broadway)

CENTRAL: Culver City | 9415 Culver Blvd (@Main St)

EAST: Downtown LA | 529 S Broadway (@Pershing Sq)

NORTH: Pasadena | 680 E. Colorado, Ste 180 (b/w Lake and Los Robles)

SOUTH: Long Beach | 309 Pine Ave (@Broadway) - opening Summer 2018

 

On Jul 6, 2018, at 10:25 AM, nanette...@gmail.com wrote:

 

Hi group! I've been following all of your great questions and advice for a bit 
now. Thanks so much!

My business partner and I are still in the "planning and searching for a space" 
phase. Still so much to learn! 

Since we do not have a large amount of capital to put in this business we are 
looking at all the options. 

Has anyone entered into an agreement with a landlord where they are the owner 
and you are the operator/manager? Is it traditionally known by another term? We 
keep hearing about such arrangements but would love to hear about a specific 
example and what kind of terms might be acceptable.

You can read about the reference to the concept here (the second option in the 
article): 
https://www.globalworkspace.org/2016/03/three-ways-to-run-a-coworking-space-without-signing-a-lease/

 

 

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