[Coworking] Re: Work Permission Issues

[Alex Hillman]

Hi Kimberly - it seems like you might not be receiving my direct emails, 
I'm not sure why not though!

Your question is great and I want to make sure its seen by the most people, 
so I wanted you to post it to the new discussion platform at 
forum.coworking.org. That's taking the place of the Google group, which we 
will finish migrating very soon!

 I'll forward you the contents of your original post so you can copy it 
into the forum once you create an account there. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Alex

On Monday, September 30, 2019 at 9:48:16 AM UTC-4, Kimberly Kubalek wrote:
>
> This message is relevant to everyone, but particularly the spaces, like 
> mine, run by expats in foreign countries. 
>
> I have been a huge supporter of Coworking since I met Tony Bacigalupo a 
> few months after he first opened his space in NYC so many years ago. I knew 
> after seeing that space that I wanted to open a space as well. It took me 
> many years, I did it. I live in San Miguel de Allende Mexico and I opened 
> my space 3 years ago. 
>
> Because my Spanish is poor, and because I knew community growth was key, I 
> targeted membership to expats and English speaking visitors. Which is not 
> say we limited it this way, only that the community I developed all seemed 
> to speak English, so those were the members we attracted. We were 
> successful - being the #1 rated city in the world by Travel + Leisure 
> helped and lots of interesting folks popped in to work and often folks 
> moved here permanently (with or without legal permission, many people come 
> in on a tourist visa and stay for years). 
>
> I am working on a plan for a much larger, more sophisticated space and I 
> have concerns about expats and visitors who have no legal authorization to 
> be "working" while in Mexico. Our laws are quite clear, you may not work in 
> Mexico, online, in your home, etc., without authorization or without a 
> permanent resident visa. I think all international coworking spaces are 
> going to have to face this one. Do you ask your members if they have 
> permission to work in your country? Do you feel you can protect your 
> members when government officials come in and ask to see your members 
> documents? Are you concerned about liability? 
>
> I think this a valid concern and I'd like to hear from other space owners. I 
> do not want to be a hunting ground for officials looking for people 
> breaking the law - and who would want to work in a coworking space where 
> they knew the government was going to come around and ask to see visas?! What 
> do you do to make sure the people working in your space have the right to 
> work there? Does it matter to you at all? Do you think it should matter? 
>
> I was just in Austin for 3 months and coworked all over, no one ever 
> asked. Not one coworking space ever asked if I had permission to work in 
> the USA while I was there. If someone works out of your space and is not 
> legally entiled to be working in your country, is that an issue you think 
> about? Does this issue concern you? 
>
> Thanks in advance for your feedback, 
>
>
> Kimberly 
>
>
>
> Kimberly Kubalek, Owner
>
> Espacio Coworking - San Miguel de Allende
>
> +52 415 150 1069 MEX Office
>
> +52 415 167 4566 MEX Cell
> +1 858 367 0102 USA Voicemail
>

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Re: [Coworking] Re: Membership numbers

[Alex Hillman]

This list is very much not dead, it just has a new home over at
https://forum.coworking.org!

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Re: [Coworking] Re: Coworking Values: Differentiating Openness and Accessibility

[Alex Hillman]

>
> The two go hand in hand.  Being open, but not accessible does little good
> because people can't take advantage of the openness.  Being accessible but
> not open is just rude.


I think this is a very keen observation, and quite right.

The key context for *open* when it was being attributed as a core value was
references from the Open Source Software world where a lot of early
coworking folks came from. Open Source software culture is informed by
ideas and ideals that, frankly, subvert a lot of the transactional nature
of business. In this context, openness leans more towards a kind of
generosity that doesn't always show up in business or business cultures.

I recently listened to a keynote about these themes that reminded me...I
hadn't really heard these themes clearly articulated in a while. Don't be
scared off by the fact that the keynote is from a software conference, the
keynote is not technical in any way but more of a commentary on culture,
business, and the complex value of "open" as it was intended to describe
coworking. https://rework.fm/open-source-beyond-the-market/

In my opinion, *accessibility *has a lot more meaning today than it did
when it was first used to describe coworking. Early on, I think it was
simply about the removal of *visible *gatekeepers. Again, remember, many
coworking pioneers were corporate outcasts of sorts. Accessibility was, in
many ways, about who you were (or were not) actively trying to keep out. So
in those early days, it was more about eschewing credentials and
applications in favor of "if you show up, you're welcome."

In hindsight, though, I don't think it accessibility as a coworking core
value really addressed the subtle, less visible gatekeepers of power and
privilege. The door was open, but we didn't always do a good job of
proactively inviting folks who weren't showing up or asking why they
weren't showing up in the first place. I'm personally guilty of this, and
have done a lot of work personally and organizationally to take a much more
proactive stance on accessibility

.

I hope this helps! I think having core values that are open to some
interpretation is why they're not "core rules." Asking what they actually
mean, and how the meaning has changed over time, is part of why they're
valuable.

-Alex

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Re: [Coworking] Remote Worker List

[Alex Hillman]

Great idea - remote work is probably one of the fastest growing
contributors to our membership overall, as well as the diversity of our
membership (more people working in more kinds of jobs that happen to be
remote!)

https://weworkremotely.com is another job board (and totally unrelated to
the McCoworking chain), but they also have a nice set of resources
including a remote companies list (based on who is posting jobs), and even
things like a job description template for remote positions.

A few other popular resources I've found, again, mostly job boards, include:
- https://remoteok.io
- https://www.workingnomads.co/jobs
- https://jobspresso.co/

There are a few companies like Buffer, Zapier, and Invision who are all
"remote first" companies publish experience and expertise on helping build
remote teams. This is an area that I feel strongly that coworking operators
could help with, since many companies do *not* have the internal resources
to build healthy remote teams and perhaps part of the playbook can become
supporting remote workers *and their employers* in creating sustainable
remote positions.

Lots to explore here, I love this conversation!


On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 11:32 AM Brad Attig 
wrote:

> Some more on remote workforcebe sure to scroll down, the page is a
> little confusing.
>
> https://growremote.ie/
>
> Brad
> Brad Attig
> CEO at Foundry Collective
> Phone  541.812.1911   <541.812.1911>
> Mobile  541.286.5495
> Email  b...@foundrycollective.org
> Website  www.foundrycollective.org
> 
>
>
> 
> 
> 
> Check Out Our Upcoming Events for Small Businesses, Innovators, and
> Startups
> 
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 29, 2019 at 7:23 AM Crystal Maynard <
> crystal.maynar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Brad -- I love this idea!!! I have not heard of such a data base, BUT
>> what I was thinking a "hack" might be, to go to indeed or glassdoor enter
>> the radius of 200 miles or whatever, and use the term remote in the keyword
>> search!! That at least might give you a place to start!!
>>
>> Thank you for sharing the idea though!!
>>
>> Kindly, Crystal
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 28, 2019, 2:47 PM Brad Attig 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> Lot's of news about remote workforce these days. Of our 9 permanent
>>> desks, 6 are members who work for companies out of area and most of those
>>> desks are paid for by their company.
>>>
>>> Wondering if anyone has started a database of companies who encourage
>>> remote work and all the details? It's a huge part of our revenue and some
>>> of the most profitable.
>>>
>>> In community,
>>>
>>> Brad
>>> Brad Attig
>>> CEO at Foundry Collective
>>> Phone  541.812.1911   <541.812.1911>
>>> Mobile  541.286.5495
>>> Email  b...@foundrycollective.org
>>> Website  www.foundrycollective.org
>>> 
>>>
>>>
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Check Out Our Upcoming Events for Small Businesses, Innovators, and
>>> Startups
>>> 
>>>
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[Coworking] Official News! Updated "Google Group" (now at forum.coworking.org) is open for registration.  Plus details about what comes next.

[Alex Hillman]

Hey coworking friends!

Earlier this month I announced that the Coworking Google Group is being 
migrated to a new platform 
 to help us 
make the archives more accessible, improve discussion quality, and ensure 
this community and resource can continue growing for many years to come.

Today, I'm writing to tell you that things are well underway (more than 25% 
of the historical archive has been categorized thanks to a team of 
volunteers) and as of today, our *new platform is OPEN for registration!*

*You can check it out here and get signed up:* https://forum.coworking.org




The rest of this email includes some useful details about the most 
important things for you to know right now, and what's coming next:



*1 - you can now go to https://forum.coworking.org and sign up. No invite 
required!*




Registration is open, just like the current google group. Anyone can browse 
and search the site without a login, but to post/comment/other interactive 
features, an account *is* required. 

You can sign up with an email address and password, but you can also sign 
up in just a couple of clicks using a valid Google account or Twitter 
account. 

And just like Google Groups, once you have an account, you'll be able to 
get email notifications about new topics, (much friendlier) digests if you 
don't want emails about every single thread, and even the ability to reply 
from your inbox. Basically, everything Google Groups lets you do, we can do 
better!

UNLIKE Google Groups, you'll gain the ability to tweak your notification 
settings for specific categories & subcategories (aka just get emails about 
the topics you care about) and even mute categories you don't care about as 
much. I'll share much more about the more "advanced features soon, but 
these ones are BIG benefits to the switch so I wanted to mention them here!

*Coming soon: merge your account history into your new account. *

Any posts you make with your new account will obviously be associated with 
your account, and in the near future, we'll have an easy way for you to 
request merging your post history into the new account as well. It'll even 
show your "join date" on the new forum as the original join date on the 
google group. Cool way to preserve history!

I've already done this for our early contributors, but it's a fairly manual 
process so for everyone else it will be done by-request. Stay tuned for 
more on that. 

If you do NOT sign up for an account on the new platform during the next 
few weeks, you'll be part of an automatic migration in the future (which 
will respect your existing notification settings on the google group).

*2 - In the very near future, the plan is to "freeze" this google group to 
new posts and replies and direct everyone to the new forum as we complete 
the content and member migration. *

*To be clear, the reason for this decision is technical!* The importer 
scripts that allow me to migrate discussions from Google Groups to the new 
forum are powerful, but have a few limitations that I've learned along the 
way, and it's increasingly difficult to be sure that I'll be able to move 
new posts made to the Google Group seamlessly. For now, I'm doing this 
"sync" roughly once a week, and capturing as many new posts as possible, 
but want to avoid accumulating many more valuable posts on the Google Group 
that I can't easily move to the new platform.

*I'm still working on the exact process/procedure/communication for the 
last stages of the migration, and promise to do my best to do this with 
clear communication and as much advance notice as I reasonably can. *My 
goal is for the migration to be relatively seamless for most people, and 
create more improvements than drawbacks. 

*Questions? Comments? Concerns?*

So far, all of the feedback I've gotten from the folks who joined the site 
early have been positive and enthusiastic. Most of the ideas people have 
for making this discussion platform better are possible, and in many cases, 
either easy or already built in!

*My biggest priority is making sure that folks know what to expect and how 
to get set up on the new platform, and get the most out of this new and 
much-improved experience. *

I'm here to bring as much clarity to this shift as possible, and avoid 
unnecessary surprises. I WILL be following this post up with more details 
about things like categories & a more robust, transparent moderation 
process going forward! 

In the mean time - get yourself signed up , 
browse around, and start getting familiar! If you get stuck on anything or 
have questions, drop me an email directly (a...@indyhall.org) and we'll get 
you going again. :)

-Alex


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Re: [Coworking] Re: Do you require Hot Desk users to schedule or walk-in?

[Alex Hillman]

Even when we were tiny (<1800 sq ft) we never required pre-scheduled usage,
and never have. We DO ask people to pre-schedule tours (though we won't
turn away a walk-in, we might ask them to hang out in our lounge until
we're done with something), but to come in and work I've seen it be an
unnecessary barrier in far too many cases.

Often people plan to come in, and their plans change. Sometimes, people
realize that they need a change of scenery.

Most people do the scheduling systems because they fear overbooking, but
when I ask, they've never actually experienced overbooking or even close to
it! And especially when you have a mix of alternative zones (including
lounge/kitchen type gathering spaces) there's always a backup for someone
to have a spot they could sit and work.

So instead of having people pre-register, the metric we monitor is the
daily average # of empty spots. And when that number begins to REGULARLY
get close to zero (for even the smallest spaces, I suggest when that number
gets anywhere near 2-3 empty spots), we start a waiting list for our
highest-usage flex membership options (in our case, that's a 3 day a week
plan). This means we stop adding new flex desk-users who are most likely to
come in often and take us to "zero spots left."

IMO, this metric is muuch more useful than "occupancy" which celebrates
100%. I never want our space to be 100% occupied, I want it to be
comfortably active and with available spots for someone to walk in
unexpectedly and have a great day. The easiest way to do that is to make
sure there is always at least 1 open seat, and design that into your space
& business model.

-Alex



On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 11:03 AM  wrote:

> That is a good idea, but sometimes people who have impromtu needs might be
> turned off
>
> On Monday, March 18, 2019 at 3:49:07 PM UTC+1, AK wrote:
>>
>> Wondering. Since we have limited space that we want to get maximum use
>> out of, should we require our "hot desk" users to pre-schedule or at least
>> call?  I hate to turn people away, but feel in order to accommodate, people
>> should plan.
>>
>> We are a small space owner and may not even open if people are not using
>> it for the day.
>>
>> Feedback welcome.
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Internet Speed thoughts - also Comcast vs Verizon vs both

[Alex Hillman]

>
>
> Alex...what are your thoughts on a MESH network?  does this help with
> latency?  We are considering increasing our speed (currently at 25 dl / 4
> up) and thought maybe we should try a mesh network ( Ubiquiti  or Google or
> EERO) -
>

I would always prefer hard line network to my access points over mesh if
possible. For your size, it *probably* doesn't matter, but meshing devices
is just one more thing to go wrong that is hard to diagnose whereas a hard
line either works or doesn't.

-Alex

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Re: [Coworking] Re: We are setting up a podcast studio. Any advice?

[Alex Hillman]

Gear talk!! I was a sound engineer in a past life, and learned a lot about
doing high-quality stuff on a budget.

Behringer Xenyx 1204USB Premium 12-Input 2/2-Bus Mixer $169
>
> vs
>
> Tascam US-2x2 USB Audio/MIDI Interface with Microphone Preamps and iOS
> Compatibility $149
>
> Any difference in any "expert's" mind?
>

We own a Xenyx too. The more knobs and buttons do give you more "control"
but they raise the bar for audio non-experts to have to learn a LOT of
things just to sit down and record.

Behringer Microamp HA400 Ultra-Compact 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier
> $25
>

Nice but not necessary. Studio veterans might want multiple studio
headphones, but in my experience so far most beginner and intermediate
podcasters don't use headphones themselves except to check levels before
they hit record because they can't handle hearing their own voices live
over the phones. I personally prefer to keep my monitors on, but it took a
lot of time to get used to.


> We've heard good things about these mics too.
>
> Samson Q2U Handheld Dynamic USB Microphone $60.
>

Unless you are in a PERFECTLY QUIET space, I highly recommend investing in
Super-cardioid style microphones. Trust me. More expensive microphones
perform like trash in our studio because it's not pure ISO, but our
super-cardioid mics sound like a million bucks.


> We already have a blue Yeti hanging about
>

IMO the Yetis are fine for home recording/screencasting but they sound very
cheap for any semi-pro or pro environment. Yeti's are well marketed, but at
their price point they're among the worst you can buy. We have a couple,
they are hidden away and for emergencies only.


> and we have a couple of pairs of
>
> Sennheiser HD280PRO Headphones plus a Zoom H4N recorder.
>

The Zoom recorders are awesome, I'm planning to pick up at least one as a
backup for people who don't want to record into a computer.

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Re: [Coworking] Re: We are setting up a podcast studio. Any advice?

[Alex Hillman]

9' x 13' is perfect for this - that's almost exactly the size of space we
use that doubles as a meeting room when it's not being used to record.

I'll update this thread in a few weeks as we have just launched an actual
podcast community membership. Rather than turn our studio space into a
commodity, we're making it part of a special sub-community. The most common
thing I learned while talking to the folks who record shows is that almost
none of them know or interact with other podcasters, but they wanted to. So
for us, there won't be a way to "rent the studio" without first joining our
podcast community. :)

More soon!

On Sun, Mar 10, 2019 at 3:19 PM Trevor Townsend <1...@trevortownsend.com>
wrote:

> Hi all - I'm keenly watching this thread, too.  I'm interested in a small
> (really small, ~9'x13' room) sound room for podcasts, interviews, etc.  The
> rest of the time when not used like this it would a small (did I mention
> small?) meeting room or huddle space.  I'll be doing some of my own
> podcasting, too, but not for about another 6 months or so.  My overall
> space is a ~1,000sqft coworking site in Aylmer, Quebec that will be opening
> within a month (Mar/Apr 2019).
>
> Cheers,
> Trevor
>
> On Saturday, 9 March 2019 14:57:40 UTC-5, Fred Gallagher wrote:
>>
>> Thanks Alex, I am looking at Podcastiong being part of our set up here in
>> Donegal. It will help market the space and be an asset to the community as
>> well. Cheers, Fred
>>
>> On Thursday, April 12, 2018 at 3:56:57 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote:
>>>
>>> Trevor's advice is rock solid. You can go CRAZY with recording
>>> equipment, but a lot of it comes down to your goals. I also have the weird
>>> perspective of having had a brief career in audio engineering when I was a
>>> lot younger, so I learned a lot about how to suss out the best on a budget.
>>>
>>> We don't have a dedicated studio but we do have all of the gear
>>> available in one of our meeting rooms, which we've also given some light
>>> (but essentially invisible) acoustic treatment.
>>>
>>> We decided to keep it simple and focus on people recording 1 or 2 people
>>> max (but the same setup would be easy to upgrade to 4x)
>>>
>>> - This Tascam 2x2 Audio Interface
>>> <https://mltrk.io/link/https%3A%2F%2Fclick.api.drift.com%2Fclick%2F07ca2455-6513-46ba-8e1c-50ffa0992761%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmltrk.io%252Flink%252Fhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.amazon.com%25252Fdp%25252FB00MIXF2RS%252FpAJrunkVstrtCifPzwXi%26h%3D9cec4e4154606375d1b69b754472d26a/uH3v0CfPHN4bwoMBrNom>
>>>  is
>>> $150 USD. It takes approx 60 seconds for any mere mortal to learn even if
>>> they've never used a piece of audio gear. The quality is very good for the
>>> price, you can get slightly better for more but not that much better
>>> without spending way more.
>>> - We got a pair of these Shure 87A's
>>> <https://mltrk.io/link/https%3A%2F%2Fclick.api.drift.com%2Fclick%2F3aac300d-fbab-4583-9882-9715036f1eba%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmltrk.io%252Flink%252Fhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.amazon.com%25252FShure-Supercardioid-Condenser-Microphone-Applications%25252Fdp%25252FB0002BACBO%252FpAJrunkVstrtCifPzwXi%26h%3D5c927ad6315fe819915b52feddf90458/uH3v0CfPHN4bwoMBrNom>
>>> and they are incredible. You want the *super-cardioid* style because
>>> they are VERY directional, basically only picking up the person directly in
>>> front of the microphone. This removes crosstalk of your people being picked
>>> up on each others' microphones, and even more importantly, makes it so you
>>> don't need an isolation booth to keep the outside world out of your audio. 
>>> Good
>>> microphones make everything else easier. We've had ours for 3ish years
>>> now, there might be a newer option out there but I'm very very very happy
>>> with these microphones.
>>> - Basic XLR cables to go between the Tascam and the microphones are
>>> pretty cheap, you can get whatever Amazon recommends.
>>> - Since we use the room for things other than recording, we learned that
>>> the spring loaded boom stands are in the way the rest of the timeand
>>> frankly the cheaper ones fall apart quickly anyway. More recently we opted
>>> for tabletop microphone stands like these
>>> <https://mltrk.io/link/https%3A%2F%2Fclick.api.drift.com%2Fclick%2F66e1495d-e319-459b-8138-222ed68f12c1%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmltrk.io%252Flink%252Fhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.amazon.com%25252FAdjustable-Foldable-Microphone-Meetings-Lectures%25252Fdp%25252FB01DXVYCT2%25252Fref%25253Dsr_1_8%25253Fs%25253Dmusical-instruments%25252

[Coworking] Re: IMPORTANT! Upgrading the Coworking Google Group (and how you can help)

[Alex Hillman]

Quick update - I would like to specifically invite/encourage more women and 
POC to get involved in this initiative from the start! 

If you're on the fence about signing up, I promise the commitment is very 
low and the potential for impact is very high. :) Have questions or 
concerns? Drop me a note offline: a...@indyhall.org

-Alex

On Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 11:57:13 AM UTC-5, Alex Hillman wrote:
>
> Hello friends!
>
> *This is a long post for a Saturday, but it's one I'm very excited to 
> share with you and I hope you'll take the time to read completely. *
>
> The Coworking Google Group is a very special place for many people, myself 
> included. By the numbers alone, it's one of the largest communities in the 
> world for aspiring and current coworking operators, staff, researchers, and 
> more with 8000+ registered users. This group's archives contain over 6000 
> threads (and tens of thousands of comments) that contain over 13 years of 
> coworking knowledge, history, friendships, stories, and successes. 
>
> When you think about the reach and power of this community, it's 
> awe-inspiring. 
>
> Soon, Google is making some changes to the the platform that powers this 
> group. This particular round of changes aren't a problem for usbut it 
> does make me cautious about trusting Google to host our community in the 
> long term. If they can make sweeping changes - or worse, shut down this 
> *free* product - our community is at risk. And that's saying nothing of 
> the shortcomings of the tool itself. 
>
> *So I've been doing a lot of research and testing.* The biggest challenge 
> is that I don't just want to move to another "new" community platform - I 
> wanted to move ALL of the historical content to something that is 
> measurably better, and that we can control (so we don't have to worry about 
> a company changing their minds or direction with little warning). I also 
> want to keep the platform email-based, which allows for much wider and 
> easier participation. 
>
> And maybe, just maybe, one that doesn't make money by harvesting all of 
> our data? ;)
>
> Tall order, I know. 
>
> *Well, I did it.* I found an option that fits the bill, and makes it 
> possible to IMPROVE the "google group" resource in several measurable ways, 
> and amazingly we can do this without losing any functionality we're used 
> to. It's an open source tool called Discourse.
>
> And while it *looks* like a forum on the website, but I was able to 
> adjust the settings to enable the email-based experience just like the 
> Google Group.
>
> *Best of all - I was able to migrate the ENTIRE historical archive of 
> discussions and comments to the new platform. 100% preserved (and with much 
> better tools to search the archive!)*
>
> [image: Global Coworking Forum 2019-03-09 11-17-31.png]
>
> Among it's unique strengths, Discourse includes the ability to set up 
> categories and subcategories, keeping our conversations more organized and 
> making it easier for new people to find the valuable threads they need. You 
> can even set your email preferences for SPECIFIC categories, muting the 
> topics you care less about and subscribing to topics you're most interested 
> in. Smart weekly digests can help you know what's going on without having 
> to read every message. 
>
> These more nuanced opt-in/opt-out settings mean we can create NEW areas of 
> discussion that this single-channel Google Group was never good for: eg. 
> language-specific channels for communities that prefer to communicate in 
> their native languages, or specific channels where vendors can help people 
> in our community without spamming everyone. 
>
> And honestly, this is just the beginning :)
>
> *I'm especially proud that this new site, like the Google Group and other 
> Open Coworking resources, will always remain free and open.* I'm working 
> with the Open Coworking team (Tony and Jeannine) to figure out how to make 
> sure the nominal infrastructure costs will covered for the long term.
>
> *The Migration Plan*
>
> Over the next couple of months (maybe weeks? depends on how much help we 
> get!) I am going to actively "mirror" all new google group activity to the 
> new platform and getting it ready for open registration. So nothing needs 
> to change here - business as usual until we set a date to officially close 
> the google group and redirect all traffic to the new site. 
>
> *But to finish the move, I need some help from you. *
>
> Before we open registration to the public, I want to recruit ~50 or so 
> pilot members who would like to help finish getting the new group platform 
> ready. There are settings to test, categories to organize, copywr

Re: [Coworking] Internet Speed thoughts - also Comcast vs Verizon vs both

[Alex Hillman]

Your milage may vary a bit depending on what your members *do* (e.g.
videographers use much more bandwidth than, say, almost anybody else!).

My rule of thumb is to buy the best internet connection you can afford + a
failover if it's possible. The two things to never skimp on are bandwidth
and coffee.

That said...

Two things that aren't obvious about coworking Internet usage (and how
bandwidth is just a tiny part of the equation) until you've had hundreds of
people piping through a shared connection every day:

*1) bandwidth is important, but latency is more important. *Without getting
super duper technical, latency is the speed that the network responds,
which is different from how fast files download.

MOST people spend a lot of their day clicking around the Internet, or using
internet connected apps. With some rare exceptions like game developers and
video editors, the files we move around in our daily work are relatively
small. Video and VOiP might seem like it uses a lot of bandwidth, but
overall it's quite small!

The problems happen when the *latency* is bad - everyone feels it because
clicking to load a page, or refresh email, or live typing on Google docs
etc feels like it has a lag. Our network (internal wireless + gigabit
ethernet) used to have a Comcast Business connection of 50mb down/10mb and
always had more than enough bandwidth for 120+ people working hard every
day. And that includes streaming videos, music, etc. *Normal* usage, even
with 100+ people on the network, rarely peaks above 30-40 megs down and
normally idles well below 10mbps.

*Where things go haywire is when latency goes up.* This can happen in our
network because wifi coverage is interrupted, or because our internet
provider is having issues, or most often because someone on the network is
uploading a huge file (offsite backup like a Dropbox sync or uploading a
video to YouTube) and our ISP starts to throttle latency because it thinks
something is wrong. *This took is FOREVER to figure out!*

We since switched to a much better local provider that gives us 250
down/150 up for a fraction of the cost, and our normal network latency
compared to comcast dropped by 70% (again, lower latency is better). It's a
rough experience to explain to people, and they don't care if it's latency
or speed they just want to work. So understanding that more speed without
an improvement in latency is important.

*2) the network itself is just as important as the Internet connection.*You
can check out my past post on speccing out a solid, reliable Unifi network
 for a
fraction of the price of anything else on the market.

As far as Comcast vs Verizon, I have had nothing but horrible horrible
horrible experiences with Comcast and will not ever give them a dime of my
money again. Verizon isn't a saintly corporation either, but I can't say
anything but good things about the FiOS service I have at my home and it
would perform perfectly at Indy Hall if I could get it there (which we
can't, sadly).

-Alex

On Fri, Mar 8, 2019 at 7:36 PM Row House Cinema 
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Starting up a new co-working.  Expecting a capacity of 150 users (I'm sure
> not all would be there at once, but its possible).  I'm curious on what the
> standard internet speed and connection type for that would be... in your
> opinion, so I'm providing solid internet.
>
> Also, I only have a choice between Comcast or Verizon!  so much
> selection.  Thoughts on either, as I'm indifferent.
>
> Finally, how many people use both as a a redundant backup... or do the LTE
> backup boxes work well enough during outages.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> Brian
>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Cowork staffing for a new space

[Alex Hillman]

Big +1 for looking at ways to potentially segment your space. In addition
to all of the things Angel pointed out (spread costs out over time) it also
keeps you from buying things people don't need/use. Almost every coworking
space I've worked with has wasted money on things they didn't need or
worse, that end up distracting members/prospective members from the core
offerings.

I also agree with Angel on the baseline of 1 person to oversee ~100 people
or 10,000 sqft of space (whichever comes first). That's a baseline though,
and there are lots of other variables. We run a 350 person community with 2
full time staff and a small handful of administrative/creative contractors,
which is mostly possible because of our approach to community building and
how we involve/include staff in that process. I go into depth in this (how
we hire, what expectations we set, what it allows for, and how it changes
our hiring model completely) in a video inside the 2nd link below.

The rest of my answer depends highly on what YOU expect/want to be doing,
and where you think your MOST VALUABLE time is spent? You said operations,
but what do you think that entails (and what are you looking to NOT do).

I've got a couple of pieces that I've recorded specifically around hiring,
too!

- Podcast Episode #9 "I Needed Help"
https://listen.coworkingweekly.com/446e0ef4
- How to hire the best:
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2018/06/how-to-hire-the-best-people-to-run-your-coworking-space/

Hope this is helpful, good luck getting your space open!

-Alex


On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 10:04 PM Angel Kwiatkowski 
wrote:

> Knowing that you won't start with 135 members out of the gate, I would
> recommend sectioning out your building and only "opening" a couple areas at
> a time. This will up your physical density to improve the energy and make
> it easier for you to see and help people as they arrive/move in the space.
> As you add members, you can "unlock" more areas. This approach saves you
> money b/c you don't have to furnish the whole thing at once and you can see
> what people need before you lay everything out.
>
> For Day 1, one person can handle everything until you grow over 5,000 ft2
> of active space or over ~100 members. Another veteran and I have discussed
> that we think about 6,000 sq ft can be managed by 1 full time person. Over
> that, you'll need some help.
>
> For context, my space is 3,500 sq feet spread over 5 levels, we have 85
> members, about 30 people in and out each day and my staff is managing
> almost everything in about 20 hrs/ week. I probably log another 5
> hours/week for higher level stuff.
>
> Angel
>
> On Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 6:27:03 AM UTC-7, Liz Boudreau wrote:
>>
>> My coworking space is opening in about 10-12 weeks. I will be acting as
>> operations manager, but currently have no other staff hired at the moment.
>> Our building is 2 floors, approximately 10,000 sf with a maximum occupancy
>> around 135 people. What do you consider the most important/necessary staff
>> positions to have filled on DAY 1. Looking for ways to scale hiring.
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: building the community

[Alex Hillman]

*So what happened with that one person, Trey?*

I think what you're experiencing is pretty common: launching a coworking
*meeetup* is a lot easier than launching a coworking *space* but both are
fundamentally the same thing:

A way to bring people together.

Meetups actually step two (or three or ten or eighty or one hundred and
fourty).

*Step one* is actually more like what you experienced: meeting and getting
to know one person! And then another one. And then another. And then
sometimes two or three.

Looking for the things they have in common
. And then telling them about each
other. Finding ways and reasons to connect. *Then* convening them based on
what you learn.

So I hope you had a nice time getting to know that one person, Trey. They
might be your first member.

I remember the first time I had dinner/drinks with the person who became
our first member. He's still a member today, 12 years later!

-Alex




On Tue, Feb 26, 2019 at 8:25 AM Trey Downes 
wrote:

> Thanks I actually bought your book and it has helped me big time.
> Yesterday’s meet up was not what I expected. One persons showed. lol.
>
> On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 11:35 AM Angel Kwiatkowski 
> wrote:
>
>> There are step by step guides for your first meetings in my book at
>> https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/ultimate-coworking-launch-sequence-ebook
>>
>> Angel
>>
>> ps. gather email addresses!
>>
>>
>> On Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 2:46:33 AM UTC-7, superio...@gmail.com
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Guys!
>>>
>>> Tomorrow is my first meet and greets for my coworking community.  I am
>>> building the community before acquiring the actual space.  What are some
>>> topics or processes I should cover tomorrow during the meet and greet?  Any
>>> advice for topics to be discussed? Ice breaker techniques?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Trey
>>>
>> --
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Re: [Coworking] just 3 days left: the best source of cowoking data needs you!

[Alex Hillman]

loling pretty hard at "cowoking" whoops damnit



On Mon, Feb 25, 2019 at 10:10 AM Alex Hillman 
wrote:

> Hey friends,
>
> In case you're not familiar, each year Carsten from Deskmag spends a
> couple of months collecting thousands of submissions to the Global
> Coworking Survey <http://coworkingsurvey.com>. I've personally endorsed
> this survey and am one of a small number of distribution partners.
>
> The thing is, 2019's window to be counted in the survey is almost over -
> THURSDAY Feb 28th is the last day!
>
> After the survey closes, Carsten pores over the data and pulls out the
> most relevant and valuable insights. He shares them at conferences around
> the world, and you can read/buy the historical reports (often HUNDREDS of
> beautiful information packed slides). Here's some of the ones from the
> past:
> http://www.deskmag.com/en/coworking-statistics-all-results-of-the-global-coworking-survey-research-studies-948
>
> So, I have two requests for this group, which is one of the largest
> coworking related groups in the whole world. I want to help Carsten
> *smash* his previous survey record of ~2000 responses.
>
> *First: take the survey yourself before Thursday. *GO HERE > >
> http://coworkingsurvey.com
>
> There is a version for people who haven't opened the doors yet, a version
> for people who have one or more locations, and a version for members too!
>
> *It only takes 10-15 mins to complete, and really makes a difference for
> our industry. *
>
> *Second: ask your members to take the survey. * This is the biggest
> challenge, so hear me out.
>
> The global perspective on coworking is WILDLY skewed by who is talking
> about it, and frankly, that's the people running coworking spaces.
>
> What's *really* valuable is knowing more about the people who choose
> coworking spaces. Who thrive in them, and why. But also the people who are
> frustrated by their options (or lack thereof). People who leave coworking
> spaces, too.
>
> Asking our members for their time is *so difficult* and I generally don't
> ask our members to participate in most of the coworking surveys that we get
> sent. *This one is the exception. *
>
> To help you out, I'm sharing the exact message that I sent to OUR members
> to ask them to participate (and many eagerly did!). You can tweak it, use
> it, remix it, whatever you like. Anything in the name of the survey!
>
> Thanks for contributing, and inviting your members to do the same.
>
> -Alex
>
>
>
>> Hey friends!
>
>
>
> You probably know this isn't the only coworking space in the world - in
>> fact, there's a GLOBAL community of people doing the kind of thing we do.
>
>
>
> What you might *not *know is that by being connected to that bigger
>> world, we can often learn more about other communities and even share
>> information and lessons about *our* community.
>
>
>
> This is a pretty special thing (most industries aren't this open to
>> sharing!) and I would like to share more of with all of you.
>
>
>
> One way we can share is the Global Coworking Survey, run by an independent
>> researcher named Carsten. This is actually the *largest* survey to
>> collect information about the state of coworking on a GLOBAL scale, and
>> it's been running since 2011!
>>
>
>
> At recent conferences, and in Carsten's survey results, there are a lot of
>> coworking operators talking about what it's like to operate a coworking
>> space. But there are *not a whole lot of members talking about their
>> experience.*
>
>
>
> I'd like your help fixing that!
>>
>
>
> This Coworking Survey <http://coworkingsurvey.com/> includes a path of
>> questions for members like you. Our community is unique, our coworking
>> experience is unique, and I think it'd be valuable to have our community's
>> voice represented in the data.
>>
>
>
> If you're willing to take 10-15 minutes to participate in the survey, your
>> data could help shape a coworking space in another part of the world, which
>> I think is pretty amazing. *But *
>> *the deadline to participate is the end of February, so there's only a
>> couple of days left.*
>
>
>
> Also, if you know other people (coworkers, friends, etc) who might want to
>> participate, please feel free to share the link!
>> http://coworkingsurvey.com
>>
>
>
> I know this is kinda insider-y, but I really appreciate you considering
>> the bigger context of coworking spaces around the world that we are a part
>> of. <3
>>
>
>
> -Alex
>
>
>
>
> --
> You received this message because you a

[Coworking] just 3 days left: the best source of cowoking data needs you!

[Alex Hillman]

Hey friends,

In case you're not familiar, each year Carsten from Deskmag spends a couple 
of months collecting thousands of submissions to the Global Coworking Survey 
. I've personally endorsed this survey and am 
one of a small number of distribution partners. 

The thing is, 2019's window to be counted in the survey is almost over - 
THURSDAY Feb 28th is the last day!

After the survey closes, Carsten pores over the data and pulls out the most 
relevant and valuable insights. He shares them at conferences around the 
world, and you can read/buy the historical reports (often HUNDREDS of 
beautiful information packed slides). Here's some of the ones from the 
past: 
http://www.deskmag.com/en/coworking-statistics-all-results-of-the-global-coworking-survey-research-studies-948

So, I have two requests for this group, which is one of the largest 
coworking related groups in the whole world. I want to help Carsten *smash* his 
previous survey record of ~2000 responses. 

*First: take the survey yourself before Thursday. *GO HERE > > 
http://coworkingsurvey.com

There is a version for people who haven't opened the doors yet, a version 
for people who have one or more locations, and a version for members too!

*It only takes 10-15 mins to complete, and really makes a difference for 
our industry. *

*Second: ask your members to take the survey. * This is the biggest 
challenge, so hear me out. 

The global perspective on coworking is WILDLY skewed by who is talking 
about it, and frankly, that's the people running coworking spaces. 

What's *really* valuable is knowing more about the people who choose 
coworking spaces. Who thrive in them, and why. But also the people who are 
frustrated by their options (or lack thereof). People who leave coworking 
spaces, too. 

Asking our members for their time is *so difficult* and I generally don't 
ask our members to participate in most of the coworking surveys that we get 
sent. *This one is the exception. *

To help you out, I'm sharing the exact message that I sent to OUR members 
to ask them to participate (and many eagerly did!). You can tweak it, use 
it, remix it, whatever you like. Anything in the name of the survey!

Thanks for contributing, and inviting your members to do the same. 

-Alex

 

> Hey friends!

 

You probably know this isn't the only coworking space in the world - in 
> fact, there's a GLOBAL community of people doing the kind of thing we do. 

 

What you might *not *know is that by being connected to that bigger world, 
> we can often learn more about other communities and even share information 
> and lessons about *our* community. 

 

This is a pretty special thing (most industries aren't this open to 
> sharing!) and I would like to share more of with all of you.

 

One way we can share is the Global Coworking Survey, run by an independent 
> researcher named Carsten. This is actually the *largest* survey to 
> collect information about the state of coworking on a GLOBAL scale, and 
> it's been running since 2011!
>
 

At recent conferences, and in Carsten's survey results, there are a lot of 
> coworking operators talking about what it's like to operate a coworking 
> space. But there are *not a whole lot of members talking about their 
> experience.* 

 

I'd like your help fixing that!
>
 

This Coworking Survey  includes a path of 
> questions for members like you. Our community is unique, our coworking 
> experience is unique, and I think it'd be valuable to have our community's 
> voice represented in the data.
>
 

If you're willing to take 10-15 minutes to participate in the survey, your 
> data could help shape a coworking space in another part of the world, which 
> I think is pretty amazing. *But *
> *the deadline to participate is the end of February, so there's only a 
> couple of days left.*

 

Also, if you know other people (coworkers, friends, etc) who might want to 
> participate, please feel free to share the link! 
> http://coworkingsurvey.com
>
 

I know this is kinda insider-y, but I really appreciate you considering the 
> bigger context of coworking spaces around the world that we are a part of. 
> <3
>
 

-Alex




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Re: [Coworking] WIFi --anyone using a MESH network?

[Alex Hillman]

Another big +1 for UniFi, and  for mesh.

On Wed, Feb 20, 2019 at 8:33 AM Brad Attig 
wrote:

> We tried the Linksys Velop and members would drop when they were moving
> from area to area. We went with UniFi and we couldn't be happier. Cost
> around $500 for the Switch 8, Security Gateway, Cloud Key, and one APAC
> Pro. We added a second Access Point when we expanded. Covering about 2800
> square feet and it is awesome. We are expanding downstairs and all we have
> to do is add an AP or 2 and run some cables
>
> Brad
>
>
> Brad Attig
> CEO at Foundry Collective
> Phone  541.812.1911   <541.812.1911>
> Mobile  541.286.5495
> Website  www.corvallisfoundry.com
> 
>
>
> 
> 
> 
> Check Out Our Upcoming Events for Small Businesses, Innovators, and
> Startups
> 
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 19, 2019 at 6:13 PM Stephen Ulrich 
> wrote:
>
>> We use the Linksys Velop system in a very old building with 3 foot thick
>> brick walls. We have 3 areas that require the mesh system. Occasionally one
>> of the mesh access points will go offline, and we just unplug it and plug
>> it back in, and it recovers that area. It was fairly easy to set up.
>>
>> We are still a very small group- less than a dozen members. For our
>> building the mesh system is more important than internet speed. But, we do
>> have the fastest available in the area; Our internet is supplied through
>> Comcast- 150 down, not sure what UL speed is.
>>
>> Good luck!
>> Steve
>> First National Coworking
>>
>> On Feb 18, 2019, at 12:23 AM, AK  wrote:
>>
>> Hey everyone.  We need to beef up our WIFI and wondering if a MESH
>> network is a good investment.
>>
>> We only have room for 15 desks and currently we have junk ATT internet
>> (about 25megs DL  and 10 up--ha!)--  looking at Comcast 75 DL  25 UL..I
>> think that should help a bit, but will a Mesh network also?
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> Al
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Phone Booth

[Alex Hillman]

Big +1 for office closings/liquidations. We've saved a FORTUNE on like-new
office furniture this way.

On Tue, Feb 19, 2019 at 2:39 PM Robert Luu  wrote:

> That's a great idea to check business closings for furniture. I'm gong to
> set up a Google Alert to monitor business closings, in general in my area.
>
> On Monday, February 18, 2019 at 2:55:21 PM UTC-8, Jeran Fraser wrote:
>>
>> I've seen a few threads over the last couple of years about phone
>> booths/quiet pods. Some folks have gone the DIY route and others have
>> purchased them. I just missed one used one in my area for $1,500 that was
>> being sold by a space that was closing down. Is there a resource for
>> coworking spaces that are selling equipment? I'm looking to buy 3-4 pods
>> for my office and potentially 2 person pods, but spending $5K-$10K/each
>> just doesn't make sense. Any ideas would be amazing. Thanks!
>>
>> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: How do you handle members wanting to bring a client in?

[Alex Hillman]

Like Scott, we keep this simple.

Members can have guests for a meeting up to 2 hours, and those meetings
take place at common tables/lounges or meeting rooms.

Once a guest is there > 2 hours, or if that guest is working from a desk,
our member is responsible for a full-rate guest pass.

Also like Scott said, people don't often read policies unless it's
something they are actively concerned about, so it's common for us to
remind folks who have guests by asking *"would you like us to charge your
guests' day pass to your account, or do you want to pay for it a different
way?"*

Most people don't try to abuse the system, they're just busy or distracted.
I always assume that's the case.

In the VERY rare event that someone seems genuinely surprised we'll give
them a free pass ONCE with the written understanding that next time, they
are responsible for their guest's day pass. The good news is that when your
members are business owners, most of them they're used to paying for things
that bring them value :)

-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 Sat, Feb 16, 2019 at 8:00 PM Scott Tillitt / BEAHIVE <
sc...@beahivebzzz.com> wrote:

> I have this section below in the member agreement and member handbook. For
> “resident” members (reserved desk or private studio) we say: "occasional
> guest collaborators work free (within reason)” — purposely vague.
>
> Guests
> Please be aware that members pay to use BEAHIVE. You’re welcome to show
> the space to guests as long as it’s not disruptive to others. If a guest
> would like to use the space, Day Passes are available (available to
> buy through the member portal). Full-time members can invite collaborators
> to use the space according to their respective membership plan.
>
>
> Of course most people don’t read these things fully. Nothing replaces
> simply telling members basic guidelines when they tour or during
> on-boarding (we give an in-person orientation).
>
> It’s served us well for nearly 10 years.
>
> crystal.maynar...@gmail.com: Feb 06 03:15PM -0800
>
> Currently writing policy and am fully aware that one of the big parts of
> freelancing is meeting with clients -- how do you navigate
> non-office-holding members having clients come in and meet them in the
> lounge/coWork space?
>
>
>   - ---
> *SCOTT TILLITT*
> PR yogi + social entrepreneur + community catalyst + meditator
> //  Facebook   /  Twitter
>   /  LinkedIn
> 
> //  917.449.6356
>
> BEAHIVE   //  spaces for work + community +
> possibilities
>
> *ANTIDOTE COLLECTIVE*   //  communications
> + projects for a better world
>
>
>   - ---  t h i n k / f e e l  --- -
> "...an idea or product that deserves the label 'creative' arises from the
> synergy of many sources and not only from the mind of a single person." —
> Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Group Membership/Rates for Rural Businesses at my CoWork Space??? Can't find any info on this!

[Alex Hillman]

The most common mistake I see here is that people say "your whole org has
access to this pool of work days" and the problem becomes when individuals
start skipping over the entire onboarding process because their boss they
could go work for the day.

So the trickiest part of this is making sure that you still have some kind
of 1-1 relationship with each of the people who are included in the group
rate, and that each person who gains access to the coworking space is still
treated as an individual regardless of who is paying for the space. You may
get pushback from org leaders who don't immediately "get it" - we do too -
but we always push back. I explain that it's crucial that we stay focused
on people, and having relationships with each person who is coming through
the doors is part of what makes the experience work. The ones who don't buy
in will just be problematic down the road, so don't stress about it and
remember that you're there to *serve and support your community*, not
anybody who walks in the door and wants to park at a desk.

*With that in mind, the way I've structured group rates looks like this:*

- Base rate includes up to X number of people, and a rate for additional
people to be included in that pool.
- Base rate includes up to X number of days shared by that pool of people,
and a rate for additional days.

I generally don't discount our base memberships, BUT if an organization is
interested in pre-paying for 6 months I'll offer a discount. So using our
rates as a template

...

$20/person/month for community membership X 24 people with access =
$480/month
$18/person/day for coworking X 8 per week X 4 weeks = $576/month

That's $1056/month as the base rate. Additional people can be added for
$20/month, and additional days can be added for $18/day. Removing people
from the roster requires 30 day notice, and memberships are not
transferrable between people.

If they pre-paid this for 6 months upfront, I'd offer a 5% discount. 12
months, a 10% discount.

One more word of warning with this, especially for smaller spaces: it's
very easy for large groups of people who work together to "dominate" your
space, making it feel uncomfortable for individuals and smaller teams. I
would be very cautious about building your model to be dependent on large
contracts like this, both because they represent an unnecessary cultural
challenge *and* because ending a large contract represents a much larger
hit (and is more difficult to replace) than a network of smaller,
individual memberships. I can't tell you how many spaces I've seen pushed
to the brink because a single team's departure left a financial and
emotional crater.

-Alex



On Fri, Feb 15, 2019 at 10:06 PM  wrote:

> I am working on my pricing and packages (Plan to launch in April/May)
>  and a few local businesses that have multiple locations (banks,
> churches etc.) that have teams/groups travel between locations from time to
> time and don't have the office space seem to a need a cowork space
> semi-regularly are asking me if I will offer them a group rate so they can
> have up to 8 people per week use our facility as their coWork space...
> now, its my understanding that the "up to" 8 people will be different
> people depending on the week... so essentially X bank might have 24 people
> come through my doors once a month but instead of paying a membership fee
> for each person, they are asking me if I can give them one flat rate -- I
> am struggling finding information on how people price out a "group"
> membership... ANY insight would be extremely helpful!!
>
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Re: [Coworking] Co-Working Membership Software?!?!? HAAAAALP!!

[Alex Hillman]

An alternative point of view:

We ran Indy Hall out of spreadsheets and off-the-shelf invoicing software
for 8+ years (growing from a dozen to a few hundred members). Software
isn't going to make or break you, and I personally would prioritize
flexibility and ease of change over "all in one" solutions.

These days we DO use a coworking platform, but all we really use it for is
for billing. I've turned off just about every other feature.

I have not found an "all in one" tool that actually does all of the things
well (everything going to include tradeoffs, and putting many features
under one roof means MORE tradeoffs) and strongly prefer using a collection
of tools that are individually great at their job. This also means that I
can pick a tool that is "good enough" for a job now, and swap it out for a
better one if I find one.

Related: if you aren't already familiar with it, check out and learn Zapier
:
it's an amazing tool that lets you connect lots individual tools and keep
them in sync with each other. It doesn't require knowing any code, just
some creative thinking.










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Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Fri, Feb 8, 2019 at 9:10 AM Jana Greer  wrote:

> Whatever software you choose, choose one that scales with your growth and
> has the capacity to integrate and manage many things.  From an operation
> standpoint, the more you can connect and streamline the members experience
> the better, IMO.
>
> I think one pain point is the backend. It is being redone and should be
> out by the summer. The front end was redone a while ago and it was awesome
> when that was released—-making the members experience even better.
>
> Best of luck!
>
> -Jana
>
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Re: [Coworking] Co-Working Membership Software?!?!? HAAAAALP!!

[Alex Hillman]

Hi Crystal!

I'd like to encourage you to search through the archives of this group.
Questions about software come up here a *fairly often *and the comments are
always full of useful advice about options and the differences.

Here's a great place to start:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/coworking/coworking$20software%7Csort:date

-Alex

On Tue, Feb 5, 2019 at 6:17 PM  wrote:

> Hey ya'll!! I am new to google groups, and am thrilled that this group
> exists... I have my business plan in place, the capital, and am narrowed
> down to two location options -- I have some favor on the side of tech
> supplies.. yay!! BUT I am at a total loss to what Co-Working Space software
> to use? I am fairly tech savvy, but NOT a coder/developer -- I see several
> options for membership systems but need some real life testimonies for what
> does and doesn't work. we are a small rural town about an hour north of
> the Dallas area... so I am not anticipating hundreds of members lol... any
> suggestions would be wonder filled!!! Thank YOU!!!
> - Crystal
>
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Re: [Coworking] Made it to the front page of the newspaper

[Alex Hillman]

YES! My top two rules for great press in action. It shows!

On Fri, Jan 25, 2019 at 9:38 AM Glen Ferguson 
wrote:

> Thanks Alex. Two things really helped this time: sticking to the story we
> want told instead of just answering the questions we were asked, and having
> the reporter spend the rest of the day working around our members.
>
> On Fri, Jan 25, 2019 at 9:27 AM Alex Hillman 
> wrote:
>
>> This article rules, Glen. One of the best space profiles I've seen in a
>> while. Congrats!
>>
>> Alex
>>
>> On Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 3:14 PM Glen Ferguson 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> It took us six years, but we made it out of the inner local section and
>>> on to the front page of our local paper. The online version omits a photo
>>> of the two members the story leads with so it seems a bit disjointed at the
>>> start.
>>>
>>> Despite us downplaying the telework aspect, as that's only a small
>>> percentage of our members, that was the story she wanted to tell before she
>>> ever came in to see us. But that's the only major flaw this time around,
>>> so... progress!
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/economy_and_business/employment/cowork-frederick-provides-a-sense-of-community-for-teleworkers/article_fdde2821-a150-5c7e-ba2a-8b7826be90fd.html
>>>
>>> *Glen Ferguson*   Tummler, Cowork Frederick
>>> Phone: 301-732-5165
>>> Email: g...@coworkfrederick.com
>>> Website: https://coworkfrederick.com
>>> Address: 122 E Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701
>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=122+E+Patrick+St,+Frederick,+MD+21701=gmail=g>
>>> <http://facebook.com/CoworkFrederick>
>>> <http://twitter.com/CoworkFrederick>
>>> <http://www.yelp.com/biz/cowork-frederick-frederick>
>>> <http://instagram.com/CoworkFrederick>
>>>
>>> --
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>>>
>> --
>> -- The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by
>> yourself. Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com Listen to the
>> podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Made it to the front page of the newspaper

[Alex Hillman]

This article rules, Glen. One of the best space profiles I've seen in a
while. Congrats!

Alex

On Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 3:14 PM Glen Ferguson 
wrote:

> It took us six years, but we made it out of the inner local section and on
> to the front page of our local paper. The online version omits a photo of
> the two members the story leads with so it seems a bit disjointed at the
> start.
>
> Despite us downplaying the telework aspect, as that's only a small
> percentage of our members, that was the story she wanted to tell before she
> ever came in to see us. But that's the only major flaw this time around,
> so... progress!
>
>
> https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/economy_and_business/employment/cowork-frederick-provides-a-sense-of-community-for-teleworkers/article_fdde2821-a150-5c7e-ba2a-8b7826be90fd.html
>
> *Glen Ferguson*   Tummler, Cowork Frederick
> Phone: 301-732-5165
> Email: g...@coworkfrederick.com
> Website: https://coworkfrederick.com
> Address: 122 E Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701
> 
>  
> 
> 
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Legal Services

[Alex Hillman]

I'm with Brian - having a local attorney who you can build a relationship
with is HUGELY helpful.

Especially with businesses like ours that often have nuance missed by
corporate/bulk service attorneys, I've always been thankful for the ability
to go to a specific person that I know I can trust and who understands my
business values and goals and priorities.

Bonus: ours also have joined with memberships, and have found that they
gain a TON of business from being a part of our small business community.

-Alex

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Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 9:56 AM Brian Burgett 
wrote:

> I would suggest you find a local attorney to review your membership
> agreement. My real estate attorney put together my LLC and reviewed the
> lease and membership agreement. Spending a couple hundred dollars to review
> documents is cheaper than $480 year on a service. It's also nice to have an
> attorney to make a quick call if you have any questions. He doesn't charge
> me for those.
>
>
>
> *Brian Burgett*
>
> 513-609-4777
>
> www.QueenCityCoworking.com 
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 9:01 PM  wrote:
>
>> We are looking for a lawyer to review our membership agreements which
>> we’ve cobbled together from other spaces. Has anybody used the Legal Shield
>> services? They are a large group of Lawyers that you pay about $40 a month
>> for. Also thought it would also be a nice offering for our members if they
>> are any good
>>
>> --
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Re: [Coworking] Waitlist Policy?

[Alex Hillman]

It certainly can't hurt to* try* the pre-payment option to lock people into
the waiting list, but I would be surprised if people bite for all of the
same reasons you describe. If I'm running a team and need space for them,
putting money down on an office I can't have until some unknown point in
the future isn't a compelling offer, even when compared to a lesser
offering that I can use now.

One thing we *have* done with larger teams is introducing a longer
cancellation period in order to get their deposit back. Basically once a
team is >3, they represent a larger $$ liability for us and increased
difficulty/stress in replacing that income with new members.

With larger groups we've had success negotiating 60 and 90 day notice
windows that give us more time to fill in the gap naturally rather than
scrambling. It's no different (and at 60 days, even better) than they'd get
with a traditional office lease, and realistically a large group almost
always knows they are moving out at least 60 days in advance.

-Alex

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My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Tue, Jan 22, 2019 at 10:20 AM  wrote:

> Thanks @angel and @alex. We do that, and it does work great for dedicated
> desks and 1-desk offices. But we've got 60 offices that are 2,4,6 and 8-9
> desks. Typically, our Commons members aren't looking for large spaces, and
> the professionals who are need at least some private, dedicated space -
> joining as Commons members doesn't work for them.
>
> We've been adding these folks to waitlists by office size (and keeping in
> touch, inviting them to events, etc). Several lists were 20+ deep. This
> seemed to be a great indicator of interest and gave us confidence that we'd
> be able to refill offices if needed. Pretty quickly, that proved
> misleading: when offices open, we find ourselves scrambling through long
> lists; giving each person 48 hours to confirm can easily take a full month
> to find our new member - a very nerve-wracking thing when it's a bigger
> office.
>
> We're considering a fee for non-members to be on a waitlist. If they take
> the office,it would go towards their membership.
>
> Not sure how much that'll help...interested parties may have found other
> space in the interim... but we thought we'd try and wondered if anyone had
> any similar experience.
>
> Thanks!!
>
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Re: [Coworking] Waitlist Policy?

[Alex Hillman]

Same as Angel - people who are willing to join at any of our flex
memberships while on the waiting list for a dedicated spot get priority.

Bonus besides the revenue is that they get involved sooner - and it weeds
out the people who just want space.

-Alex

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Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Mon, Jan 21, 2019 at 9:51 AM Angel Kwiatkowski 
wrote:

> I give priority placement on the list to people who are members already in
> the flex space. It has worked great!
>
> Angel
>
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Re: [Coworking] The Coworking Library now features a searchable and filterable public database of coworking research!

[Alex Hillman]

I'm so excited about this. We have participated in several in-depth
academic research projects (which will be submitted shortly) and I hope
this overall raises the caliber of the research being done.

Thanks for your contributions, Hector!

On Mon, Jan 14, 2019 at 2:24 PM Bernie J Mitchell <
ber...@berniejmitchell.com> wrote:

>  
>
> The launch party at Coworking Europe was great!
>
> Have a remarkable day
>
> Bernie J Mitchell
> 0777 204 2012
>
> www.berniejmitchell.com
> 
>
> Sent from my mobile device
>
> *Unless we agree otherwise, this email conversation is confidential.
>
>
>
> On Mon, 14 Jan 2019 at 19:14, Hector Kolonas  wrote:
>
>> Hey fellow coworking family!
>>
>> Just wanted to let you all know that the coworking library has opened up
>> a searchable and filterable database of coworking research
>> .
>>
>> You can read more about it in the official press announcement
>> 
>> on deskmag, and my notes
>> 
>> on why I feel this is a very important (non-profit) addition to our global
>> community.
>>
>> If there's any questions, suggestions or other feedback do let me know!
>>
>> *FD: I've recently joined as a partner of this non-profit global indexing
>> project for the reasons outlined in the last link above.*
>>
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Re: [Coworking] SMALL SPACE OWNERS -- HELP!! How to make money in a small space ?

[Alex Hillman]

So, two things:

*First, $17-20k to outfit a 800 square foot space is absolutely
unnecessary.* It sounds like you're talking to someone who does corporate
space planning + design, and their budgets generally start around there.

But for a small coworking space (we started with ~1200 square feet), it
just doesn't make sense. You can do so much with simple DIY options and a
little bit of creativity. Don't be afraid of home finishes (so long as they
aren't junky) - I'm always looking for ways to mix the things that make
homes cozy with the things that make a workplace productive. We pulled off
our original fit out for under $2k worth of desks, chairs, etc. Just the
necessities, then add niceties later and make it a constant collaborative
improvement process *with* your members.

*Second, I think your pricing model needs work ;)* I'm not sure how you
came up with your price points, but they seem *very* low and if you're
scratching your head about sustainability...they are way too low.

My approach to figuring out a sustainable pricing model is to work
backwards from a monthly and annual budget, and then divide by the number
of members are realistic, to find the price point needed for
profitability.  Remember that you won't be 100% occupied all the time, and
that full time desks + day passes aren't the only options

.

Flip your approach around and I think you'll find a simple, sustainable way
to make this work!

-Alex

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Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Tue, Jan 8, 2019 at 1:04 PM AK  wrote:

> Been doing a lot of research (reading, meeting, and talking) -- Also
> looking at build-out costs.  Nevertheless, we still are stuck with a small
> space ( about 800 ft open coworking and one 10x13 private space)
>
> I had a designer tell me decorating, new furniture and space planning
> would run me  $17-20,000 (our place is clean and has fresh paint now) --
>
> Based on rent of about $8 per table ( we think we can have 10 --without
> making it tight)-- $80 /day --$240 month... plus private office $400
> --that all seems too little.
>
> So To ALL of YOU with Small Space, how do you make it work?
>
> Thank you, ALL!  If anyone has answers I know this is the forum to ask
>
>
>
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Re: [Coworking] Lease Agreements

[Alex Hillman]

Big +1 for license agreements over subleases, but neither of these is going
to *fix* a churn problem.

Churn like that is a clue that something is wrong, and I'd be asking why
are people leaving so often instead of "how can I force them to stay?"

Is it that you're attracting people who don't have stable businesses? Or
people who just want a no-commitment space, but don't care about the other
people in it?



--
*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, Dec 17, 2018 at 7:16 PM Michael Ma 
wrote:

> We have our agreement structured as a "membership agreement" even for our
> private offices which gives them access to XYZ amenities as opposed to a
> lease agreement.   The idea is that we can easily cancel a membership if
> they didn't comply with our terms, where as with a lease, you would have to
> go through an eviction process.Please consult with an attorney in your
> local area as to which structure makes sense for you.
>
> Good luck!
> Michael
>
> On Sun, Dec 9, 2018 at 10:34 AM 603 The CoWorking Space India <
> 603...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello Comunity, I d like to know as well.
>> We have created a "Business Centre Service Agreement" for our clients in
>> India who use the space. Does everyone follow lease agreements or
>> memberships only? If Memberships only, where do you classify your business?
>> As a Business Centre or Business Club? Does it affect the category of
>> registeratons with the government in case of taxes?
>>
>> Sincere regards
>> Kunal K.
>> 603 The CoWorking Space
>> +91 9136036603
>>
>>
>>
>> *Correspondence Address*  | 601 - 603 Makhija Arcade | 35th Road, Bandra
>> (w) | Mumbai  400 050 |
>> *Contact Numbers* -  | Tel: +91 22 67102052 | Fax: +91 22 67102055 |
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 7, 2018 at 10:01 PM Wendy  wrote:
>>
>>> Hello All,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I opened The Desk & Easel in January of this year.  I have 3 private
>>> spaces and the rest is open/shared work space.  I’m currently leasing the
>>> private spaces on a monthly basis with no lease agreement.  I have had
>>> mixed success.  The first space has been rented since March by the same
>>> member.  The other 2 have had constant turn over.  I’m considering
>>> requiring a short term lease agreement.  I was wondering how others handled
>>> the leasing of their private spaces.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Wendy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from Mail  for
>>> Windows 10
>>>
>>>
>>>
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Re: [Coworking] Do we REALLY need to buy a dishwasher? -opinions please

[Alex Hillman]

We also did not have a dishwasher in our first space, which also did not have a 
full kitchen. 

Nice to have? Absolutely. Does it solve dirty dishes in the sink problems? 
Nope! That's a cultural expectation to set up regardless having a dishwasher or 
not.

Dishwasher is an operational ROI, not a member value ROI, and I can probably 
think of 100 more things that would generate operational ROI faster than a 
dishwasher :)

-Alex
 

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 11:45 AM, Aloma < freephotoproj...@gmail.com > wrote:

> 
> We have about 85 members and don't have a dishwasher. We don't have a full
> kitchen though, just microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker. No one has
> ever complained or mentioned that they think we should have one when we've
> asked for feedback or otherwise.
> 
> On Thu, Dec 13, 2018, 8:08 AM AK < al@ alkayemedia. com (
> a...@alkayemedia.com ) > wrote:
> 
> 
>> Small space about 10 desks and 2 offices.  Will hold about 20-25 max.  We
>> are adding a small kitchen counter (microwave, sink, fridge and cabinets)
>> --This is not a full kitchen and the area we are putting the counter in is
>> small.
>> 
>> 
>> Thus, should we also add a dishwasher?  In the long run, it would require
>> more electric installed and the cost of an extra small water tank and the
>> actual dishwasher (quiet one).  
>> 
>> 
>> We do intend to hold events, but nothing major. 
>> 
>> 
>> Thank you!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
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>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Storage Lockers

[Alex Hillman]

This is a tricky one. ALL of my experience with lockers is that they are a 
place where stuff gets put, and then left, and then forgotten about forever. 

We removed our lockable storage options (school lockers specifically) because 
that only exacerbated the issue - we'd do annual cleanouts only to learn that 
80% of the lockers hadn't been touched in 10 months 

What we've settled on now are:

1 - Full time members with dedicated desks are welcome to bring in a desk-side 
filing cabinet if they want. That's theirs, with their belongings in it, and it 
goes home with them if/when they downgrade or leave

2 - For flex members who want to leave things in between visits, we have a 
limited number of clear plastic bins they can put things in. Clear discourages 
people from putting valuables in them, and makes sure we can easily see when 
bins are empty or idle. The rack is ~$40, and bins with/lids are $10/each.

-Alex

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 8:43 AM, AK < a...@alkayemedia.com > wrote:

> 
> Let's revisit this in 2018/19 ---  As we build out (we have limited open
> space by the desks -- are resident members preferring a cabinet at their
> desk or are they ok with a wall of a few small lockers?  We wish to be
> prudent and not waste money or space on items that people do not use.
> 
> 
> https:/ / www. ebay. com/ itm/ 
> living-room-storage-cabinet-small-office-locker-Small-office-safe-locker/
> 372523383137?hash=item56bc1fb961:g:lO4AAOSwzDFcB0K5:rk:31:pf:0 (
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/living-room-storage-cabinet-small-office-locker-Small-office-safe-locker/372523383137?hash=item56bc1fb961:g:lO4AAOSwzDFcB0K5:rk:31:pf:0
> )
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> Al
> 
> 
> On Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 9:48:25 AM UTC-6, Eli Malinsky wrote:
>> Hey all
>> 
>> Can anyone recommend good lockable storage solutions for members'
>> files and equipment? We've previously had a custom locker system built
>> and we've also used Ikea's stuff, but we're looking for other ideas...
>> any vendors or specific products you could recommend would be great.
>> 
>> Thanks muchly
>> 
>> Eli Malinsky
>> Centre for Social Innovation
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Coworking Research Study

[Alex Hillman]

Jamie & Trey - you already have access to the single richest pool of dos 
and don'ts for new coworking spaces on the planetthis email list!

The archives are a TREASURE TROVE of people working through challenges and 
mistakes, solving problems in public, and sharing their 
experiences/expertise. 

Search, read, learn. Experiment and try. The most important "do/do-not" is 
to work on building your community before you even go looking for a space 
. Everything - the business model, the 
marketing, the assets/resources, even your funding - can all be different 
depending on WHO is in your community. 

Which will be reinforced as you read through the archives of this group - 
the majority of the best answers are going to depend heavily on YOUR 
community, so spend at least as much time and energy researching them, and 
talking with them, and including them in your decisions, as you do here ;)

-Alex



On Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 5:57:18 PM UTC-5, Trey Downes wrote:
>
> I will share anything that I get. 
>
> On Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 4:31 PM Jamie Tyrell  
> wrote:
>
>> I would be interested in that also! Trey
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 1:35 PM Trey Downes  
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I am currently writing a business plan for a co-working space that 
>>> motivates the community to grow professionally. Does anyone have any 
>>> templates or info they can share on their spaces. Maybe dos or donts. 
>>> Thanks 
>>>
>>> On Tue, Dec 4, 2018 at 8:29 PM Jamie Tyrell  
>>> wrote:
>>>
 I requested to take part in the study, but have not heard back.  Any 
 news?

 On Monday, 26 November 2018 14:08:43 UTC-5, meghansa...@gmail.com 
 wrote:
>
> Hello!
>
>  
>
> I am a researcher from Baylor University in Waco, conducting a study 
> about the dynamics in coworking spaces, and I am writing to invite you 
> and 
> your members to participate! If you find this message appropriate to post 
> on your message board, my team and I would greatly appreciate it!
>
>  
>
> We are specifically interested in how the interactions of coworking 
> space members might affect productivity, well-being, and networking at 
> coworking spaces around the US. For all who participate, you will be 
> entered into a drawing for a $20 Amazon gift card (1 in 15 chance in 
> winning), and maybe even more interesting, we will share the overall 
> (aggregated) results of the study with all centers and members who 
> participate once it is complete. Rest assured, all your responses will 
> remain confidential.  But if any one center has enough members 
> participate, 
> I will also share a more customized report with you regarding the current 
> climate of your center.
>
>  
>
> If you want to know more, or to sign up, please click here to fill out 
> a few questions about yourself:
>
> https://baylor.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6fixqnpaw9jXRzL
>
>  
>
> After you complete this sign-up, you will be invited to complete a 
> short baseline survey before the next study session begins. The next 
> 10-day 
> session will begin on *Monday November 26th*. During this time, you 
> will be invited to answer just a few questions, 3 times throughout the 
> day 
> over 10 business days. If there are days during this time period where 
> you 
> don’t work at all, then you will be able to record that in the survey 
> instead of answering questions about your work that day. Each of these 
> check-in’s should take less than 2 minutes to complete.  
>
>  
>
> If you have any contacts who are members at other coworking spaces 
> (anywhere in the US), they would be welcome to participate as well. Just 
> send them this link to get started. Or if you want to post this in any 
> online groups geared at coworking, I welcome that help in spreading the 
> word as well.  
>
>  
>
> Thank you for considering this opportunity to help us learn more about 
> coworking spaces!  Please contact me at sara_...@baylor.eduwith any 
> questions.
>
  
>
> Best regards,
>
>
> Dr. Sara Perry
>
> (Posted by Dr. Perry's Graduate Assistant)
>
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>>>
>> -- 
>> 

Re: [Coworking] Space security/members letting people in/ key code systems??

[Alex Hillman]

I can't comment much on key code systems (we are trapped using the digital 
keycard system our building provides) but I can speak to your other questions!

One of the requirements of someone hosting an after-hours event is that they 
are either a keyholder themselves, or they have a keyholder join them as a 
"cohost." Coupled with the way we distribute keys based on a trust and 
responsability-based system ( 
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2014/07/the-neighborhood-watch-method-for-coworking-space-security/
 ) , this helps reduce the range of problems we can run into with after hours 
groups and even closing procedure. 

For handling latecomers, the biggest thing that's made a difference is telling 
our meetup organizers that they either need to staff the front door until ~30 
mins *after* the doors lock, and/or they need to impress on their attendees 
that the doors lock at a specific time and they won't be able to get in if they 
arrive late. For some occasional events that starts later, we do put signage on 
the door with a phone number of the keyholder who can let later-comers in. 

But the key (ha!) in all cases is that attendees - late or otherwise - are the 
responsibility of the keyholders on duty for the event. Helps us reinforce that 
access as a responsibility, not a right!

-Alex

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 1:54 AM, Aloma Loren < freephotoproj...@gmail.com > 
wrote:

> 
> What are your rules about people having non-members in the space after
> hours?
> 
> When a member is having an event in the conference room and people show up
> late and the door is locked they end up knocking and bothering other
> members who then aren't sure if they should let them in etc?
> 
> 
> Any great ways to handle this? A sign on the door for after hours that
> they need to call whoever they are meeting? Making sure members know they
> need to meet their guests and not rely on other members to let them in?
> 
> 
> Ideas?
> 
> 
> Also, I would love any recommendations on key code systems that allow for
> individual codes. The door we have currently only has one code that
> everyone uses that we change periodically. I know it's not the best but
> it's worked ok so far. I would prefer better security though and the
> ability to disable codes,etc. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [Coworking] Re: I hate a morgue feel (need a space with life)

[Alex Hillman]

Echoing (heh) a bunch of comments in here:

1 - There's no one personal preference that will work for everyone. Anecdote I 
like to share from years ago when we started hearing people ask for quiet 
space: we shared this feedback with our community and the leading feedback we 
got was "please don't turn Indy Hall into a library - there are lots of places 
I can get quiet, I specifically come here for the buzzy energy and sound."

Lesson: You don't have to be everything to everyone. Focus on finding people 
who want the same thing you do, and support them. You'll always find people who 
want a different version. That's fine.

2 - phone calls and conversations are very different kinds of sound. 
conversations are easier to tune out because they flow naturally, vs phone 
calls with tend to be louder (people have louder phone talking voices than in 
person, or just become unaware of their voice when they are on the phone). 
phone calls also mean you're only hearing one side of a conversation, which is 
VERY distracting due to being intermittent and your brain subconsciously trying 
to fill in the convo. 

It's great to overhear a conversation and possibly jump in. That's not the case 
with phone calls. 

We encourage phone calls to happen in meeting/phone rooms, and not at desks. 
Conversations are okay, but extended conversations are better taken to a common 
space instead of talking across another person. 

Lesson: avoid talking across people, or forcing others to listen into your 
phone conversations. 

3 - zones and common areas are your friend. this is way harder to do in smaller 
spaces, but it's very possible. make it easy for people to have conversations 
in common areas, and encourage them to use them as such. create smaller, cozy 
areas as far away as possible from those noisy areas for when people need a 
break. 

Lesson: design your space to allow for people to choose noisier areas vs 
quieter areas. When space is limited, focus on creating common areas where 
sound is more likely to be concentrated (even if it's not contained).

4 - expectations matter, and everyone was socialized to different versions of 
what is "normal." it's a mistake to believe that people will just automatically 
understand how to interact around others. part of tours and onboarding is 
setting explicit examples of what's okay and what isn't in terms of sound, and 
letting people know how to be good citizens of the space. don't be afraid to 
re-up this often, it's easy for people to forget. 

Lesson: this ties back to my first point, but in a different way. Bottom line 
is that YOU get to define what's normal, and calibrate based on the people in 
the room. All the more reason to have a community of people involved from the 
very beginning - you can shake out all of these questions and expectations with 
them, and their preferences, rather than the preferences of people on the 
internet who are probably never going to work at your space ;)

-Alex

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Sat, Dec 01, 2018 at 10:20 AM, Trevor Townsend < 1...@trevortownsend.com > 
wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the tip on sound masking - I'm checking that company and others
> for something like that.
> 
> 
> 
> I think that in larger spaces having a nice sales-y background buzz is
> good, but would that working in smaller settings? My space is built up of
> rooms that are only 19'x22', 12'x13', and 9'x13'.
> 
> 
> 
> For my space, I think acoustic treatment and sound masking could to
> support a healthy buzz.
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [Coworking] Re: When a member moves in :( How to deal with a member who is living in their office.

[Alex Hillman]

I would keep your member handbook language simple:

- meeting rooms and private spaces are not to be used as a living space.
doors can be closed or locked for privacy, but private spaces must remain
accessible to staff and leadership. (If this poses a security or privacy
risk please talk to us ahead of time and we can work something out!)
- all memberships and 24/7 access is a privilege not a right, and can be
revoked at the descretion of community leadership.

The thing I am always very careful about is creating unnecessary language
and restrictions for the majority based on the outlier actions of a single
person. That kind of "scar tissue" exists in most rulebooks, where you can
read a rule and think "the only reason this is here is because some idiot
did that."

Ultimately, I don't believe that the person you described in this scenario
wasn't going to be deterred by a certain string of words. Yes, it's
valuable to set expectations for everyone but remember when writing new
rules that this person was an exception, not the rule :)

Alex

On Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 5:33 PM Aloma Loren 
wrote:

> Thank you for your suggestions but her office did have a window in the
> door. It had a blind that she could put down for some privacy but she also
> had a towel taped up to cover gaps so you couldn't see anything. I need
> some good wording for our handbook about this so any input for that would
> be awesome.
>
>
> On Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 2:23:08 PM UTC-8, Carl Sullivan wrote:
>>
>> Wow, what an ending.
>>
>> I know this is now resolved, in future you could benefit from replacing
>> what I am assuming is a solid door with a glass door. It sets a better tone
>> that while offices are "private work spaces", they are not "private
>> spaces", it mihgt be a good mental shift so that people like Member X
>> cannot completly divide their space from the rest of your coworking
>> community.
>>
>> On Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 5:25:27 AM UTC+11, Aloma Loren wrote:
>>>
>>> We have a member, we'll call this member X.
>>>
>>> X moved into a private office a couple months ago.
>>> X gave 30 days notice that they will be out by the end of November,
>>> however, they want to continue their membership as a Flex Desk member so
>>> would still have 24/7 access to the space.
>>>
>>> It is clear from our security cameras X is here 24/7. Walks around the
>>> space in their socks, is always in the same clothes, looks like they don't
>>> shower... Hung a towel over the inside of the door to block any little
>>> space between the blinds.
>>> The other night the cameras showed the police here at 4:30am walking
>>> through the space with flashlights. X says they had a friend in here that
>>> got violent and they had to call the police.
>>>
>>> X refuses to let us show the office to new members. They claim they are
>>> on the phone and busy all day. They literally slammed the door in my office
>>> manager's face when she was trying to talk to her very kindly about this.
>>>
>>> Anyone dealt with this kind of situation before?
>>>
>>> I can handle not showing the office. I have a feeling it would not show
>>> well anyway.
>>> I do not feel comfortable with X still having access to the space after
>>> they move out of their office.
>>> Have you had to cancel a membership/refuse someone before?
>>> How do you word it?
>>>
>>> Any advice or just sharing of stories welcome.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Accepting mail --Approved by USPS... But..

[Alex Hillman]

Big +1 for talking to your local mail carriers.

Ours has helped us through all sorts of confusion with mail and appreciates 
that we think of him rather than going to the main office who doesn't always 
really understand the nuances of his route. 

-Alex

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Wed, Nov 28, 2018 at 3:31 PM, < k...@cocreatelexington.com > wrote:

> 
> Talk to your regular mail carrier.
> 
> 
> When I took the CMRA forms to our local post office, they had never seen
> the form either and looked at me like I was crazy. But he signed and
> sealed it and gave me a copy even though he wasn't sure if I needed it or
> not.
> 
> 
> Then we talked to our mailman. Our regular carrier said he didn't care who
> it was addressed to as long as it had our suite number and indicated he'd
> prefer not to have PMB #'s added.
> 
> 
> We only have a few members using our address right now, but neither the
> USPS, UPS, or FedEx delivery people have seemed to mind delivering items
> addressed to our members.
> 
> 
> Kiri
> 
> 
> 
> On Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 2:07:28 PM UTC-5, AK wrote:
>> OK.. we filled out the form for the CMRA with the Post Office 2 months ago
>> -- after many calls since then, they finally called to say I was approved.
>> I asked for a letter and they said it was not necessary.
>> 
>> 
>> I know my tenants will need to fill out a form in order for us to accept
>> their mail, but I found it odd that `1/it took 2 months ( our local
>> postmaster was not familiar with the form...never saw one before mine--but
>> our city does have a UPS store..hmm)--- and odd that I need no written
>> approval.  ( I am concerned that this could backfire)
>> 
>> 
>> Suggestions, comments are welcome.
>> 
>> 
>> Thank you! 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [Coworking] Re: When a member moves in :( How to deal with a member who is living in their office.

[Alex Hillman]

I should have added to my original reply that I assumed Aloma had already tried 
speaking to this person...and that assumption on my part is based on our 
interactions on this list over the last few years. 

And I'm speaking directly to the folks who, like myself and Aloma and many 
other people who've built strong communities by being thoughtful and generous: 
*there is a fine line between recognizing when a member is in trouble and needs 
help, and when someone is being abusive. * *
*

Thing is, my default is generosity and caring and the benefit of the doubt. I'm 
proud of the many times that our members have been in some kind of trouble and 
that either myself or another member was able to help them. 

But I've learned that generosity can be abused, and that's what I see in 
Aloma's original post. For me, it's two specific things, and frankly, neither 
of them are specifically related to using a private room as a residence:

*1 - bringing in outside people after hours, and that resulting in a situation 
that required calling the police.*

after hours access is a privilege of trust, not a right of membership. i've 
written extensively about this ( 
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2014/07/the-neighborhood-watch-method-for-coworking-space-security/
 ) and the system we developed after being abused by someone who took advantage 
of a situation. that system depends on the people who have access to be WORTHY 
of trust. all trust systems depends on strong links recognizing weak links. in 
this case, NOT removing this person's 24/7 access sends a message to the strong 
links that the weak links are allowed.

*2 - slamming the door in the face of an employee, or any sort of belligerent 
behavior directed towards others.* say or do anything you want to me, but don't 
fuck with my team (or our members). * * Now, this isn't a "if you disagree with 
me you're out on the street." The specific examples shared are abusive 
behavior, and regardless of the reason they do not need to be tolerated within 
a community. 

Again, this isn't simply "you aren't nice so you're out" but abusive, 
disruptive behavior directed towards people, or shared resources (which 
basically says I don't GAF about the people I share this with).  

Humans are complicated and messy. These situations are not black and white. 
There is no single right way to handle this.

And worst of all, most of us don't realize what job we're signing up for when 
we start these things. 

Short term, I still strongly believe that this person needs their 24/7 access 
removed. You can tell them that you're here to support them in getting help if 
they need it, but they can't use the space. 

Medium term, I would strongly consider two things:

1 - consider a mental health first aid class for you, your staff, and maybe 
even your members who want to participate. there are lots of little things that 
can be done long before a situation becomes this bad. 

2 - consider a community town hall about the situation. don't make it about the 
person specifically, but instead about how you *as a community* would want to 
deal with a situation like this in the future. this could possibly be tied into 
the first suggestion above. 

Bottom line: this isn't a real estate business, it's a human business. That 
means it's going to get messy.

But that also does NOT mean that you have to sit back and get beat up by 
someone who is abusing you or your community.

-Alex

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

Sent via Superhuman ( https://sprh.mn/?vip=dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com )

On Mon, Nov 26, 2018 at 5:46 PM, Aloma Loren < freephotoproj...@gmail.com > 
wrote:

> 
> Wow, Miles, your comment feels full of negative assumptions about me and
> my business. FYI I have run this space as a community service project
> without pay for 4.5 years pouring my heart and time and energy into
> creating a supportive community where people feel cared for and supported.
> 
> OF COURSE WE HAVE TRIED TO TALK TO THIS PERSON. This person literally
> closed the door in my face. I was nothing but kind and only asked when
> they would have time to meet in the next few days. I'm not sure how my
> original comment has you drawing such conclusions but the tone of your
> comment is not appreciated. 
> 
> On Monday, November 26, 2018 at 2:17:30 PM UTC-8, Miles Fidelman wrote:
>> Has anyone, you know, actually talked to the member?  Sounds like someone
>> who's underwater & drowing.  Are they having business problems?  Family
>> problems?  Mental problems?  Or are you just one of those places that's
>> really just rental real-estate and members  be damned?  Not a place I'd
>> want to work in, or a group of people I'd want to work with.
>> 
>> 
>> On Monday, November 

Re: [Coworking] When a member moves in :( How to deal with a member who is living in their office.

[Alex Hillman]

The other night the cameras showed the police here at 4:30am walking through 
the space with flashlights. X says they had a friend in here that got violent 
and they had to call the police.

Yikes. Everything about this is situation sounds messy and abusive, but this 
situation where he's bringing violent friends in after hours is a massive 
violation of trust. I would ask this person to leave + revoke their access 
immediately. Even if there is more to the story going on (I'm sure there is), 
this person is making choices that put your community at risk. I have zero 
tolerance for that. 

Asking members to leave is never fun (thankfully I've only had to do it 3x in 
12 years!).

*My best advice from experience is to avoid the temptation to explain 
yourself.* Less is more, here. Decide what you're going to say ahead of time, 
and use that line as your answer to anything they say.

The last time I had to do this, I simply kept repeating: "What just happened 
was not ok, and I've made my decision that you can't come here anymore."

The truth is, it's scary to own that decision, but also empowering in the face 
of someone who is being abusive. 

I would turn off 24/7 access immediately, then give them a clear and specific 
window of time to remove their belongings from the office. If you hold any 
deposits, refund them proactively. Basically make it easy for them to leave and 
avoid any opportunities for them to make excuses. 

In the past I've also asked a couple of trusted members to be present when they 
come to get their stuff to ensure that I'm not alone with them. Given that the 
police have already been involved, you may want to get a copy of any sort of 
report they filed from that incident as well. 

At the end of the day, this is about keeping your space a safe place where 
people can trust one another. A member whose actions undermine that - 
especially as a pattern and with such disregard - can't be allowed to stay. 

This sucks. I'm sorry you're going through it. You'll feel shitty for a brief 
period of time (I certainly did) and then you'll feel relieved. 

Good luck. We've got your back. 

-Alex

--- --- --- --- --- ---
*The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.*
Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org ( http://indyhall.org/ ) *
*
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com ( http://coworkingweekly.com/ 
)
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

Sent via Superhuman ( https://sprh.mn/?vip=dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com )

On Mon, Nov 26, 2018 at 1:25 PM, Aloma Loren < freephotoproj...@gmail.com > 
wrote:

> 
> We have a member, we'll call this member X.
> 
> 
> X moved into a private office a couple months ago. 
> X gave 30 days notice that they will be out by the end of November,
> however, they want to continue their membership as a Flex Desk member so
> would still have 24/7 access to the space.
> 
> 
> It is clear from our security cameras X is here 24/7. Walks around the
> space in their socks, is always in the same clothes, looks like they don't
> shower... Hung a towel over the inside of the door to block any little
> space between the blinds. 
> The other night the cameras showed the police here at 4:30am walking
> through the space with flashlights. X says they had a friend in here that
> got violent and they had to call the police.
> 
> 
> X refuses to let us show the office to new members. They claim they are on
> the phone and busy all day. They literally slammed the door in my office
> manager's face when she was trying to talk to her very kindly about this.
> 
> 
> Anyone dealt with this kind of situation before?
> 
> 
> I can handle not showing the office. I have a feeling it would not show
> well anyway.
> I do not feel comfortable with X still having access to the space after
> they move out of their office. 
> Have you had to cancel a membership/refuse someone before?
> How do you word it?
> 
> 
> Any advice or just sharing of stories welcome.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [Coworking] VIdeo Conferencing Hardware

[Alex Hillman]

I would strongly challenge the idea that this is a "must."

It's something to break, to maintain, to replace, and to worry about training 
people to use. We've tried several "meeting room" boxes and have sent them all 
back in favor of Zoom and Zoom rooms for our own stuff and letting everyone 
bring their own.

Plus, like you said, everybody has their own platform preferences and 
requirements. So whatever you choose, you can expect a large % of people to NOT 
use it.


Choosing hardware and systems like this makes more sense for an office who has 
their own space, but far less so for shared resources.

The two most high value improvements I've seen for video conferencing is 
adjustable table lighting to help people look nicer on camera, and dedicated 
Ethernet cables and adapters to ensure people can and do plug their computers 
in for the most stable internet connection possible.



-Alex
On Nov 19, 2018, 4:35 PM -0500, Carl Sullivan , wrote:
> Hey Guys,
>
> In the 7 years, we have been running coworking, I have noticed a shift from 
> meeting spaces that have the optional extra video conferencing system to it 
> being a must in almost any meeting room that is 3 people or more.
>
> The challenge is selecting the right video conferencing hardware that can 
> support a wide range of solutions since every company who is a member of our 
> space has a different software stack they prefer.
>
> SO... what are your recommendations for video conferencing hardware? If you 
> would like to expand to your complete physical tech for a meeting space, I am 
> also very interested in that. And what programs do you notice your members 
> using most often for video conferencing?
>
> Carl
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Re: [Coworking] Re: No room for a kitchen--what do I do?

[Alex Hillman]

I love this solution, Carl!
On Nov 19, 2018, 6:11 PM -0500, Carl Sullivan , wrote:
> I have built kitchens that are only 4ft wide that worked. Some kitchens can 
> be super small and fit into cupboards.
>
> Or go onto Pinterest and search "Tiny Kitchens"
>
> Carl
>
> On Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 8:36:00 AM UTC+11, AK wrote:
> > Our space is small (under 1500 ft )  so we are thinking of foregoing a 
> > kitchen and having a counter with a sink and small under counter fridge.
> >
> > I seek ideas and photo of other spaces who have a similar situation ( no 
> > full kitchen)
> >
> > Thoughts on the whole idea are welcome.
> >
> > Thank you.
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Re: [Coworking] Re: WeWork takes coworking outdoors

[Alex Hillman]

This stunt was produced by ImprovEverywhere, unaffiliated with WeWork.

The background is actually pretty interesting!  
https://improveverywhere.com/2018/11/13/phone-booth-coworking/
On Nov 15, 2018, 10:45 AM +0100, JBomm88 , wrote:
> Haha, brilliant!
>
> On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 6:30:20 PM UTC-5, Raines Cohen, Coworking 
> Coach wrote:
> > As documented in this short video in NYC, taking over old phone booths...
> >
> > https://boingboing.net/2018/11/13/phone-booths-in-nyc-turned-int.html
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Re: [Coworking] Fundraising ideas needed

[Alex Hillman]

Hey Brinda,

Sounds like you're on the right track connecting with people like you! Next
step is getting them together to see if this is something they want to be a
part of. If they are, membership pre-sales is *exactly* how we funded the
equipment and other startup costs for our original location
,
and it's even how we've expanded multiple times over the years.

Your community is and will be your #1 asset, far more than the square
footage or the building!

-Alex



On Nov 10, 2018, 7:11 AM -0500, discoveryourpurpose8 With Brinda Devine <
bddev...@gmail.com>, wrote:

So this is where I am. After receiving some great advice from a few people
I have been working on gathering info on users like me that would be my
customer base. Because I am a real estate broker I am always looking at
property. I came across a 3500 sf historical house not far from where I
live on a great intersection, priced under market and would be the first of
its kind in the city. The interior looks great and is suitable for my
intended use. I can get the mortgage loan. The problem is going to be
getting the start up money for some exterior repairs, modest furniture and
equipment. My niche/customer base is social enterprises. Trying to figure
out ways I could raise the capital. I won’t be able to borrow any more
money and I will be for-profit entity. Looking for low cost/no cost/ no
family/ no friends options. Possibly organizations or foundations. Or even
ideas to offer pre-paid rental of conference/meeting/event space. Open to
suggestions.

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Re: [Coworking] Re: Running Coworking During a Recession....

[Alex Hillman]

This rules. Also a perfect lesson in using basic economics to incentivize the 
preferred outcomes.

I actually have thought about charging MORE for teams than individuals as they 
grow, rather than bulk discounts. But I love this solution and the outcome. 
Well done.

Alex
On Nov 6, 2018, 8:42 PM -0500, Carl Sullivan , wrote:
> This is all great stuff and a good launch point to form an action list to 
> implement over the next 12 months.
>
> One point that I have already taken action on is our community has always 
> been designed for creative businesses and most of our (Companies who are) 
> members identify as a Social / Design / Web / SEO / Architectural / Graphic 
> Design / Literacy / PR... Agency. But we fell into the trap of charging more 
> (read Sydney market prices) because we could, not because it was the best 
> thing for the teams.
>
> The learning here is that we value the diversity our small 1-4 person 
> companies brought to the community, but incentivised larger companies through 
> cheaper desks (because they bought more), the old pricing structure was:
>
> 1-3 Desks... $750 a month
> 4-8 Desks... $700 a month
> 9+ Desks... $650 a month
>
> But we have now just changed it to a flat $650 per desk per month regardless 
> of numbers, and surprisingly (or not) 6 of our smaller companies instantly 
> committed to taking additional desks, which is going to completely replace a 
> company of 10 that are due to move out at the start of December.
>
> @Angel your article was great, thanks for writing it and linking to it.
>
> @Alex your points on what is the actual value to members was the final prompt 
> for me to change the pricing up for our members, and now the challenge is to 
> reconnect with the community to identify other ways to bring them value and 
> actively support them in leaner times
>
> - Carl, Your Desk
>
>
> On Friday, November 2, 2018 at 10:01:34 PM UTC+11, Jeannine van der Linden 
> wrote:
> > Oh yes, so much this.
> >
> > I find it sort of humorous that we are now talking about whether coworking 
> > can survive a recession, there are serious articles from back then (and it 
> > wasn't that long ago) about whether coworking was really just a 
> > manifestation of recession and whether it would go away as soon as the 
> > economy took an upturn.
> >
> > To which I sad then as I say now, come back in ten years, we'll see then 
> > who's still standing.
> >
> > On Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 4:22:10 PM UTC+1, Angel Kwiatkowski wrote:
> > > Jeanine,
> > > I remember this woman who was familiar with Cohere but was working in a 
> > > regular job in the next town. She showed up on our doorstep one day after 
> > > lunch and proclaimed, "I just got laid off. I didn't want to go home so I 
> > > came here instead."
> > >
> > > A
> > >
> > > On Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 3:37:30 AM UTC-6, Jeannine van der 
> > > Linden wrote:
> > > > This right here.
> > > >
> > > > I opened my first space just as the last recession was hitting -- 
> > > > though it was a slower, shallower curve here in Europe, the sudden 
> > > > shift to mandatory entrepreneurship came in like a bomb.  Suddenly 
> > > > people were being confronted with doing the same job they always had 
> > > > done as an employee, as a freelancer. They were nervous and worried and 
> > > > not at all sure they were up for this Brave New World.
> > > >
> > > > I intentionally made that space homey and personal and intimate.  A 
> > > > shiny, corporate environment was exactly what they did not want.  We 
> > > > had a guy from the tax office come in and give lessons on how to keep 
> > > > books and records as a freelancer, we had intentional freelancers come 
> > > > in and talk about what it's like to freelance, we had folks come in and 
> > > > talk about how to manage your retirement now you are a freelancer.
> > > >
> > > > We are now two cycles away from that and have changed a lot of things 
> > > > since then. I sort of miss it sometimes, though I am glad those folks 
> > > > are settled now mostly.
> > > >
> > > > Tip for Coworking in a recession:  keep your costs low and your powder 
> > > > dry.  :-)
> > > >
> > > > On Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 6:09:25 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Another thing is that when we opened (at the beginning of the last 
> > > > > rec

Re: [Coworking] Re: Running Coworking During a Recession....

[Alex Hillman]

This is a super interesting thread - I agree with *lots* of the
advice/perspective in Angel's article (and not just the stuff attributed to
me lol).

An important thing I wanted to expand on a bit:

People who cancel for the reason "I'm not using it enough" is probably
among the most common reasons (behind people changing jobs and/or moving).

But I've learned to read this as *"I don't see value in staying a part of
this community now that I don't need a desk"* which is only a short hop to
either *"I haven't really connected with anyone here"* or *"I'm not aware
of the other ways to get value besides using a desk" *and in both cases I
consider that a failure of communication on OUR part.

We I can look at their profile for our online community and see that they
never created an account, or never intro'd themselves.
We can go back to their tour notes and get a sense that they came in with
an expectation of "I can rent a desk here" and we didn't do a good job of
showing them how they could participate in other ways.

There isn't a correct way or pace for people to discover their place in a
community, but we DO look at *early* indicators that they weren't actively
seeking a sense of belonging. And that's okay! Lots of people aren't, at
least not actively.

But quite often, people just aren't actively aware of the options that
already exist (like a membership option that lets them downgrade instead of
cancel) or that they have the agency to create something that they want,
but doesn't exist. They haven't asked for it, and we haven't done a good
job of showing them that it's possible.

Another thing is that when we opened (at the beginning of the last
recession) we had an INFLUX of people who were "newly independent" - some
by choice, many by force. They weren't looking for an office, they
were *looking
for people* who were already independent and they might be able to learn
from. That was literally the foundation of our first wave of growth.

In our next economic downturn, I expect we're going to see something
similar except that a decade later the physical and social infrastructure
to support a newly minted independent is WAY better. I think this will
likely be a good thing for coworking spaces, with a caveat that people see
and feel a sense of connection to the other members. If not, the coworking
space is simply a cost that can be removed/reduced. And I think *that's*
going to hurt a lot of spaces, especially the larger ones.

All of this is to say: people join coworking spaces for lots of reasons,
but the reasons they *stay* are fairly consistent, and that's the
relationships. I can tie retention patterns *directly* to active and
passive relationship building, and the interactions that our members have
with each other.

-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 Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 12:37 PM Angel Kwiatkowski 
wrote:

> Thanks Tracy! If a recession comes, I'll be SO curious to see how it
> affects coworking esp. if there is a major difference in chain vs. indie
> coworking.
>
> Angel
>
> On Friday, October 26, 2018 at 4:25:59 PM UTC-6, Tracy Wilson wrote:
>>
>> Angel - This is great.  I hope that operators keep this in a handy spot
>> to pull out when (assuming) the next economic downturn comes.  As someone
>> that opened centers in both 2008 and 2009 - when I thought things were
>> tough but had no idea what misery was to come - I would say a lot of this
>> is 'right on.'  There is no substitution for the creativity and flexibility
>> required to keep things going during those times - and your piece will be a
>> good framework for those people needing some fresh ideas for looking at
>> their operation.  Probably the hardest thing was finding the balance
>> between holding to optimism and making the really tough decisions, and
>> having the faith to know when each was the required course. And, that no
>> matter what, I'd survive.
>>
>> On Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 1:34:13 PM UTC-7, Angel Kwiatkowski
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I *just* wrote an article on Recession-Proofing your Coworking Business
>>>
>>> https://www.diycoworking.com/blog/2018/10/24/how-to-recession-proof-your-coworking-business
>>>
>>> Angel
>>>
>>> On Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 5:04:27 PM UTC-6, Carl Sullivan wrote:

 Hey Guys,

 I have seen with increasing regularity, news articles are not being
 written daily about the "impending market crash/correction" both in
 Australia, in Asia, across Europe and in the US.

 I founded Your Desk in 2011, three years after the GFC hit the world,
 but unlike almost every other country, Australia never saw any real
 negative effects from that time in history. So it would be fair to say that
 while I started coworking in the aftermath of one of the (only) market
 crashes I 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Coworking Revenue Sharing Model Proposal

[Alex Hillman]

Hey everyone: 

Going forward please contact Scott directly rather than reply to this 
thread (which sends messages to everyone, instead of just to 
Scott!): scott.harmon...@gmail.com

Thank you!

-Alex

On Monday, October 29, 2018 at 1:56:39 PM UTC-4, Olivia Rogers wrote:
>
> And me please thanks Scott. 
>
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2018 at 16:55, Jamie Tyrell  wrote:
>
>> Would like this also please, thank you Scott
>>
>> Jamie
>>
>> On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 9:58 PM Sarah Stevenson  
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Would love to view as well. Thank you, Scott!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Oct 19, 2018, at 8:24 AM, Moises Cherem  
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Scott how are you.
>>> Could you send it to me also please?
>>> mche...@creawspaces.com
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Moisés Cherem Dayán 
>>>
>>>  T.  4774- 3434T. 3683- 9200
>>> W www.creawspaces.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2018-10-17 16:28 GMT-05:00 :
>>>
>>>> Hello Scott,
>>>>
>>>> Is the link to the document available?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for sharing.
>>>>
>>>> El miércoles, 19 de abril de 2017, 11:07:57 (UTC-4), Scott Harmon 
>>>> escribió:
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for the suggestion, Alex. We're in the process of creating on 
>>>>> online version of it (and putting a simple web front end on it so it's 
>>>>> easier to enter the data for your space). We should have a link to share 
>>>>> in 
>>>>> the next few days. 
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 10:10:51 AM UTC-5, Alex Hillman wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you're up for it, Scott, I might suggest sharing a link to 
>>>>>> download the document directly here with the list so that everyone 
>>>>>> doesn't 
>>>>>> have to message the whole list to get it ;)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -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 Tue, Apr 18, 2017 at 11:07 AM, Cecilia Neher  
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hello Scott,
>>>>>>> Can you share that document with me as well?
>>>>>>> It seems like it is a big hit with the community :-)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cecilia
>>>>>>> cec...@builtenvironmentlab.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at 8:57:19 AM UTC-4, Scott Harmon wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> HI, we've developed a financial analysis tool that allows us to 
>>>>>>>> ''play with' different sizes and configurations of spaces and 
>>>>>>>> membership 
>>>>>>>> levels. If you'd like to use it to model how you'd set up your 
>>>>>>>> expanded 
>>>>>>>> space, and what it would take to make money, give me a shout and I'll 
>>>>>>>> send 
>>>>>>>> you the link.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Scott
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 6:40:46 AM UTC-5, 
>>>>>>>> ani...@spaceplexx.com wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Hello, Community.
>>>>>>>>> I started a coworking space around 6 months ago, a small setup for 
>>>>>>>>> 20 people.
>>>>>>>>> Fast forward today, the space is running at 50% capacity, break 
>>>>>>>>> even and slightly cash flow positive.
>>>>>>>>> I have an opportunity to expand to a 20,000 sq. ft space, where I 
>>>>>>>>> have to pitch to the owner.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Wondering if there are any proposals or deals which are 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Sound control

[Alex Hillman]

I shared a bunch of specific equipment recommendations in this previous
discussion thread
. The
microphones listed there make it so that unless your room is EXTREMELY
echo-y, they sound great. These shows have are all recorded on this gear to
get a sense of what they sound like:

- https://soundcloud.com/comicbookjunto
- http://www.hirespod.com/
- https://streetsdept.com/podcast/
- https://www.greenphillyblog.com/podcast/
- https://listen.coworkingweekly.com/
- https://stackingthebricks.com/podcast/

*DIY environment recommendations: *
- Carpet or carpet tiles on the floor are a definite must. That concrete
wall is going to be pretty reflective too, so if you can't cover it
entirely I'd look at options to cover it with another rug or fabric or even
homosote, which is pretty cheap and can have fabric stretched over it to
look nice.

- For the ceiling, this is a rare case where acoustic tiles (aka drop
ceiling) does a really nice job. I still hate the way they look but they
soak up a lot of echo.

None of this will be soundproof - but you don't need an iso booth for
podcasting. Just a comfortable room that doesn't echo like crazy.

I've also learned that airflow is also pretty important - with 1-2 people
talking in a room for 45mins+, it's going to get hot and stuffy fast. I've
recorded my shows in a closet (literally) with no fresh air. It's not fun.

Overall recommendation: based on my experiences, I'd worry less about
acoustic perfection for podcasts and making sure the space comfortable
(including ariflow, lighting, etc) especially when those microphones I
linked to will take care of 90% of the challenges in almost any space.

-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 Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 2:44 PM AK  wrote:

> We want to add a podcast / recording room to our basement. Ideas welcome.
> we plan to drywall 3 walls leave one wall solid basement concrete. Then add
> carpet to the floor.  We have an open ceiling and wonder what to do about
> that. it's all wood above us and wood joists.  Do we panel that?
>
> I know directional (cardioid) microphones will help alot..but without
> going crazy...what can anyone suggest overall?
>
> Thank you
>
>
>
> On Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 9:59:02 AM UTC-5, Gretchen Bilbro wrote:
>>
>> We have a main room with a concrete floor and plaster walls with high
>> ceilings. The echo is so bad when you get more than five people in the
>> space. I know I have seen round 3D sound control ball type things that hang
>> from the ceiling in some spaces but am having trouble finding it online.
>> Any help?
>>
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[Coworking] weekend retreat for coworking operators coming up

[Alex Hillman]

Hey peeps!

I'm gonna keep this one brief and bulleted:

- In about a month, I'm hosting a very small (14 person) business retreat
for coworking operators in a farmhouse outside of Amsterdam
.

- Once you get to Amsterdam, the entire thing is "all inclusive": travel to
and from the farmhouse, food/drink, accommodations, and the retreat
programming

- This *is not* a workshop, it's more like business coaching in a group
setting designed to help you solve problems and take the action on things
you've been struggling with.

- This *is *for owners/founders, and hired staff. No "brands" or service
providers, just a safe space for people who run coworking spaces.

This came together *very* fast in the last week. Almost half of the seats
sold out with my first email to my coworkingweekly list, but I wanted to
make sure it got shared here too!

I didn't even make a fancy website, just this google doc that has all of
the info!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QH9PAjkxyF4NLJfkFQT6S0j7XrunGvALQGsfxLB4vYM

*You can email me directly (off list - a...@indyhall.org
) if you have questions.*

-Alex

p.s. I spend a lot of time every week keeping spam off this list, so this
is the one and only post I'm going to make about the retreat on this google
group!

--
*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

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Re: [Coworking] Re: Guest Policy In A Coworking Space

[Alex Hillman]

Day pass users *probably* aren't different from members in the eyes of an
insurance claim, and that's all that matters. A human inside your space is
a human inside your space, with all of the opportunities and liabilities
that come with it.

--
*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 15, 2018 at 6:13 PM Marion roger 
wrote:

> Thanks  That is a key question...am trying to get my head around how the
> day pass world works if those people fall when in your coworking space...
>
> Thx again!
>
> On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 6:08 PM Alex Hillman 
> wrote:
>
>> This is probably specific to the united states and you should DEF consult
>> a lawyer cuz I am not one, but in general a coworking space's general
>> liability insurance should cover YOU (the business owner/staff), YOUR
>> BUSINESS, and YOUR BUSINESSES'S BELONGINGS.
>>
>> E.g. if someone slips and falls on your premisses, your insurance
>> protects you *from* them in case they sue you for damages...but it
>> doesn't specifically protect them.
>>
>> Your insurance *does not* cover members/guests, their businesses, or
>> their belongings.
>>
>> -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 15, 2018 at 6:03 PM Marion roger 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm curious about insurancewhen someone is in the facility either as
>>> a guest of a member or on a day pass...do you cover them? I have had people
>>> ask me that...
>>>
>>> thx!
>>>
>>> On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 5:35 PM Alex Hillman <
>>> dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Our approach is to allow (and encourage!) members to have clients visit
>>>> them for meetings in common areas instead of conf rooms, but if it goes >2
>>>> hours it's no longer a meeting and qualifies as a guest pass at our daily
>>>> rate. Keeps it nice and simple for everyone to understand!
>>>>
>>>> -Alex
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Oct 14, 2018 at 7:11 PM Katrina Dye 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> How does this group handle members meeting clients but dont
>>>>> necessarily require a formal or booked conference room??
>>>>>
>>>>> --
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>>>>>
>>>> --
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>>>>
>>> --
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>>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Guest Policy In A Coworking Space

[Alex Hillman]

This is probably specific to the united states and you should DEF consult a
lawyer cuz I am not one, but in general a coworking space's general
liability insurance should cover YOU (the business owner/staff), YOUR
BUSINESS, and YOUR BUSINESSES'S BELONGINGS.

E.g. if someone slips and falls on your premisses, your insurance protects
you *from* them in case they sue you for damages...but it doesn't
specifically protect them.

Your insurance *does not* cover members/guests, their businesses, or their
belongings.

-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 15, 2018 at 6:03 PM Marion roger 
wrote:

> I'm curious about insurancewhen someone is in the facility either as a
> guest of a member or on a day pass...do you cover them? I have had people
> ask me that...
>
> thx!
>
> On Mon, Oct 15, 2018 at 5:35 PM Alex Hillman 
> wrote:
>
>> Our approach is to allow (and encourage!) members to have clients visit
>> them for meetings in common areas instead of conf rooms, but if it goes >2
>> hours it's no longer a meeting and qualifies as a guest pass at our daily
>> rate. Keeps it nice and simple for everyone to understand!
>>
>> -Alex
>>
>> On Sun, Oct 14, 2018 at 7:11 PM Katrina Dye  wrote:
>>
>>> How does this group handle members meeting clients but dont necessarily
>>> require a formal or booked conference room??
>>>
>>> --
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>>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Guest Policy In A Coworking Space

[Alex Hillman]

Our approach is to allow (and encourage!) members to have clients visit
them for meetings in common areas instead of conf rooms, but if it goes >2
hours it's no longer a meeting and qualifies as a guest pass at our daily
rate. Keeps it nice and simple for everyone to understand!

-Alex

On Sun, Oct 14, 2018 at 7:11 PM Katrina Dye  wrote:

> How does this group handle members meeting clients but dont necessarily
> require a formal or booked conference room??
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Small town spaces

[Alex Hillman]

Liz: if you haven't already, reach out to  Anne Kirby from the Candy
Factory in Lancaster!

She ran the first statewide coworking conference in PA earlier this year
and it was awesome (also mostly attended by folks in small towns - major
city representation was the VAST minority, it was awesome). I also know she
has a great relationship with the local gov't and econ development peeps,
and a few of them were on panels at the conference.

I don't know what data she has collected, but it sounds like you're working
on very similar things :)

-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, Oct 11, 2018 at 3:27 PM Liz Trice  wrote:

> I'm working on collecting data and hosting a conference for the 30
> coworking spaces in Maine, most of them in small towns. I'm especially
> interested in case studies of coworking spaces that have partnerships with
> economic development.
>
> On Monday, October 8, 2018 at 12:16:51 PM UTC-4, Jamie Tyrell wrote:
>>
>> Hi:
>>
>> I am from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.  I am conducting a feasibility study
>> on co-working/collab spaces and to see if this would work in my City.  I am
>> looking for resources and consideration on what to include in my study.
>> This can be in the form of experiences, other feasibility studies and other
>> spaces that work in small cities.  Population is 50K.
>>
>> Thank you in advance!
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: "Coworking" vs. "Co-working"

[Alex Hillman]

YES!

And I’ve updated doescoworkinghaveahyphen.com to include the announcement from 
AP. :)
On Oct 6, 2018, 11:58 AM -0400, Ky Ekinci (Office Divvy ™) 
, wrote:
>
> This discussion about coworking vs. co-working really concludes now with the 
> AP Stylebook's acknowledgement/announcement!
>
> Yes, you'll enjoy witnessing the use of coworking and not co-working in the 
> news and articles going forward.
>
>
>
> Original tweet from AP Style Book here:
>
> https://twitter.com/APStylebook/status/1047857825131712512
>
> Congrats to all in the community who kept the pressure on, and never accepted 
> AP Stylebooks' previous use.
>
> Ky Ekinci
> @OfficeDivvy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Monday, March 5, 2018 at 1:54:52 PM UTC-5, Lauren McDaniel wrote:
> > I know many in the industry prefer "coworking" vs. "co-working" 
> > (hyphenating it). In New Mexico one of the prominent Business Journals is 
> > publishing a new coworking list but the survey states 'co-working.' When I 
> > approached the list editor that industry standard has become 'coworking' 
> > she said they follow AP style (but appreciated the heads up). I wonder what 
> > it might take to get AP to change it to one word? That might be what others 
> > are following as well (beyond just media). Any thoughts?
> >
> > Lauren McDaniel
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Re: [Coworking] Opening a Space, have many questions!

[Alex Hillman]

>
> My challenge is to define my target member and understand what I could
> offer them that is unique as an experience.  Any suggestions?


What communities do you already belong to? Start there :)

If you're not already involved in the kinds of communities where people
work from home, cafes, etc.now's a great time to start getting to know
people.

Do I need to already have members enrolled to start lease a space?


Signing a lease is the easy part - you've gotta find members either way!
Waiting until after you have a lease just means that you've got a ticking
clock and rent to pay while you're building that community. You can't avoid
the community building part, and it's 1x easier to do it without the
burden of rent to pay or the feeling of "this space is empty!"

--
*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 1, 2018 at 5:01 PM  wrote:

> Hi Alex,
>
> Just joining the group and found lots of interesting information.  I am
> considering opening a coworking space and love the ideia o creating o
> community.  My challenge is to define my target member and understand what
> I could offer them that is unique as an experience.  Any suggestions?
> also, how to start a community from zero?  Do I need to already have
> members enrolled to start lease a space? as you can see lots of questions!
>
> Em terça-feira, 4 de setembro de 2018 12:30:39 UTC-3, Alex Hillman
> escreveu:
>>
>> *How did you market to begin growing your community?*
>>>
>>
>> Your best "marketing" will be direct invitations, in two forms.
>>
>> 1 - you reaching out to specific people and inviting them to come, and
>> 2 - you encouraging your existing members to do the same!
>>
>> Also, don't feel like everything needs to be run by you. Are there other
>> things that are going on that your community could attend/participate in
>> together?
>>
>> *How did you keep the community engaged? *
>>>
>>
>> Engagement is a lousy metric IMO. It tends to lead to all kinds of stuff
>> designed to distract and demand attention, and inevitably burn people out
>> (including yourself).
>>
>> Instead, the one main metric I focus on is that people feel connected.
>> - What "onramps" to interacting with other members do you have? Are they
>> tied directly to things that your members already do, or want to do?
>> - Are your "onramps" accessible? To who? Who are you leaving out,
>> intentionally or accidentally? (Not saying you have to include EVERYBODY at
>> once - but I've learned to recognize my blind spots for people who'd love
>> to participate but, for instance, don't like going to bars.)
>> - Is it easy for new members to connect with existing members, even in
>> small group and 1-1 settings?
>> - Is there some regular rhythm of support and encouragement for these
>> kinds of interactions? i.e. if people miss one opportunity, is there
>> another one coming up again soon?
>>
>> Any advice on events I should host in order to keep momentum?
>>>
>>
>> Consistency.
>>
>>
>>> Is it too early to look for a space?
>>>
>>
>> Are your members ready to put their money where their mouth is? How many?
>> Would they write a check for 1-3 months of membership today?
>>
>> If so, then maybe...but don't forget to do it WITH them.
>>
>> If not, then yeah it's too early.
>>
>>
>>> Funding? Sponsors?
>>>
>>
>> For what?
>>
>>
>>> What did you do for social media outreach?
>>>
>>
>> Talk to people like a person. :)
>>
>> -Alex
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Use of Space After Hours

[Alex Hillman]

We also communicate ourselves as staffed during biz hours. Members are almost 
always there before and after we are "open" but we can't guarantee it.

We set up a process for earning trust and getting a key, which allows for 
re-entry after hours. The important part with our process is that it clearly 
shifts 24:7 access from being a perk to a responsability, akin to a 
neighborhood watch.

https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2014/07/the-neighborhood-watch-method-for-coworking-space-security/

But your question wasn't about member, it was about meetups and events. In my 
experience most Meetup organizers don't want to pay a rate (there's always 
cheap or free space somewhere else) that would justify late night staffing.

So we link this to our neighborhood watch keyholder setup. It goes like this:

- meetups and groups organized by trusted keyholder are easy, since someone in 
the group knows what to do at the end of the night.
- if a group doesn't have a keyholder, it's their responsibility to connect 
with a keyholder who is interested in their event and willing to "co-host" with 
them. That helps ensure some internal member buy in too, instead of just having 
randos using the space.

This way, there is always at least one trusted member around who is invested in 
the event AND the shared space, and can help make sure end of night procedures 
are followed.

Hope this helps you, Miles!

Alex
On Sep 26, 2018, 7:53 PM -0400, Miles Fidelman , 
wrote:
> What small business moves into a space that closes at 6pm? Certainly nobody 
> who has deadlines that merit the occasional all nighter.
> Miles Fidelman
>
> On 9/26/18 6:03 PM, jessievill...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Hi All!
> >
> > Our space is currently only open from 8am - 6pm. I am about to start moving 
> > in to a system where folks can leave after 6pm and our space will just be 
> > unstaffed.
> >
> > I have been receiving many inquiries about after hours events (ending later 
> > than 6:30) and wanted to know what your typical protocol is. Since these 
> > aren't always members looking to host late night meetings, I can't decide 
> > if the space needs to be staffed until they are done. Does anybody else 
> > staff the space for specific events or do you trust these non member users 
> > to leave at the end of their time?
> >
> > Thanks!
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> > "Coworking" group.
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> > email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
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>
> --
> In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
> In practice, there is.   Yogi Berra
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Re: [Coworking] Opening a Space, have many questions!

[Alex Hillman]

>
> Reached out the regulars and they all responded the reason they enjoy our
> meetups is meeting working professionals at our networking events.


Sounds like what you're doing is working! Keep it up, and keep that
feedback loop open with your members :)



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Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Fri, Sep 21, 2018 at 12:21 AM Jesse Flores 
wrote:

> Wanted to follow up on an update. Reached out the regulars and they all
> responded the reason they enjoy our meetups is meeting working
> professionals at our networking events. Did I accidentally start an event
> planning company? I notice most active members have day gigs outside art
> and come to our co-working night to focus on their work to break into the
> art industry. There is something there I can work with right? It's evolving
> into something interesting.
>
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Re: [Coworking] What's your bandwidth?

[Alex Hillman]

In my experience, 100 mbs up and down *should* be ample for most users. 30
people with ~2ish devices each should be fine.

We have 150 down/120 up for over 150 users and *never* run into bandwidth
issues, even when lots of people are streaming videos, downloading large
files, doing big dropbox syncs, etc. Actual real world usage in our 150
person space shows that that it's a near-zero occurrence that more than 1-5
people are large bandwidh users *at the same time. *At this moment as I
write this email, 6 people are using more than 1 meg per second.

That said, even with the exact same setup we used to have *major* issues
with our old Comcast service, their non-fiber upload speeds are limited and
more importantly, when you "fill" the upload pipe it can do anything from
slow the download connection to crash the modem. Go figure. Comcast
"business class" is pretty terrible. Avoid at all costs.

For the rest of your infrastructure - I'd plan for *more than one* Unifi
AP. I've got a super detailed outline of our Unifi setup in this other
thread on the google group
. These
day's I'd recommend going with the AP AC Pro. They're awesome.

That said, every environment is different, but we start to see performance
degradation when there is more than 30-40 devices on a single AP. Two
should be good, and help you spread coverage across the space. And make
sure you follow the mounting instructions!

Alex




On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 2:26 PM  wrote:

> Super new to this and would appreciate some advice. I'm opening up a small
> space with a capacity of 30 people, including laptops and phones I expect
> around 60-70 devices at full capacity.I expect to have our CCTV, entry
> system, POS and printer hooked up to the network at all times.
>
> I estimate 90+% of our users to be of the drop-in type, similar to those
> who work from your local coffee shop or Starbucks. The remaining minority
> of users will have more demanding needs in terms of their internet speeds.
>
> I'm planning on getting an uncontended leased line, with symmetrical
> speeds of 100mbs on a 100mb circuit and 1 UniFi AP. Do you think this will
> be sufficient? My research is telling me it's everything ranging from
> complete overkill to being insufficient (target of 5mbs per person)??
>
> Please also sure your bandwidth and no. of users for comparison.
>
> Many thanks!
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Opening a Space, have many questions!

[Alex Hillman]

>
> The repeats have been really awesome and want to work together and maybe I
> should focus on them and find out what gauges their interest rather than
> focusing so much on looking for more people.


I'd bet that the folks who come back also have had opportunities to meet
other people within the group and felt connected, while people who aren't
coming back didn't feel the click. That's okay!

Not everyone's going to click just because they do similar work (in fact,
it's a pretty lousy leading indicator). Shared worldview, goals, and even
interests other than "the work" are where most of the real bonding happens.
Focus there.

-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, Sep 13, 2018 at 1:25 PM Jesse Flores 
wrote:

> Thanks to everyone for their responses! I just bought my copy of the
> Coworking handbook, should arrive today! I am doing a weekly event now
> however I don't think it's consistent enough and I feel I have a lot of new
> people everytime but not a lot of repeats. I am jumping between different
> venues and probably should stick to one and have it more regularly. The
> repeats have been really awesome and want to work together and maybe I
> should focus on them and find out what gauges their interest rather than
> focusing so much on looking for more people. I re-read all your responses
> probably twice a day, I know I can build this. Thanks again!
>
>
>
>
> On Friday, September 7, 2018 at 10:47:40 AM UTC-7, Alex Hillman wrote:
>>
>> I'm trying my best to figure out that my "onramps" are as accessible as
>>> possible but I feel that it isn't. Maybe it relies too much on when I can
>>> host an event and people might lose interest. I have a coworking meetup
>>> tonight at wework and hopefully if all goes well I can have someone host
>>> another sooner than next time I originally wanted to host (scheduling
>>> conflicts).
>>>
>>
>> Consistency is a LOT more important than how often.
>>
>> Doing small, low-impact gatherings (happy hours & pot luck dinners, demo
>> nights & casual coworking sessions) more often is ultimately more valuable
>> than big, complex events that have lots of dependencies (special event
>> spaces, speakers/presenters, etc).
>>
>> Deep connections are more valuable at this stage than a large audience.
>>
>>
>>> The connecting members is another one, maybe I should have people offer
>>> if they'd like to post their personal portfolio being we are mainly
>>> artists, I do sometimes get the "how can I keep in touch with everyone that
>>> came?" chat.
>>>
>>
>> That's a good sign! Give people a place to connect online in between
>> events. I strongly prefer email discussion lists over social media
>> platforms, but anything is better than nothing. Encouraging people to have
>> discussions that are productive and valuable, e.g. asking for
>> help/recommendations on how to solve a problem, or sharing/celebrating each
>> others' work.
>>
>> The continuity of online interaction between offline events is a HUGE
>> part of how we got started, and our online community is still larger than
>> our active day-to-day coworking by more than double. This episode has a
>> bunch of examples of how we use Slack
>> <https://listen.coworkingweekly.com/aa13cc87>, but they could easily be
>> applied to any platform and should inspire more that are relevant to you
>> and your community.
>>
>> I definitely think it's way too early to open a space and the
>>> funding/sponsors question is mainly for networking events I throw and
>>> hopefully I can generate interest from nearby companies/organizations
>>> (autodesk, adobe, wacom, ves society) to help with cost / promotion of the
>>> event, this being a digital artist networking event. Is this too much of a
>>> reach? haha. I been to successful events in NYC and LA where I've seen this
>>> happen, why not here?!
>>>
>>
>> It can never hurt to ask (and I know personally that Adobe is generally
>> interested in supporting local community efforts). My only advice here is
>> to make sure you don't get sucked into serving sponsors more than the
>> members. It's not hard to make an event that benefits a sponsor and the
>> community without it becoming an advertisement. It just means keeping your
>> members first, *always*, and showing sponsors how to "show up" in ways
>> they a

Re: [Coworking] Nice to "virtually" meet you guys!

[Alex Hillman]

Hey Margo, welcome! I'm a huge fan of online community building, it's
always been a large component of what we do at Indy Hall and more than 50%
of our members almost *exclusively* interact online. I took a peek ta your
website and it looks like you've created something pretty cool!

Is there any backstory or lessons you can share about how you got started?
Or interesting surprises/experiences along the way?

-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 Wed, Sep 12, 2018 at 11:57 AM  wrote:

> Hi! I'm Margo and I just stumbled upon this group and am really excited
> about it.
>
> I run a virtual coworking space for location-independent
> solopreneurs called The Arena The Arena
> . We dont have the benefits of a
> PHYSICAL space, like a desk or mailbox or wifi. But we do have what a lot
> of physical spaces are trying to do a better job of: Community.
>
> If you need any help with building community, HMU and I'd be happy to
> answer any questions you have. Im curious to learn more about you all and
> what you're struggling with as you grow your spaces.
>
> Reach out any time!
>
> - Margo Aaron
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Opening a Space, have many questions!

[Alex Hillman]

>
> I'm trying my best to figure out that my "onramps" are as accessible as
> possible but I feel that it isn't. Maybe it relies too much on when I can
> host an event and people might lose interest. I have a coworking meetup
> tonight at wework and hopefully if all goes well I can have someone host
> another sooner than next time I originally wanted to host (scheduling
> conflicts).
>

Consistency is a LOT more important than how often.

Doing small, low-impact gatherings (happy hours & pot luck dinners, demo
nights & casual coworking sessions) more often is ultimately more valuable
than big, complex events that have lots of dependencies (special event
spaces, speakers/presenters, etc).

Deep connections are more valuable at this stage than a large audience.


> The connecting members is another one, maybe I should have people offer if
> they'd like to post their personal portfolio being we are mainly artists, I
> do sometimes get the "how can I keep in touch with everyone that came?"
> chat.
>

That's a good sign! Give people a place to connect online in between
events. I strongly prefer email discussion lists over social media
platforms, but anything is better than nothing. Encouraging people to have
discussions that are productive and valuable, e.g. asking for
help/recommendations on how to solve a problem, or sharing/celebrating each
others' work.

The continuity of online interaction between offline events is a HUGE part
of how we got started, and our online community is still larger than our
active day-to-day coworking by more than double. This episode has a bunch
of examples of how we use Slack
, but they could easily be
applied to any platform and should inspire more that are relevant to you
and your community.

I definitely think it's way too early to open a space and the
> funding/sponsors question is mainly for networking events I throw and
> hopefully I can generate interest from nearby companies/organizations
> (autodesk, adobe, wacom, ves society) to help with cost / promotion of the
> event, this being a digital artist networking event. Is this too much of a
> reach? haha. I been to successful events in NYC and LA where I've seen this
> happen, why not here?!
>

It can never hurt to ask (and I know personally that Adobe is generally
interested in supporting local community efforts). My only advice here is
to make sure you don't get sucked into serving sponsors more than the
members. It's not hard to make an event that benefits a sponsor and the
community without it becoming an advertisement. It just means keeping your
members first, *always*, and showing sponsors how to "show up" in ways they
aren't always used to .

-Alex

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Re: [Coworking] What to do when someone gives 30 day notice and then doesn't move out?

[Alex Hillman]

That makes a lot of sense!

Sothis doesn't directly address your question, but we've been able to
avoid a lot of the receivables headache by doing some form of auto-debit as
the default for our memberships. If someone NEEDS to pay with a check
(usually a company accounting requirement) we allow it with a minimum 3
month prepayment at a time - we don't offer a discount for that, since it's
us making a change to our usual workflow to accommodate for their
accounting needs. All other notices stay the same (for us, 30 days notice
required to get their deposit back). This pre-payment flow just reduces the
number of times per year that I have to think about someone being late, and
lets me focus on everything else.

We do have to deal with failed payments via auto-debit (cards expire, get
lost, etc), and similar to your situation I've learned that *sometimes it
takes a firm but friendly communication directly from the "head" of the
organization* (vs a location manager) to get people to take action. I don't
like that I have to step in, but it works nearly every time my teammates
have been unable to get someone to address a billing issue.

As for stuff you can put into writing for future reference, you might
include something that puts a firm per-day rate that will be billed outside
of active membership. We have this in place for when members periodically
add a person to their team for an unknown amount of time - we just make it
clear that those days are billed at X rate and automatically added to their
next monthly invoice & charge.

Communication is really the key to all of this - I'm very, very flexible
(and encourage my team to be) as long as people are proactive
communicators. Changes happen, and we always try to find a fair compromise
when we can. When someone abuses our flexibility by *not communicating with
us* my flexibility becomes much more limited.

Hope this helps!




--
*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, Sep 6, 2018 at 6:30 PM Aloma Loren 
wrote:

> Oh no we've been in contact (my office manager, not me personally) and
> they just keep saying their new space isn't ready yet. We're totally fine
> with that but now we don't have last month's dues on file and they keep
> saying they will for sure be out by such and such a date but then that time
> comes and they aren't out. I think we have this specific situation figured
> out - they just gave us another "for sure" date and asked for an invoice
> but I'd like to have a policy in place for how to approach this in the
> future. I am not hard line on our policies, I think one of the values of
> being a part of a coworking space is certainly offering members flexibility
> but I do like to have something in writing for when we need to fall back on
> that and to make sure expectations are clear in the beginning.  We have had
> several other issues with this member so I want to make sure we are very
> clear as they have been one of our more difficult members (this situation
> aside).
>
> On Thursday, September 6, 2018 at 3:23:26 PM UTC-7, Alex Hillman wrote:
>>
>> If the question is “what do I say” then the big question is...what have
>> you already said?
>>
>> “I’m not sure what to say to them” makes me think...no conversation has
>> been had about this yet?
>>
>> Before invoking policy, I always start by trying to understand the
>> context and figure out what’s going on. Did some plans change and they
>> forget to tell you? Or are they ignoring attempts to contact completely?
>> Something else that’s out of your field of view?
>>
>> Alex
>>
>> On Sep 6, 2018, 6:17 PM -0400, Jerome Chang ,
>> wrote:
>>
>> You should cut off their wifi if you want to evict/vacate them asap.
>> Or insist payment for another month.
>>
>> I would recommend never applying their deposit toward their last month.
>> We hold deposits until after they move out, assess their space for damages,
>> reconcile their account, etc. Usually a month+
>>
>> *JEROME CHANG*
>> *talk to us: (323) 330-9505*
>> *chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat
>> <https://lc.chat/now/7173741/>*
>>
>> *WEST: Santa Monica | 1450 2nd St (@Broadway)*
>> *CENTRAL: Culver City | 9415 Culver Blvd   (@Main St) *
>> *EAST: DTLA* | 529 S. Broadway, Ste 400
>> *(@Pershing Sq)*
>> *NORTH: Pasadena* | 680 E. Colorado, Ste 180 (b/w Lake and Los Robles)
>> *SOUTH: Long Beach* | 309 Pine Ave (@Broadway) - opening 2018
>>
>> On Sep 6, 2018, at 3:04 PM, Aloma Loren  wrote:
>>
>> We have a member who gave their 30 d

Re: [Coworking] Pandora stations for coworking space

[Alex Hillman]

I’m a strong advocate for music playing softly in common areas and depending on 
the design details of the space, some (but not all) work areas too.

In environments where people intend and desire to interact with one another, a 
little bit of music helps a LOT to break the silence that otherwise discourages 
people from even saying hello.

We also avoid putting speakers in all areas to make it possible for people to 
choose quieter areas - and some definitely do! Giving people a certain range of 
choices that encourage movement and self-selection is an important part of the 
coworking design process.

The exact kind of music can vary - we have been building a collection of 
playlists for years and often enjoy using Spotify to create new artist or genre 
based stations depending on the vibe/mood of the room, time of day, other 
activities taking place, etc.

One of my fav experiences is when I can look across a room and see a bunch of 
people softly bobbing their heads to a beat, or even mouthing the words to the 
songs being played. Encouraging members to suggest or help build playlists is 
also a major opportunity for bonding and working together on something with low 
stakes but that lots of other members can enjoy together.

Contrast that to a common experience I hear from people visiting other spaces 
where they comment on it feeling cold, impersonal, and most commonly “like a 
library - nobody talks to anybody.”

To be clear, the music itself is just one small part of the overall “vibe” and 
no one thing alone matters as much as the whole experience. I think of it like 
the ingredients needed to grow a garden. Sunshine, water, nutrient rich soil, 
etc...the acoustic experience in a space is going to shape what happens, who is 
attracted, how they interact, and what grows from there.

I also know that there are spaces that specially are advertising “silent” 
spaces for when you need heads down focus time. I think this is a great idea, 
depending on what you’re able to facilitate with your physical space. I will 
say that we really struggled with this. Having an environment within our space 
that felt “policed for quiet” made it a hotbed of conflict, most commonly 
because people have a wide range of expectations of what quiet is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sound design can take a lot of forms, and I strongly encourage people to start 
by deciding WITH YOUR COMMUNITY what the priorities are, and then making design 
choices that support those priorities.

Alex
On Sep 7, 2018, 8:15 AM -0400, Kewal Parmar , wrote:
> Hello all!! Hope everyone is doing great.
>
> I have been researching over how coworking spaces can be made more lively and 
> engaging. Tony mentioned about having music stations. Does anybody mind 
> sharing some more insights to this point?
>
> Regards
>
> > On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 7:11 PM, Tony Bacigalupo  
> > wrote:
> > > Ooh boy, I love this topic!
> > >
> > > Music in a coworking space is a fascinating thing. It’s actually quite 
> > > important, and it’s something that occupies (in many spaces) every hour 
> > > that the space is open.
> > >
> > > 40+ hours a week of music programming is no small undertaking! You’re 
> > > basically managing a tiny radio station.
> > >
> > > On Pandora specifically, I found good fortune with:
> > >
> > > - Emancipator
> > > - Gotan Project
> > > - Tycho
> > >
> > > However, the one station that lasted the longest for us (years!) was the 
> > > Indie Pop Rocks station on Soma FM:
> > >
> > > http://somafm.com/home.html
> > >
> > > Somehow it manages to blend into the background but still be interesting 
> > > and catchy and upbeat and never seems to get repetitive. It was as 
> > > perfect as anything we could find.
> > >
> > > There are now also sites that specifically cater towards music for 
> > > focusing, like:
> > > https://www1.brain.fm/
> > >
> > > Let us know what you end up finding!
> > >
> > > Tony
> > >
> > >
> > > > On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 3:42 AM  wrote:
> > > > > From experience, what Pandora stations have you found work best in 
> > > > > your space? I want something modern, catchy, but not offensive, 
> > > > > annoying, or sleepy. Trying to find a good medium!
> > > > > --
> > > > > 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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> > > > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
> > > --
> > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
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>
>
>
> --
> Thanks and Regards
> Kewal Parmar
> Business Development Manager
>
> M: +917202857076
> --
> You received this message because you are 

Re: [Coworking] What to do when someone gives 30 day notice and then doesn't move out?

[Alex Hillman]

If the question is “what do I say” then the big question is...what have you 
already said?

“I’m not sure what to say to them” makes me think...no conversation has been 
had about this yet?

Before invoking policy, I always start by trying to understand the context and 
figure out what’s going on. Did some plans change and they forget to tell you? 
Or are they ignoring attempts to contact completely? Something else that’s out 
of your field of view?

Alex

On Sep 6, 2018, 6:17 PM -0400, Jerome Chang , wrote:
> You should cut off their wifi if you want to evict/vacate them asap.
> Or insist payment for another month.
>
> I would recommend never applying their deposit toward their last month. We 
> hold deposits until after they move out, assess their space for damages, 
> reconcile their account, etc. Usually a month+
>
> 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: DTLA | 529 S. Broadway, Ste 400
> (@Pershing Sq)
> NORTH: Pasadena | 680 E. Colorado, Ste 180 (b/w Lake and Los Robles)
> SOUTH: Long Beach | 309 Pine Ave (@Broadway) - opening 2018
>
> On Sep 6, 2018, at 3:04 PM, Aloma Loren  wrote:
>
> > We have a member who gave their 30 day notice that July would be their last 
> > month so we applied their last months dues we had on file.
> > They are still in the office and keep saying they will be out by this or 
> > that date and then the date comes and they are still there. They said 
> > around August 5th they would definitely be out by the 15th and to invoice 
> > them for half the month (which they then paid) but now they are still here 
> > and have not paid the second half of August or September (dues are late 
> > after the 5th). Plus we no longer have their last month on file since we 
> > applied it in July.
> >
> > Do you have a policy for this? I'm not sure what to say to them but I would 
> > think a policy about going past your 30 days would require them to pay the 
> > previous month's dues and restart their 30 day notice? We want to be 
> > somewhat flexible as I know situations come up where renovations aren't 
> > completed in time or whatever so I was thinking maybe we give a 7 day 
> > window where we're willing to bill separately without them having to pay a 
> > last months dues again.
> >
> > Help!
> > --
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Re: [Coworking] Opening a Space, have many questions!

[Alex Hillman]

>
> *How did you market to begin growing your community?*
>

Your best "marketing" will be direct invitations, in two forms.

1 - you reaching out to specific people and inviting them to come, and
2 - you encouraging your existing members to do the same!

Also, don't feel like everything needs to be run by you. Are there other
things that are going on that your community could attend/participate in
together?

*How did you keep the community engaged? *
>

Engagement is a lousy metric IMO. It tends to lead to all kinds of stuff
designed to distract and demand attention, and inevitably burn people out
(including yourself).

Instead, the one main metric I focus on is that people feel connected.
- What "onramps" to interacting with other members do you have? Are they
tied directly to things that your members already do, or want to do?
- Are your "onramps" accessible? To who? Who are you leaving out,
intentionally or accidentally? (Not saying you have to include EVERYBODY at
once - but I've learned to recognize my blind spots for people who'd love
to participate but, for instance, don't like going to bars.)
- Is it easy for new members to connect with existing members, even in
small group and 1-1 settings?
- Is there some regular rhythm of support and encouragement for these kinds
of interactions? i.e. if people miss one opportunity, is there another one
coming up again soon?

Any advice on events I should host in order to keep momentum?
>

Consistency.


> Is it too early to look for a space?
>

Are your members ready to put their money where their mouth is? How many?
Would they write a check for 1-3 months of membership today?

If so, then maybe...but don't forget to do it WITH them.

If not, then yeah it's too early.


> Funding? Sponsors?
>

For what?


> What did you do for social media outreach?
>

Talk to people like a person. :)

-Alex

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Re: [Coworking] Re: Nonprofit Memberships

[Alex Hillman]

“If they are chosing you because you are the cheapest, the relationship is 
based on exploitation and that's no way to start a relationship.”

10% this. Nonprofits or not, people who want special treatment (startups 
are notorious for this too) are not a healthy target for a sustainable 
community or business.

If you’re already cheap and people won’t join unless they get a discount, 
consider raising your rates so that you have something to discount ;)
On Aug 30, 2018, 10:36 AM +0200, Jeannine van der Linden 
, wrote:
> I do not have a blanket discount for anything except businesses structured 
> with multiple entities.
>
> We have in the past had a sponsored nonprofit: this is like the artist in 
> residence program, we give a nonprofit a free membership for a year.  They 
> submit an application for the membership and the coworkers decide who gets 
> it.  It's fun to do and a lot more engaging than a flat policy.
>
> There are several ways to approach this, so that it has added value for your 
> space and for your coworkers, and I would think about those things before 
> making a policy.  If they are chosing you because you are the cheapest, the 
> relationship is based on exploitation and that's no way to start a 
> relationship.
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Re: [Coworking] Hosting a feedback session

[Alex Hillman]

Got it, that makes sense.

Can you post any examples of how you've been promoting your feedback sessions? 
It's be helpful to see what isn't working for context!
On Aug 21, 2018, 1:55 PM -0400, Carly Seltzer , wrote:
> Both, more so on the new members as we have already spoken with our current 
> members.
>
> > On Tue, Aug 21, 2018, 11:31 AM Alex Hillman,  
> > wrote:
> > > Just to make sure I understand the question, are you trying to get 
> > > interest from your existing members, or from new prospective members (or 
> > > both)?
> > >
> > > --
> > > 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 Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 11:28 AM Carly Seltzer 
> > > >  wrote:
> > > > > Hello Everyone, I am currently working on the planning phases of a 
> > > > > expansion of our current coworking space, The Forge and have been 
> > > > > hosting some small feedback events but I can't seem to get more 
> > > > > people interested in coming to see the potential of the space. I was 
> > > > > wondering if there are any tips that someone with a bit more 
> > > > > experience can offer me.
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks in advance
> > > > > Carly
> > > > > --
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Re: [Coworking] Projector VS TV/ LED Screens

[Alex Hillman]

TVs are great for meeting rooms - they're almost always on sale. I think we
got 42" TVs for our meeting rooms for like...$250/each.

But TV's but aren't great for groups larger than 8-10 peopleunless
you're buying giant 70" TVs, which generally start at more than $1500 each
to get decent quality.

With projectors, the thing to look out for is the lumens. A lot of cheap
projectors only work in rooms that are dark, and in most presentation
settings you want something that can be seen easily without turning off all
of the lights. We upgraded our primary presentation space earlier this year
and I ended up finding this gem for less than $600 US. It's super bright
(3200 lumens), and has amazing picture quality:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EAPUHYY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8=1


Also with a projector, you *definitely* want to project onto a real screen.
Early on we had white walls so I figured we could just project onto them
but the picture quality was almost always distorted (especially for any
kind of text). Screens aren't just white, they're also *smooth* and
*reflective* which improves how bright the picture appears, and makes sure
that nothing gets distorted.

-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 Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 11:28 AM  wrote:

> my coworking space have been contemplating on which solution to use for
> display during seminars, workshops etc. which solution do you think is
> better and why  ?
>
> Projector or Screens ?
>
>
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Re: [Coworking] Hosting a feedback session

[Alex Hillman]

Just to make sure I understand the question, are you trying to get interest
from your existing members, or from new prospective members (or both)?

--
*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 Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 11:28 AM Carly Seltzer 
wrote:

> Hello Everyone, I am currently working on the planning phases of a
> expansion of our current coworking space, The Forge and have been hosting
> some small feedback events but I can't seem to get more people interested
> in coming to see the potential of the space. I was wondering if there are
> any tips that someone with a bit more experience can offer me.
>
> Thanks in advance
> Carly
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: To build offices or not?

[Alex Hillman]

>
> Gotta wonder how Indy Hall does it? Some kind of magic!


Not magic. Just a relentless focus on creating value that has nothing to do
with desks :)

-Alex






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Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten


On Tue, Jul 17, 2018 at 8:43 PM  wrote:

> Thanks for all the advice. Gotta wonder how Indy Hall does it? Some kind
> of magic!
>
> On Monday, July 16, 2018 at 10:58:50 PM UTC-4, nanette...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>> I've read that the trend for members to want private offices. We are
>> looking at the cost of up-fitting an open space and it sure would cost less
>> if we didn't have to build 5-6 offices. We realize we need to bulild a
>> conference room and we have areas where phone rooms can be retrofit but the
>> cost of offices really puts the cost out of reach. I realize that a yearly
>> contract for an office of 3 or more people is a good bread and butter
>> situation. I know Alex Hillmans Indy Hall space is open desk. Would love to
>> hear about any others. Can you get yearly memberships on open or dedicated
>> desks? We are thinking we can have some movable, screening dividers for
>> teams of 3 or more. Would be nice to be able to add offices on an as-needed
>> basis.
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Coworking Investors?

[Alex Hillman]

*"...if you need to multiply fast right?"*

Fast growth isn't *need* in and of itself, it's a choice.

Once you choose an investor, you DO need to grow. Not the other way around.

And everything is a tradeoff. You may be able to grow faster, but at what
cost to you? To your community? To your long term goals?

Investor money comes with a certain expectation of growth, on a certain
timeline. Your job becomes meeting *those* growth goals.

Lots of businesses take investment and then run intro trouble because even
though they're profitable and growing they aren't profitable *enough *to
match the investor expectations. That's when they start making decisions to
force that growth...and forcing growth essentially always comes with a
cost.

Again, this all comes down to control. I hate nothing more than giving up
control over my decisions. Related: this is why I’m a great consultant and
a terrible employee. But I digress.

The only people I want to answer to are the people I create value for – in
the case of Indy Hall, our community and our team – and to be able to make
decisions that I believe are in the best long term interest of how we serve
the community.

With an investor, things are peachy if my decisions create value for our
members and our investors. But if I’m in a situation where I have to decide
between creating value for our members OR our investors…you had better
believe I’m going to side with our members and that is going to make for a
very uncomfortable conversation on the investor side.

So I place a very high value on control over how I make decisions,
especially after seeing how often people find themselves torn between the
interest of their investors and the interest of their community. I actively
avoid anything that clouds my long-term decision making abilities.

Plus – if you ever do want that you want to grow to a scale where you want
to have investors involved – leverage is magic fairy dust for business
conversations. You’d better believe that it’s a lot easier to find
investors who want to talk to you (and give you good terms) when you
already have a thriving business. It’s way easier to strike a favorable
deal when you don’t show up to the table hungry for a check.

-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 Fri, Aug 3, 2018 at 11:13 AM 603 Co-Working <603...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey Alex, Hello from India.
> I have been doing the exact same thing and it really helps. But I have no
> experience with investors, at the end of the day the business can be scaled
> by an Investors money if you need to multiply fast right?
>
> Sincere regards
> Mr. K. G. Kataria
>
> On 03-Aug-2018, at 05:13, Ten Below  wrote:
>
> Alex,
>
> Wow. Your insight and pearls of wisdom could not have come at a better
> time. Thank you!
>
> Sincerely,
> Richard
>
> On Thu, Aug 2, 2018 at 3:04 PM, Alex Hillman  > wrote:
>
>> Hey Heather,
>>
>> Let's start by putting my bias out front: I'll do almost anything to
>> avoid having an "investor" involved, because I place a very high value on
>> control. And not because I'm a control freak...but because I've learned the
>> value/importance of being able to make long term decisions in this
>> business. Investors are essentially business partners that don't work on
>> the business every day.
>>
>> With that in mind, I also view business partnerships like marriages - in
>> fact, they're often *more* difficult to undo than a marriage. Bringing
>> on an investor is like marrying for money. It happens, but it *usually*
>> doesn't end well.
>>
>> I've been where you are, though. Nearly no cash. Banks didn't want to
>> talk to me. Here's what we have done, and had a lot of success with:
>>
>> *1 - Membership drives. *Turn "early signups" into an event. Get your
>> on-board members in the same room as your prospective members and make THAT
>> the day that people sign up. Taking checks in person helps you avoid
>> payment fees (which add up!) but also the collective energy of people
>> signing up can be contagious. Make it a celebration.
>>
>> *2 - "IRL" crowdfunding. *The biggest mistake I see people make with
>> crowdfunding is getting caught up in the "crowd" and forgetting what each
>> individual is actually contributing towards, and why.
>>
>> Stuff like Indiegogo and such makes it easier for a wider audience to
>> discover a project but coworking spaces are generally hyperlocal efforts,
>> so the amount of work that goes into a typical crowdfund campaign (which is
>> a LOT) spreads that effo

Re: [Coworking] Coworking Space Founders- How much does it cost to start a space?

[Alex Hillman]

Yup and with way more detail here: 
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2012/01/how-much-does-it-cost-to-start-a-coworking-space/
On Aug 2, 2018, 8:08 PM -0400, Gaetan Van Wylick , wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Great post. Thanks to all of you. Unfortunatelly the link doesn't work 
> anymore. Is it still possible to get these information about the costs ?
>
> Cheers.
>
> Gaetan
>
> On Monday, January 31, 2011 at 4:43:07 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote:
> > We shared a detailed "by the numbers" post for Indy Hall with Gigaom - and 
> > then on our own blog - that you should be able to glean your numbers from:
> >
> > http://www.indyhall.org/blog/2010/08/06/indy-hall-by-the-numbers/
> >
> > Our smartest cost-saving measure was including our members in our buildout 
> > process. We saved immensely on human labor for things like painting and 
> > running network wires because members had interest in contributing to the 
> > space construction - not only did this save us money, but it gave those 
> > members an immensely strong bond to the space, and a sense of ownership 
> > that is unparalleled. That process has saved us upfront costs as well as 
> > long-term administrative costs, all of which allow us to keep our monthly 
> > rates ridiculously low.
> >
> > -Alex
> >
> >
> >
> > /ah
> > indyhall.org
> > coworking in philadelphia
> >
> >
> > > On Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 11:33 PM, Michael  wrote:
> > > > I was thinking about writing a blog article about the costs of
> > > > starting a coworking space on my website and I thought what the hell?
> > > > Why not just start a thread here and get actual feedback from people
> > > > who have been through all this before. This way i can get some great
> > > > material for a killer blog post and this can also be an informative
> > > > thread for people who are thinking about opening their own coworking
> > > > space.
> > > >
> > > > So here are my questions for anyone who has started a coworking
> > > > space :
> > > >
> > > > 1)How much did it cost you to start your community coworking space?
> > > >
> > > > 2)What was the cost breakdown?
> > > >
> > > > 3)Were there any surprise costs which you never considered?
> > > >
> > > > 4)If you has to do it again how would you spend differently?
> > > >
> > > > 5)What were your smartest cost saving measures?
> > > >
> > > > 6)What is your biggest on-going cost?
> > > >
> > > > Please add any more questions you can think of!
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Advertise your coworking spaces for FREE
> > > > http://www.myecodesk.com
> > > >
> > > > --
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Re: [Coworking] Coworking Investors?

[Alex Hillman]

Hey Heather,

Let's start by putting my bias out front: I'll do almost anything to avoid
having an "investor" involved, because I place a very high value on
control. And not because I'm a control freak...but because I've learned the
value/importance of being able to make long term decisions in this
business. Investors are essentially business partners that don't work on
the business every day.

With that in mind, I also view business partnerships like marriages - in
fact, they're often *more* difficult to undo than a marriage. Bringing on
an investor is like marrying for money. It happens, but it *usually*
doesn't end well.

I've been where you are, though. Nearly no cash. Banks didn't want to talk
to me. Here's what we have done, and had a lot of success with:

*1 - Membership drives. *Turn "early signups" into an event. Get your
on-board members in the same room as your prospective members and make THAT
the day that people sign up. Taking checks in person helps you avoid
payment fees (which add up!) but also the collective energy of people
signing up can be contagious. Make it a celebration.

*2 - "IRL" crowdfunding. *The biggest mistake I see people make with
crowdfunding is getting caught up in the "crowd" and forgetting what each
individual is actually contributing towards, and why.

Stuff like Indiegogo and such makes it easier for a wider audience to
discover a project but coworking spaces are generally hyperlocal efforts,
so the amount of work that goes into a typical crowdfund campaign (which is
a LOT) spreads that effort thin. One of the most important lessons I've
learned from all of the funding work I've done is that the more specific of
a "thing" you can offer people to contribute towards helping, the better.

For examplebreak that $50k into its component parts. *"We need $5k for
chairs" *can turn into "become our official chair sponsor" for a local
business who wants to contribute or, even better, *"buy one chair and we'll
dedicate it to you" *and offer it to members, supporters, and other local
businesses.

*3 - Member loans. *The first time we expanded we needed a similar
~$50,000. We shared exactly what we needed it for, and our current
potential options for closing that shortfall. After the meeting, a member
approached helping us - their business had been doing very well (largely in
part because of our community) and they saw this as a way to give back. In
fact, they really wanted to buy in as an investor.

But again, even though I had a good relationship with this person, I had to
ask myself if I wanted them to be my PARTNER if the money wasn't involved,
and it wasn't a hell yes.

So I said "what about a loan?" and he said yes. We put together terms where
we had 12 months before we had to start paying back the loan. He gave me a
rate that was better than I could get with a bank, and I had the
flexibility down the road if needed. The only challenge we ran into with
this deal was a sense of entitlement that came with one person loaning us
such a large amount of money, he tried to occasionally hold it over our
heads. It took a lot to keep that from affecting my decisions (and imagine
if he was an actual PARTNER).

The next time we needed an influx of cash, we went back to the community
and said *"before we go to other sources we're wondering if anybody would
be willing/able to offer us a small loan? We're looking for a few people
who can loan us $5k-10k each."* This approach meant that no single person
could hold the loan over our heads, and in a worst case scenario we could
accelerate paying that person back if they did (so they had nothing left to
hold over us).

The best part about these smaller loans was that we were able to turn these
into *zero interest *loans. They had the same "1 year before payback
begins" term, but we also talked with each member about the actual interest
they were going to earn at market rate on such a relatively small loan. We
said "here's the dollar amount - but maybe there is something else that's
similarly or more valuable to you than the interest?" and in every instance
we were able to offer something with nearly no cost (membership credits,
consulting/support, public gratitude, etc) instead of paying the interest.

*4 - Don't buy everything at once. *This one is the most often overlooked.

Your job isn't to fill a space with stuff. It's not even to fill a space
with people. Your job is to bring people together.

SO YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY EVERYTHING AT ONCE.

When we opened we didn't have...

- a coffee machine
- a couch
- whiteboards
- a printer
- a projector and screen
- dishes or mugs

Since we've never competed on "having stuff" we made it clear that we'd buy
stuff that was a) most important, b) as soon as we could afford it. Want
Indy Hall to have something faster? Help us recruit more members! Help us
find or negotiate a deal!

we didn't have chairs for every desk. we didn't even have the number of
desks that our space could holdwe just had 

Re: [Coworking] Safe Power Supply

[Alex Hillman]

I've seen a full-site generator provide real value in parts of the world where 
power commonly goes out - usually in countries where that infrastructure is 
underdeveloped (eg India, Africa, some parts of south east Asia).

That said, most places don't experience (or expect) these kinds of outages.

And depending on your community, you're very likely to find a large % of people 
use laptops...which have built in UPS as they have their own batteries :)

For example our community is 95%+ laptops, even folks with dedicated desks dock 
their laptops to bigger screens, etc.

If you want to put a UPS somewhere I recommend it on your network setup so that 
even if the power goes out your internet has a chance of staying up. But 
honestly in most places (even developed cities) the internet is more likely to 
go out than the power.

Power strips with surge protection are much less expensive (no battery) but 
help deliver power to members, and provide *light* protection against power 
surges.

Fwiw in 12 years we've never had equipment damaged by a surge and zero requests 
for 100% redundant backup power.

Alex

On Jul 23, 2018, 8:53 PM -0400, Joshua Webb , wrote:
> I think that is a big undertaking for your private spaces. Thst is something 
> you should pass on to your members price wise.
>
> But even at that if you provide the UPC backups that's more liability on you 
> that your not really needing on your shoulders. If it goes down your members 
> will blame you rather than the power company (which is out of your control)
>
> Just my 2 cents.
>
> Joshua Webb
>
> Founder at Growthli
>
> 844-455-GROW (4769)
> Https://Growthli.com
>
> © Growthli | A Place To Learn, Grow, & Office™
>
> > On Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 7:43 PM  wrote:
> > > Hi everyone,
> > >
> > > Do you have UPS (Uninterrupted power supplies) in your coworking spaces?
> > > I´ve been searching and they are quite expensive for multiple computers.
> > >
> > > Is it worth it?  Or how do you keep your client´s equipment safe from 
> > > electric shutdowns ?
> > >
> > >
> > > Thank you
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
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> > > "Coworking" group.
> > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> > > email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
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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] Re: Self bar

[Alex Hillman]

This is great advice Matt.

it reminds me that we currently host a “vending machine” from a company that 
serves fresh salads in jars. We thought it was weird but they literally can’t 
keep the fridge stocked fast enough!

I put “vending machine” in quotes cuz it’s just a glass front fridge. The 
payment part is an honor system for their jars - and I’m talking $11 salads! - 
and by making it easy to pay with one of a couple of popular mobile payment 
options (Venmo, PayPal, etc).

Nice thing about that is there is no additional equipment for you, and even if 
they have to walk all the way back to their desk to get their phone, they don’t 
even have to go back to a machine to swipe the card.

I know that isn’t their long term plan, but I’ve been impressed at the value of 
lowering payment friction and making it clear that the products aren’t free. :)

That said, I wouldn’t be so quick to do something like this in a space that has 
lots of public foot traffic or transient usage. So consider your audience!

Alex
On Jul 5, 2018, 10:50 AM -0400, m...@deskcowork.co.uk, wrote:
> Hi Andrea,
>
> That's sad to hear you are getting a short fall. We definitely where with our 
> previous help yourself bar! But now we do two things that have fixed this:
>
> 1) it is right bang in the middle of our cowork space, so anyone that was 
> thinking about taking something without paying will feel less inclined to
> 2) I installed an ipad on the wall, and an Izettle card machine next to it. 
> Although it is not made for this, it is a great way to do it as everyone has 
> a card or contactless tech on them these days. Previously people would put an 
> I OWE YOU note as they didnt have the cash. I just show people how to use it 
> on their introduction tour and it solved our issues :)
>
> Does that help?
>
> On Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 8:57:36 PM UTC+1, Andrea Di Lascio wrote:
> > Hi everybody, how many of you have within the coworking a small self-bar? 
> > how do you manage it? is it profitable? because we have one in our 
> > coworking space but actually the bills at the end of the month are never 
> > found. we always have a shortfall in considerable cash, a clear sign that 
> > many of our customers do not pay what they take. How many of you have the 
> > same problem? proposals to try to solve without being too demanding in the 
> > eyes of customers?
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Corporate Partnership/Membership Package Help

[Alex Hillman]

Hey Kenzi -

The best experiences I've had with sponsorships has come from doing a bit
of research on the companies you want to reach out to first, and figure out
what their priorities are. You can look at other events/programs that they
sponsor, or even reach out to their sponsorship/marketing team to ask if
they have any specific goals or priorities that they try to hit when
looking for a sponsorship.

Then, when you create your sponsorship tiers, you can offer something that
you KNOW they want!

I also look for ways that I can turn them into an active participant,
rather than a passive contributor
.
This may rule out potential sponsors...but it'll create massive opportunity
for creating long term value with a sponsor who actually engages with the
community instead of simply writing checks.

The last thing to consider is...what exactly do your members care
about? *Mutual
benefit and alignment is key.* It's easy to slap a logo on a wall and
offering conference room space, but take into account how that impacts your
members, both positively *and* negatively. Companies want to be "seen" in a
certain way and sponsorship can help with that. But it actually works best
when members are on board with it, too.

I used this to land us a HUGE sponsorship: the sponsor originally wanted to
put their logo on a wall and essentially "brand" our meeting space so they
could tell meetups to use it...but I did a little bit of research and
discovered that they really wanted opportunities for their employees to get
to know people in the wider tech community. I was able to put together a 3
part sponsorship package that included:

- Sponsor logo/credit for upgrading a piece of technology that our members
use every day, displayed in a friendly/tasteful way
- A special monthly event series that would allow their employees and our
members/neighbors to come together and network
- A pre-paid block of memberships that they can offer their employees as a
perk. (we specifically avoid giving out general company memberships - we'd
rather employees actually become active members of the community, rather
than just people who come in and crash a conference room once in a while.

We offered all three options as individual sponsorships, but they opted to
pick all three (meaning more $$ for us, and a longer-lasting relationships
with the sponsor).

And don't forget you can offer alternatives or even just say "no" to items
that are deal breakers. We once had a prominent company who really wanted
to sponsor us...but in return, they wanted access to email our members
directly (100% non-starter) and other kinds of unnatural brand placement
(joint press releases, etc). We turned the whole thing down.

*In all cases, the most important part is finding a person who is a
decision maker and figuring out what their priorities are. *From there,
look for ways your goals and theirs align, and specifically for ways they
can help improve you and your community (while them benefiting from the
brand awareness and equity they earn as participants).

Hope this helps you think about ways to land great deals and built
long-term business relationships between your sponsors and the community
they're helping support!

-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 Tue, Jul 3, 2018 at 7:57 PM Ward4 Coworking  wrote:

> Hi all!
>
> I am the community manager for Ward4, a coworking space in Milwaukee. I
> was asked to put together a corporate partnership/membership package to
> attract the larger corporations in Milwaukee. Have any of you ever done
> this before? We'd like to make the model with levels.
>
> For example:
> Level 1: $5,000
> Level 2: $2,500
> Level 3: $1,00
>
> I'm not entirely sure what each level should include or consist of- do any
> of you have ideas or templates of your own packages that would be helpful?
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Information+Co-working space = Gold

[Alex Hillman]

Hey Mike,

If I were in your shoes, I'd be connecting directly to *members* of
coworking spaces more than trying to convince operators of the value. If
you can get the MEMBERS to ask for it, and there's minimal overhead for the
space operator, you go from having a vague, conceptual offer (which is hard
to get people to buy into) to something that operators actively want
because they know members are asking for it.

Join a space, or float around a few of them. Get to know people. Maybe
offer to teach a workshop on how IC skills can be used in a business
setting.

IMPORTANT: *Don't* show up and "sell." Show up, listen, and look for ways
to be helpful.

Another approach would be to look for a coworking space that I actually
wanted to JOIN, and and then start doing what you describe ad documenting
it in public. Blog about the kinds of connections and help you're able to
create in that particular community - with permission from the people you
are helping, of course. Another way to prove the concept and earn the trust
you need to get folks on board with this concept!

-Alex

On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 3:33 PM Mike Timpani  wrote:

> Thanks Tony, that is exactly what I'm trying to do in DC.. reach out to a
> coworking realty group and make them see the benefits of this new model,
> but so far, no one is taking me up on it. I think the realty groups are
> only working from a cost-benefit side and not seeing the librarian benefit
> side of how an information person can help their clients, with whatever
> information needs they have.
>
> On Monday, June 25, 2018 at 3:21:10 PM UTC-4, Tony Bacigalupo wrote:
>>
>> Hey Michael,
>>
>> Neat perspective! The idea of having someone available who is more than
>> simply a desk receptionist is one that I strongly believe is a good
>> direction to head towards.
>>
>> In particular, I think this person could be not just someone who could
>> help find information, but who is specifically trained to help people with
>> whatever challenge or need they are trying to address that's specific to
>> their situation.
>>
>> So if a member comes up to this "IC" person and says they are trying to
>> figure out how to get more clients, or manage their time better, or learn a
>> new skill, this person might point them to specific resources or best
>> practices that can help them—and maybe encourage the member to connect with
>> others in the community who share an interest in that topic as well.
>>
>> It sounds like you have a passion behind this idea and you want to spread
>> this to other communities—I think the best way for you to do that is to
>> partner with a coworking space in the DC area to prove the concept, and to
>> share your breakthroughs with us and others as you go.
>>
>> Looking forward to more updates!
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Tony Bacigalupo
>>
>> *---*
>> New Work Cities  • Coworking.org
>> 
>> *Is your space on the Coworking Visa yet?* 
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 1:58 PM, AdventureUwe  wrote:
>>
>>> Dear Michael, I am glad you mention this! I wrote an article about that
>>> idea and had some Brainstormings on that topic. Maybe you have a read into
>>> this:
>>> https://medium.com/p/8b75429135f1?source=linkShare-a75ac532cd83-1529949414
>>>
>>>
>>> With best regards, Uwe
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On 25 Jun 2018, at 19:11, Mike Timpani  wrote:
>>>
>>> Lets put the two together: an IC and Coworking space.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> What is an IC?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Wait, let me start from the beginning. I’m getting ahead of myself.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ever been helped by a librarian in your life, in a public library or
>>> through your academic career in college or high school? Maybe you are in a
>>> profession that uses librarians. They can be found in law firms and
>>> hospitals helping doctors and attorneys and even in the government helping
>>> everyone find the information they need. Yes, even in this “Google era”
>>> Librarians are more needed than ever before, to help find the RIGHT
>>> information and not a lot of it.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My new concept would be to add a live person to the co-working amenities
>>> available to the tenants. I call it an “information concierge”. Someone
>>> with a library degree, like an MLS, would be on site at one of the
>>> properties of a co-worker company.  The “IC” would be exclusive on-site in
>>> person to the tenants of that specific office space and virtual to all the
>>> other tenants in the same companies spaces around the area.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> For example: Hire a librarian and set that person up in a permanent
>>> office at your co working space. The “IC” would be there on a regular
>>> workday schedule, 9-5 for the physical tenants. The “IC” would also be
>>> available virtually by phone or computer to all the other tenants in the
>>> same co-worker company spaces around that one office they are set up in.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The “IC” would help all the tenants with 

Re: [Coworking] Information+Co-working space = Gold

[Alex Hillman]

I'm super into this too - similar to what Tony suggested about having the
IC trained in connecting people to *people* rather than simply information.
Talented coworker staffers already serve this role, sometimes in less
formal ways and other times with more formal practices
.
This is an area that we've been investing heavily in terms of how to teach
people who are hired to run coworking spaces how to create value in unique
and scalable ways

.

More related to libraries, my biz partner gave this talk a few years back
 while
helping a local chapter of libraries and library staff learn
coworking-oriented and community building skills that allow them to create
new kinds of value. There's so much overlap between these two worlds, the
opportunities to experiment with helping each other are very exciting!

Thanks for sharing here - I'm hopeful it will bring some more bibliophiles
out of the woodwork :)

-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, Jun 25, 2018 at 3:21 PM Tony Bacigalupo 
wrote:

> Hey Michael,
>
> Neat perspective! The idea of having someone available who is more than
> simply a desk receptionist is one that I strongly believe is a good
> direction to head towards.
>
> In particular, I think this person could be not just someone who could
> help find information, but who is specifically trained to help people with
> whatever challenge or need they are trying to address that's specific to
> their situation.
>
> So if a member comes up to this "IC" person and says they are trying to
> figure out how to get more clients, or manage their time better, or learn a
> new skill, this person might point them to specific resources or best
> practices that can help them—and maybe encourage the member to connect with
> others in the community who share an interest in that topic as well.
>
> It sounds like you have a passion behind this idea and you want to spread
> this to other communities—I think the best way for you to do that is to
> partner with a coworking space in the DC area to prove the concept, and to
> share your breakthroughs with us and others as you go.
>
> Looking forward to more updates!
>
> Cheers,
> Tony Bacigalupo
>
> *---*
> New Work Cities  • Coworking.org
> 
> *Is your space on the Coworking Visa yet?* 
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 25, 2018 at 1:58 PM, AdventureUwe  wrote:
>
>> Dear Michael, I am glad you mention this! I wrote an article about that
>> idea and had some Brainstormings on that topic. Maybe you have a read into
>> this:
>> https://medium.com/p/8b75429135f1?source=linkShare-a75ac532cd83-1529949414
>>
>>
>> With best regards, Uwe
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On 25 Jun 2018, at 19:11, Mike Timpani  wrote:
>>
>> Lets put the two together: an IC and Coworking space.
>>
>>
>>
>> What is an IC?
>>
>>
>>
>> Wait, let me start from the beginning. I’m getting ahead of myself.
>>
>>
>>
>> Ever been helped by a librarian in your life, in a public library or
>> through your academic career in college or high school? Maybe you are in a
>> profession that uses librarians. They can be found in law firms and
>> hospitals helping doctors and attorneys and even in the government helping
>> everyone find the information they need. Yes, even in this “Google era”
>> Librarians are more needed than ever before, to help find the RIGHT
>> information and not a lot of it.
>>
>>
>>
>> My new concept would be to add a live person to the co-working amenities
>> available to the tenants. I call it an “information concierge”. Someone
>> with a library degree, like an MLS, would be on site at one of the
>> properties of a co-worker company.  The “IC” would be exclusive on-site in
>> person to the tenants of that specific office space and virtual to all the
>> other tenants in the same companies spaces around the area.
>>
>>
>>
>> For example: Hire a librarian and set that person up in a permanent
>> office at your co working space. The “IC” would be there on a regular
>> workday schedule, 9-5 for the physical tenants. The “IC” would also be
>> available virtually by phone or computer to all the other tenants in the
>> same co-worker company spaces around that one office they are set up in.
>>
>>
>>
>> The “IC” would help all the tenants with their projects or research that
>> they would need to be doing to complete their work in the city they are
>> visiting. It could be a day, a week or a regular renter on a monthly basis.
>> The “IC” could help the clients with any of the traditional 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Becoming a Community Manager

[Alex Hillman]

This past month I was asked to do a new talk about our recently revamped
hiring process, which included lots of details about who we looked for,
what they're expected to do, and how we structure the position.

The talk is recorded, and all of the written resources are downloadable too!

https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2018/06/how-to-hire-the-best-people-to-run-your-coworking-space/

-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 Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 5:23 PM Joshua Webb  wrote:

> We are going through this process right now of adding a community manage
> as I go off to open a new location.
> Does anyone have a job/task description for Community/Location managers?
>
> *J**oshua Webb*
>
> *Chief Growth Antagonist*jos...@growthli.com   *844-455-GROW
> <18444554769> **(**4769)*   *Growthli.com* 
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 4:18 PM, Steve Suard 
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Elena,
>>
>> As a community manager, it's a great job. the degree is not required but
>> the most important is your kindness, being friendly, open to each other in
>> a way to help members. Know how to listen and engage in conversation
>> without a priori in a neutral but honest way.
>> On a daily basis, you are there mainly to meet newcomers and start
>> professional relationships that will complement each other.
>> To ensure all services (coffee, welcome, presentations, cleanliness,
>> inventory of places, reservations of meeting rooms ...)
>> For my part I organize once a week on Fridays a meal Pizza, beer ... with
>> those who want to contribute for this event that allows to know better or
>> share ideas.
>>
>> On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 3:06:48 AM UTC-10, Elena Pinzón Becht wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello everyone!
>>>
>>> I recently got a job offer to become a community manager in a coworking
>>> space in Panama City. Even though this excites me very much, I'm also very
>>> nervous about it. This coworking space is for around 250 people and I'm
>>> going to be the only community manager there. I'm a fresh bachelor
>>> graduate, so I don't really have much experience, I only know that customer
>>> service is something I enjoy.
>>>
>>> I wanted to ask you for some advice to become the best community manager
>>> and some of your daily tasks (if you can describe how your day goes by in
>>> detail, from new members to old members and offering solutions and more,
>>> I'd be very thankful!), for me to understand what is going to expect me in
>>> a few months! I really want to be prepared for this job.
>>>
>>> Thank you everyone who participates in advanced.
>>>
>>> Love,
>>>
>>> Elena
>>>
>> --
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>>
>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Mail for your members

[Alex Hillman]

I'm also very interested in an app that helps us notify/remind our members
when they get mail. Our biggest problem is people not knowing (or knowing
and then forgetting) that they have mail or packages to pick up.

I've tried the other mailroom management apps for coworking spaces and
apartment buildings and they're either buggy, expensive, or both!

My "dream" app would be very simple:

1 - take a photo of the label and OCR the name/address.
2 - attempt to match the name to a name on our membership roster.
3 - if it's a direct match, fire off an email with the photo attached. If
there are multiple potential matches, let us pick the correct one and fire
off the same kind of notice.

Special bonus if there's a way for us to go back and tag items that haven't
been picked up yet to send a reminder of some sort.

OCR is the hardest part of the whole stack, so I'd be okay with manual
entry if it's fast (minimal number of taps/clicks/steps to find *and*
notify).

IMO the person who builds this as an app and integrates it with multiple
coworking platforms is going to make a ton of money, this is a very painful
problem for a lot of spaces.
--
*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, Jun 18, 2018 at 11:47 AM Joshua Webb  wrote:

> Customer data so no rekeying but also to have some record inside Officernd
> about each notification so it can be seen there instead of just in the app.
>
> Billing would be a good idea for excessive mail handling or forwarding but
> not a deal breaker.
>
> My email is jos...@growthli.com
>
> Joshua Webb
>
> Founder at Growthli
>
> 844-455-GROW (4769)
> Https://Growthli.com
>
> © Growthli | A Place To Learn, Grow, & Office™
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 18, 2018, 8:59 AM  wrote:
>
>> Hey Josh,
>>
>> For sure i'll ping you an email! you can have a look and see if it's any
>> use to you :)
>>
>> It could integrate into OfficeRnD via Zapier - we also use OfficeRnD but
>> haven't found a need to integrate it just yet. Are you thinking for billing
>> purposes or just adding the customer data?
>>
>> Uwe - thats cool I like that idea too!
>>
>> On Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 11:24:19 PM UTC+1, Joshua Webb wrote:
>>>
>>> I would be interested in it Matt. Especially if it could possibly
>>> integrate with our management system OfficeR
>>>
>>> *J**oshua Webb*
>>>
>>> *Chief Growth Antagonist*jos...@growthli.com   *844-455-GROW **(**4769)*
>>>  *Growthli.com* 
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jun 17, 2018 at 2:08 PM,  wrote:
>>>
 Hey Gretchen,

 I built an app for our cowork space - it sends a notification to them
 with the date that it came in and any identifiers. It records all the post
 received to their account so we can easily look something up if they have
 suggested something fishy about it...

 1) we check it in on the app
 2) they get the notification to pick it up
 3) we pigeon hole it.

 I was thinking about making it available for other cowork spaces to
 use. Would be interesting to get your thoughts on it if it would help you
 too! I am also looking at building in a mail forwarding offering, where
 they can select any pieces of mail they would like forwarded or something.
 Not sure yet!

 On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 11:08:43 PM UTC+1, Gretchen Bilbro wrote:
>
> Hi everyone. If you accept mail for your members what is your process
> for letting them know they have mail, how do you keep the mail and do you
> have a log to show when they were notified and when they picked up mail? I
> am having an issue with a member saying they received a notification email
> from us that they had mail but then coming in and it not being in their
> folder. We have a log through COBOT of all emails sent to members and do
> not show that an email was sent to them. Just curious what your process is
> for mail pick up and notification. Thanks!
>
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>>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Becoming a Community Manager

[Alex Hillman]

Welcome to the list, Elena!

I especially noticed these two parts of your original post:


> This coworking space is for around 250 people and I'm going to be the only
> community manager there



> I only know that customer service is something I enjoy.


My biggest recommendation is to practice *helping people help themselves*.
Customer service is indelibly a part of the role, but it's different than
in a typical retail or hospitality setting where your objective is to do
everything *for* the customer. In a coworking community, your role shifts
to doing things *with* the members and even more importantly doing it in a
way that helps them become self reliant and part of the community's
caretaking ecosystem.

This is a mentally and emotionally intensive job. You have to be "on" and
actually listening to people...not listening to react and respond, but
listening so that they feel heard and understood.

It's hard work to listen intently without reacting. It's probably the
hardest part of the job. Especially since you're solo and have a propensity
towards customer service, you'll have to practice at this!

Some recommended resources to help you get started:

- Read this (one of my most widely shared articles for people just starting
in a role like yours:
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2014/04/community-management-tummling-a-tale-of-two-mindsets/
- Watch this, especially the questions at the end:
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2018/03/cu-asia-2018-scaling-community-burnout-and-leading-from-within/
- Read this:
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2016/02/how-to-explain-what-coworking-is/
- Listen to this: https://listen.coworkingweekly.com/c6dd999c and this:
https://listen.coworkingweekly.com/0fc9fd1e

You're in an amazing role that isn't easy, but has the potential to help
you grow more than any other job in the planet. Use it wisely! :)

-Alex

On Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 9:26 AM Karna Ido  wrote:

> Hi Elena,
> cong,
> first listen the clients and what clients want and reply of it. So simple
>
> Karna S Thapa
>
> On Sat, Jun 9, 2018 at 3:35 AM, Alex Linsker 
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Elena, My favorite book for leading a community and a culture has
>> the subtitle: "Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving
>> Organization"
>> https://www.amazon.com/Tribal-Leadership-Leveraging-Thriving-Organization/dp/0061251321
>> Alex
>> --
>> Alex Linsker • Business Owner
>> Collective Agency • Coworking Spaces with Cozy Community
>> (503) 915-4769 office • (503) 369-9174 mobile
>> 3050 SE Division, Suite 245 • Portland Oregon 97202
>> 511 SW 10th Ave, Suite 1108 • Portland Oregon 97205
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jun 8, 2018 at 2:19 AM, Elena Pinzón Becht
>>  wrote:
>> > Thank you very much Angel!
>> >
>> > Have a great weekend!
>> >
>> >
>> > El 7 jun 2018, a las 17:44, Angel Kwiatkowski 
>> > escribió:
>> >
>> > Hi Elena,
>> >
>> > As far as the day to day tasks, you'll spend much of your time simply
>> > talking to members, giving tours, onboarding new members and assisting
>> with
>> > their day to day needs like how to book a conference room. You'll also
>> do a
>> > fair share of tidying up throughout the day. You'll find your own
>> rhythm in
>> > time with that stuff.
>> >
>> > To prepare yourself, these are my essential books to read to prepare:
>> >
>> > Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
>> > The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
>> > One of my early books that explains coworking to your prospective
>> members
>> >
>> https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/coworking-how-freelancers-escape-the-coffee-shop-office
>> > and this free Starter Kit for managers
>> >
>> https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/coworking-basic-training-for-new-space-operators
>> > and a free event guide bundle
>> > https://www.diycoworking.com/shop/event-guide-bundle.
>> >
>> > Angel
>> >
>> > On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 7:06:48 AM UTC-6, Elena Pinzón Becht wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Hello everyone!
>> >>
>> >> I recently got a job offer to become a community manager in a coworking
>> >> space in Panama City. Even though this excites me very much, I'm also
>> very
>> >> nervous about it. This coworking space is for around 250 people and I'm
>> >> going to be the only community manager there. I'm a fresh bachelor
>> graduate,
>> >> so I don't really have much experience, I only know that customer
>> service is
>> >> something I enjoy.
>> >>
>> >> I wanted to ask you for some advice to become the best community
>> manager
>> >> and some of your daily tasks (if you can describe how your day goes by
>> in
>> >> detail, from new members to old members and offering solutions and
>> more, I'd
>> >> be very thankful!), for me to understand what is going to expect me in
>> a few
>> >> months! I really want to be prepared for this job.
>> >>
>> >> Thank you everyone who participates in advanced.
>> >>
>> >> Love,
>> >>
>> >> Elena
>> >
>> >
>> > --
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>> Groups
>> > "Coworking" group.
>> > To unsubscribe from this 

Re: [Coworking] Re: Do I need to get a commercial dishwasher?

[Alex Hillman]

This caught me off guard when we renovated our most recent space too, I
think since our past buildings were mixed-use and this was our first purely
commercial building.

The ADA laws are around the counter height, not the dishwasher itself. But
because the ADA counter height is a bit lower than the "normal" residential
height, regular dishwashers just won't fit.

I had done a lot of research on quiet + efficient dishwashers for my home a
few years ago and found a Bosch series that I really liked...and it turns
out they have an ADA compatible version. You can find the model/specs
here: *https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/SGE68U55UC.html
*

The selection
of ADA height washers is smaller, but again the internals aren't really any
different. Just the height so they can fit under the counter.

-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, Jun 11, 2018 at 10:48 AM VillageOne Space 
wrote:

> My building don't have issue about what kind of dishwasher I am going to
> use, but I am just wondering are there any regulatory department from the
> government would check on us and be very specific about it. But I am not
> running a food business or a bar, so I believe that residential dishwasher
> should be good for office setting, of course, I want to be sure about it.
>
> Can any co-working owner give me some advice? or tell me what kind of
> dishwasher are you using?
>
> Vivienne Yang
> Founder
> VillageOne Space LLC
>
> 594 Broadway, Suite 701, NY 10012
> T: 732-500-4824
> E:vivienney...@villageone.nyc
> W:villageone.nyc
>
> *CoWorking Space for Creative Minds*
>
> On Mon, Jun 11, 2018 at 7:56 AM, Jacques Paquin 
> wrote:
>
>> When I look for ADA dishwashers it seems that lots of residential
>> dishwashers list ADA compatibility. ADA just seems to be about control
>> accesibility.
>> But looking here:
>> https://www.consolidatedfoodservice.com/guide/commercial-vs-residential-dishwashers-guide
>> the implication is that commercial washers operate at higher temperatures
>> and sanitize, whereas residential dishwashers do not.
>>
>> Did the building specify exactly what they meant by "commercial"? Or did
>> they just mean, "not cheap"?
>> The dishwashers I've seen (and used) in bars and restaurants are not
>> something I've ever seen in an office setting.
>>
>>
>> On Sunday, June 10, 2018 at 11:26:15 AM UTC-4, VillageOne wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Everyone,
>>>
>>> I am thinking buy a dishwasher in my co-working space, my space is in
>>> 7th floor of a office building. I was told I need to get a commercial
>>> dishwasher because this is the regulatory department's requirement by a
>>> shopper, but my dishwasher will only be used to wash the mugs, so I am
>>> little concerned, does anyone know this? or could anyone had the same
>>> experience? I'd appreciated any advices, thanks!
>>>
>> --
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>
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Re: [Coworking] Coworking Space Progress Report

[Alex Hillman]

Who exactly would this report be for?

A boss or manager? And owner or an investor? Someone else?
On Jun 6, 2018, 9:16 AM -0400, coworkingspace@gmail.com, wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Does anyone have a template for a weekly or monthly report that covers the 
> progress of the coworking space during elapsed period?
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Sponsors

[Alex Hillman]

Big +1 to all of the tips Hector mentioned.

One of my most popular podcast episodes is specifically
 about that last part, looking
for ways to make sure the sponsor is encouraged to be active in the
community in some way. It's far too common to view sponsorship as a "quick
hit" instead of a long-term relationship.

Here is the agreement that I created for our biggest sponsor to date
, big
enough where I wasn't comfortable with an email record being the only
record of the transaction. I had looked at lots of other examples and they
were so full of legalese I knew that we'd just end up in approval hell, so
I drafted something that covered the most important aspects, set important
boundaries and expectations and still made it human-readable to we wouldn't
trigger the "legal has to review this" delay.

I did pull out the specifics of the offer/packages but the structure of the
doc should be super helpful!

On Wed, Jun 6, 2018 at 11:08 AM Hector Kolonas  wrote:

> Hey Kiri, whilst I don't have a sponsorship agreement to share, I do want
> to share some insights into mistakes that other spaces had done with
> regards sponsorship deals.
>
> *- don't tie yourself into any exclusivities *
> being unable to make fair and honest recommendations to your members will
> break down trust between members and comm managers.
> for eg. even if all your members are freelancers or startups, the same
> accountant might not be right for their different work
> styles/culture/aptitude
>
> *- if it's naming rights they're after, treat as a licensing deal and set
> boundaries *
> this means they pay you for the right to brand a specific
> room/area/section for the duration specified
> also make sure you protect the look/feel of your space, you don't want
> anyone plastering your walls with swimsuit models (unless that matches your
> spaces' culture ofc)
> this also means you can renew/revoke licencing and can increase prices as
> your membership grows
>
> *- tie in some educational/support component*
> if they're experts in X, Y or Z; try get them to commit to sharing
> insights/tips/lunch and learns with your members in their newly branded
> meeting room
> this should obviously be structured as more supportive than salesy, but
> bolsters your membership value if done right
>
> *- consider include a day pass or two per month into the agreement*
> having them see/feel and be a part of the community is a good way to a)
> avoid sponsorship remorse and b) build long-term business relationships
> it might also mean that they could put some of their teams with you in
> case of office emergencies (plumbing or mould issues for example) or
> eventually land up giving their flexible teams access to your space down
> the line. They may even gift these to freelancers/consultants they work
> with, who may become long-term members.
>
> Let me know if that helps in any way :)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, 30 May 2018 18:36:31 UTC-4, ki...@cocreatelexington.com
> wrote:
>>
>> As we start a new coworking space, we are looking for sponsors. Tomorrow
>> we have a meeting with a company interested in being a sponsor and securing
>> naming rights to one of our meeting rooms. Does anyone have a sponsorship
>> agreement they are willing to share?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Kiri
>>
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Re: [Coworking] A Newly Opened Creative Coworking Space

[Alex Hillman]

Realtalk: most people don't want to be educated about a new concept. They
have a busy day, full of annoying problems. Your job is to figure out which
ones you're best suited to solve, and which groups of people you're best
suited to solve them for.

So rather than trying to educate people on this abstract concept called
"coworking" I take the strategy of figuring out the person I'm talking to:

   - Do they/have they ever worked remotely, or on their own?
   - Where and how do they currently work? What do they like about doing
   their own thing? What sucks?
   - What are their aspirations or goals?

This isn't a survey or an interview - it's a *conversation. *It isn't me
drilling them with questions, it's me sparking a discussion.

Then, based on what I learn about them and their situation, I can tailor
the next part of the conversation to them.

*Going crazy at home alone?* We talk about the various ways we make it easy
to spark a conversation.
*Feeling unproductive? *We talk about the different ways our members
organize their days to get more done.
*New to town? Just started a new job? *We talk about how much easier it is
to get a head start when you know a few people.

If you pay attention, you'll notice patterns in the ways people answer and
which examples resonate the most.

Most coworking pitches are all about coworking. That's the mistake.

The *best* coworking pitches are about the coworker.

-Alex

On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 6:29 PM Wendy Acosta  wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> My name is Wendy Acosta.  In January of 2018 I opened The Desk & Easel on
> Main Street in the town of Denison, Texas, about an hour north of Dallas.
> Coworking is a new concept here with very few people having heard of
> "coworking".  We have a lot of small business owners, entrepreneurs, road
> warriors and what I call Kitchen Table Artists who do not have access to a
> designated studio/creative space.  At The Desk & Easel we have usesd all
> 2500 sq ft to house traditional open work space in the front, creative open
> work space in the back and 3 private spaces and conference room in the
> middle.  We offer our conference room for lease to other offices/companies
> that require an off site meeting space and our open work spaces are for
> lease after hours for special events.  Multi-Level Marketers have also
> found the space useful.
>
> My biggest hurdle has been in educating people on what "coworking" is and
> effectively advertising to my community and beyond that I am here.  I
> welcome input from the group.
>
> Does anyone have experience with 1 Million Cups?
>
> Wendy
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Staff and daily tasks

[Alex Hillman]

You don't *need* staff. More on that in a second.

We recently onboarded our newest teammate and here's a collection of the
"tasks" and responsibilities we broke down for her to learn during
onboarding. Funny enough, we never had all of this written down before a
few months ago, so hopefully this helps you and others in some way!

Now, we started out with <30 desks, so I can imagine looking at this and
going "jesus that's a lot of stuff!" Just remember that what you see here
is the result of many years of growth, practice, and evolution.

https://paper.dropbox.com/doc/Stuff-our-team-does-rmP5YntPSxp3vajct3VAy

The bigger question is - do you WANT to hire someone? Can you afford it?
Will it free up your time to work on higher value tasks?

When we were 18 months old I didn't *want* to hire someone but I knew I
needed to. I highly recommend listening to this story about that decision:
https://listen.coworkingweekly.com/446e0ef4

Practically speaking, small spaces especially can do reasonably well by
making non-member visits by appointment only and setting the right
expectations with your members. Angel from Cohere has shared quite a bit
about how she's run her space as a solo founder with help from members.

You don't *need* to hire a community manager. But that does mean your
existing members need to be on board to help guide new members. Doing that
successfully is all about setting expectations, and has a lot to do with
the people you've got in the room. This also really depends on your long
personal term goals.

But I would caution you against thinking that you can just put people in a
room and things "just work." Besides the day-to-day operations (which isn't
even a full time job with our 300 member community, thanks to good systems
and member expectations) it's pretty important to have someone there to
listen, observe, and understand what's going on in your membership so you
can keep making things better.

Finally, in my experience, not a lot changes between 8 and 30 desks except
for the amount of trash and dishes.

What *does* change is running multiple spaces. Is there a reason you're
thinking about a second location, rather than a single location that's
simply larger than the first?

On Fri, May 18, 2018 at 11:07 AM  wrote:

> Hi to everyone,
>
>
>
> Thanks to everyone that contributes to this group, it has helped me
> enormously.
>
> I´ve been running a small (8 desks) coworking space since last December
> and now I´m looking to open a second space of 30 desks.
>
>
>
> What are the daily tasks that come from running a small coworking? Do I
> need to hire Staff people?
>
>
>
> For now, I´m planning on running by myself all the marketing and
> commercial matters. How much time can this take me?
>
> Also, do I need to hire someone else that works as a community manager and
> takes care of the daily stuff that coworkers require?
>
>
>
> Any thoughts are appreciated
>
>
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Price Increases - Notice Given? Grandfather Members? Other advice?

[Alex Hillman]

Lotsa good advice in here!

A few notes from an old head:

*If you're considering raising your rates, do it.* Don't wait for someone
else to give you permission, or for the time to be "right."

*We give everyone a generous window of being grandfathered in the old
rates. *3 months is good. 6 months is generous. We give them the
option to *keep
*their existing rates beyond the grandfather window by pre-paying their
membership. This helps with our cashflow, and gives them an incentive of
keeping the olde rate.

It's also VERY important to communicate how the increase is going to
benefit them! In your case, since this is closing a financial shortfall,
don't be shy about letting people know that this will ensure that you can
keep the lights on and start to have resources to reinvest, allowing you to
say "yes" to more things that will improve the experience for them.

We've never had private offices - but the advice I've given many others has
been to adjust them appropriately as well along with everyone else to keep
things equitable. Unless your contracts specify differently I can't come up
with a reason that a private office would be treated differently.

-Alex


On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 10:33 AM  wrote:

> Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!  I appreciate your input.
>
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Paula Blair
>
> [image: SOAR Orange 160x66]
>
> 17401 Commerce Park Blvd., Suite 103
>
> Tampa, FL 33647
>
> 813-498-1932
>
> SOARco-working.com 
>
>
>
> *From:* coworking@googlegroups.com  *On
> Behalf Of *Felicity Maxwell
> *Sent:* Wednesday, May 30, 2018 10:03 AM
> *To:* Coworking 
> *Subject:* [Coworking] Re: Price Increases - Notice Given? Grandfather
> Members? Other advice?
>
>
>
> Just wanted to add that when you are looking to close a shortfall, you may
> also want to look at increasing revenue by changing your pricing structure
> (vs. pricing).
>
>
>
> We have a WeWork coming in nearby, so in December (3.5 year after opening)
> we let our members know that we would be switching to a recurring monthly
> membership model.
>
> Previously we had let folks buy day passes in packs of 5 or 10 with out a
> monthly commitment - everyone loved the flexibility, but it made income
> projections impossible, since we had no idea when our day pass users would
> buy additional passes.
>
>
>
> Now we have everyone on a recurring monthly membership for 1, 5, or 10
> passes.  Its not quite as flexible as before, but we have lost maybe 2
> members?  As soon as we explained that we needed more of a commitment to
> ensure our long term success, everyone who valued our space made the
> switch.  And I think it has really helped with community building and
> retention as well - now even if you are not a full time member of our
> space, you are committed (financially anyway) to come in and use our space
> for a certain number of days per month.
>
>
>
> We made this switch on the advice of our virtual CFO, who really helped us
> figure out a long term plan for success.  If you are struggling with income
> / expense issues, I totally recommend finding an expert - business coach,
> finance person, etc who can bring fresh eyes to your coworking space.  Some
> of their suggestions might seem counter intuitive but ultimately they might
> be changes you need to make in order to thrive.
>
>
>
> HTH
>
> -Felicity
>
> On Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 10:07:57 AM UTC-5, pa...@soarco-working.com
> wrote:
>
> I am looking for advice from Operators who have experienced a couple of
> years open.  I'm approaching my first anniversary (yipee!!!), and am trying
> to come up with a good price increase strategy.
>
>
>
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Re: [Coworking] Customers asking for discount or "gracious price" or free on space rental for events

[Alex Hillman]

*"I do seek out recurring events, to both reduce cost of sales, but also
encourage appropriate events to contribute to the community, as we all
know, it takes a couple of times for members and others to participate. So
they contractually agree to multiple events in exchange for the discount.
Win win for me."*

We did something similar, structuring this as an "meetup membership" to
encourage select event organizers to be their own primary point of contact
between their group and our membership. And adding a big +1 to the
financial benefits of turning it into recurring revenue, as well as the
multiple instances before groups start to mingle.

In terms of presenting this as "more value" to the prospective meetup we
learned that while there's almost always a free space they could use, those
free spaces are also in demand and it's only a matter of time before the
guest "loses their home" to another group or a financial incentive. By
framing the organizational membership as "a way to be sure that you won't
lose your home" it's been much easier to bring mature meetups on board, who
then pass the cost along to a sponsor or a crowdfunded pool amongst their
own members.



On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 11:18 AM Jerome Chang 
wrote:

> To provide a little of a retail, financial perspective.
> - First, we typically only host events during evenings and weekends.
> - So, we have discounted, but only after understanding our labor and other
> costs. You have to pay for our additional op ex to staff the late hours.
> - We also know we earn a good 20% of our gross revenue from hourly and
> daily business (consistently for 10 years now). Some may only earn 1-5% so
> you’d be right that discounting may not be worth it.
> - I do seek out recurring events, to both reduce cost of sales, but also
> encourage appropriate events to contribute to the community, as we all
> know, it takes a couple of times for members and others to participate. So
> they contractually agree to multiple events in exchange for the discount.
> Win win for me.
>
> Just know your goals and reasons and the decision will be clearer.
>
>
> *JEROME CHANG*
>
> talk to us: (323) 330-9505
> chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat <https://lc.chat/now/7173741/>
>
> *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 May 30, 2018, at 8:07 AM, Alex Hillman 
> wrote:
>
> *"never lower your price, increase your value"*
>
> This is the best advice.
>
> Joanne, you've got a burn rate now, so you want to get butts in seats. It's
> a little like going grocery shopping hungry
> <https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2012/07/tips-for-building-community-after-opening-a-coworking-space/>
> .
>
> In terms of getting the word out, the most impactful things you can do now
> are a little bit counterintuitive now that you have the space. Try getting
> *very* specific about who is going to be in your community. Unlike many
> other business offerings - including many kinds of traditional real estate
> - the customers of a coworking space will have direct impact each
> other...and in many cases, the other members will be the most valuable
> thing that they "get" with their membership
> <https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2018/03/cu-asia-2018-scaling-community-burnout-and-leading-from-within/>
> .
>
> Compare that to almost anything else you pay for...where you may be
> *aware* of the other customers, but it's unlikely that you gain anything
> from them.
>
> The *best* options are people you relate closest to, either
> professionally or culturally (e.g. people from a similar profession that
> you have experience in, or people from a hyperlocal region that you feel a
> sense of connection to).
>
> Look for clusters of them that might already be gathering, and get to know
> them. Learn their interests, their goals, and their challenges.
>
> Then look for ways to add value *besides* offering your space. The exact
> value you can provide depends heavily on their interests, goals, and
> challenges. But the sooner you have a sense of who your community is going
> to be, the easier everything else gets!
>
> -Alex
>
> On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 10:43 AM Glen Ferguson 
> wrote:
>
>> What Patrick and Alex said. It's the phrase freelancers hear all the time
>> - "Do this for $xxx discount, it'll be good exposure for you." We have over
>> 240 non-profits registered in our zip code, so the variation we hear is
>> "Can't you g

Re: [Coworking] Customers asking for discount or "gracious price" or free on space rental for events

[Alex Hillman]

*"never lower your price, increase your value"*

This is the best advice.

Joanne, you've got a burn rate now, so you want to get butts in seats. It's
a little like going grocery shopping hungry

.

In terms of getting the word out, the most impactful things you can do now
are a little bit counterintuitive now that you have the space. Try getting
*very* specific about who is going to be in your community. Unlike many
other business offerings - including many kinds of traditional real estate
- the customers of a coworking space will have direct impact each
other...and in many cases, the other members will be the most valuable
thing that they "get" with their membership

.

Compare that to almost anything else you pay for...where you may be *aware* of
the other customers, but it's unlikely that you gain anything from them.

The *best* options are people you relate closest to, either professionally
or culturally (e.g. people from a similar profession that you have
experience in, or people from a hyperlocal region that you feel a sense of
connection to).

Look for clusters of them that might already be gathering, and get to know
them. Learn their interests, their goals, and their challenges.

Then look for ways to add value *besides* offering your space. The exact
value you can provide depends heavily on their interests, goals, and
challenges. But the sooner you have a sense of who your community is going
to be, the easier everything else gets!

-Alex

On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 10:43 AM Glen Ferguson 
wrote:

> What Patrick and Alex said. It's the phrase freelancers hear all the time
> - "Do this for $xxx discount, it'll be good exposure for you." We have over
> 240 non-profits registered in our zip code, so the variation we hear is
> "Can't you give us a discount, we're a non-profit?" I explain that our
> prices and amenities are already priced to be affordable by everyone.
> Sometimes I'll add that we're not a non-profit that accepts donations, so
> we have to price as we do if we're going to be sustainable.
>
> The other plea we hear, and I'm sure you will too, is "give us a discount
> now and there will be repeat business." I flip that around and let them
> know these are our rates, but we appreciate repeat business and can discuss
> a discount on those later bookings.
>
> As one acquaintance said, after dropping his "we're a non-profit" pitch on
> me and I told him I knew what that really meant, and it doesn't mean they
> don't have any money, he was honest and told me "I always ask because
> sometimes it works". You shouldn't stress over it or feel guilty. In the
> end, it's just business and everyone wants to spend as little as they have
> to.
>
> If you want to show a little flexibility, consider the other freelancer
> adage: never lower your price, increase your value. You can offer some
> small amenity (coffee, free use of a projector, etc) so they feel like
> they've "won".
>
>
> *Glen Ferguson*
> Phone: 301-732-5165
> Email: g...@coworkfrederick.com
> Website: https://www.coworkfrederick.com
> Address: 122 E Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701
> 
>
> On Wed, May 30, 2018 at 10:12 AM, Joanne Gerussi 
> wrote:
>
>> Thank you, Patrick. That's how I feel too. As I am new to this, I was a
>> bit lost on how I should respond to these requests. Now I know.
>>
>> On Wednesday, 30 May 2018 15:22:54 UTC+2, Pat Manley wrote:
>>>
>>> Don’t do it. Once you lower your prices, it’s impossible to raise them
>>> again. Determine your costs as best you can, research what others charge
>>> and stick with it. Events and meetings will not bring you future business,
>>> only more events at prices you can’t afford.
>>>
>>> If any money you receive from events are over and above the revenue you
>>> based your business model on, then the first question you ask yourself is
>>> whether you want or need the events? Keep in mind that events can hurt your
>>> business if they are disruptive to your members, which they are in must
>>> cases.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Patrick W. Manley, RA, AIAA, ALA
>>> Manley Architecture Group/MAG
>>> 3820 North High Street Columbus, Ohio 43214
>>> Ph:
>>> (614)
>>> 545-1147
>>> Cell:   (614) 496-9096
>>> Association of Licensed Architects (ALA)
>>> www.manleyarchitects.us
>>> Past President, Ohio Chapter of the Association of Licensed Architects
>>> and ALA National Board of Directors
>>>
>>> On May 30, 2018, at 8:01 AM, Joanne Gerussi  wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>> My name is Joanne and I am a new owner of a women coworking space in
>>> Switzerland. I just opened my space on Monday - 28th May. As I have gotten
>>> a space which is spacious and full 

Re: [Coworking] Customers asking for discount or "gracious price" or free on space rental for events

[Alex Hillman]

Everything Pat said.

You reap what you sow. Hosting other people's events in your space is a very 
weak, slow lead generator.

We have strategically given away space to people we proactively wanted to do 
things with: eg supporting an existing members' new meetup, or doing a special 
crossover event with a community we want to collaborate with.

But when the demand is inbound, people will always be looking for a deal. 
That's just business. Hold firm on your value.

And depending on your town or city, I recommend having a few places that are 
low cost or free that you can recommend them to. That way you don't have to 
turn them away empty handed and can still help them without devaluing yourself.

Alex

On May 30, 2018, 9:22 AM -0400, Pat Manley , wrote:
> Don’t do it. Once you lower your prices, it’s impossible to raise them again. 
> Determine your costs as best you can, research what others charge and stick 
> with it. Events and meetings will not bring you future business, only more 
> events at prices you can’t afford.
>
> If any money you receive from events are over and above the revenue you based 
> your business model on, then the first question you ask yourself is whether 
> you want or need the events? Keep in mind that events can hurt your business 
> if they are disruptive to your members, which they are in must cases.
>
> --
> Patrick W. Manley, RA, AIAA, ALA
> Manley Architecture Group/MAG
> 3820 North High Street Columbus, Ohio 43214
> Ph: (614) 545-1147
> Cell:   (614) 496-9096
> Association of Licensed Architects (ALA)
> www.manleyarchitects.us
> Past President, Ohio Chapter of the Association of Licensed Architects and 
> ALA National Board of Directors
>
> On May 30, 2018, at 8:01 AM, Joanne Gerussi  wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> My name is Joanne and I am a new owner of a women coworking space in 
> Switzerland. I just opened my space on Monday - 28th May. As I have gotten a 
> space which is spacious and full of charms, I have several requests from 
> people asking to rent the space to host workshops and events. The problem is, 
> people are always asking for discounts or gracious pricing. Their reasoning 
> is that my space is really new and they would be doing me a favour by bring 
> people to my space and in return I should be charging at a really low price 
> or free.
>
> I am hesitant on this idea of extreme discount as at the end of the day, I 
> still have bills to pay.
>
> What is your advice on this?
>
> Thank you in advance!
> Joanne
> --
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Re: [Coworking] Re: WiFi HW recommendations

[Alex Hillman]

What kind of problems, can you be more specific?

-Alex

On Thu, May 17, 2018 at 3:05 PM Marnee Chua  wrote:

> We just recently upgraded our ubiquiti access points and have been having
> some problems with the new software, anyone experiencing the same thing?
>
> On Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 5:07:43 AM UTC-7, Ramesh Agarwal wrote:
>>
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>> New to the group but I saw similar posts earlier and hence posting.
>>
>> I am setting up a 2000 sqft space in Bangalore and I am lost trying to
>> get an optimum WiFi solutions for the space. The space can accommodate a
>> max of 45 people so I am thinking a total of 90 Wifi devices (laptops and
>> phones) will hook on to the network. I intend to put 3 access points, a
>> router and a switch (have about 16 ports of LAN) to run the network. If I
>> can get recommendations on the equipment to use that would be really
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Also there are some managed WiFi solutions that are available (
>> http://griggi.com/) but would like to get feedback on the usefulness of
>> such solutions and feedback if anyone is using it.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Ramesh
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Impact of Coworking in a Business Center

[Alex Hillman]

There's a couple of interesting things in this thread I've been wanting to
reply to.

*"They say "coworking is good for big cities, in our 300,000
> populated city it will not work.  I don't think it is true."*


I totally agree with you. A couple of weekends ago I was a part of the
first Coworking Pennsylvania conference in Lancaster, PA (and maybe the
first state-wide coworking conference in the US? I'm not really sure).

One of the most striking themes was that out of 60+ attendees, there
were...less than 10 joining from the 2 "major" cities (Philly and
Pittsburgh). The majority of coworking in our entire state is happening in
smaller cities and towns. For just one example, Radius Coworking
 in Erie PA (population <100,000) has played a huge
role in building a new and vibrant creative/small business community. There
were even additional coworking spaces opening up in nearby towns *smaller* than
Erie, started by former members of Radius.

Coworking in big cities gets all of the press, but coworking in small towns
is where I see people creating disproportionate value with nominal
financial investments.

The real investment, of course, is in time and relationships and human
capital. Which leads me to the second question:

*"How can I convince the building owners about the benefits of having a
> coworking floor?"*


While I understand the objective, I generally think the goal of "convincing
people about coworking" is misplaced.

Some building owners definitely see the value of activating their buildings
with vibrant resources like a coworking space. And I do know for a FACT
that a building with a coworking space makes for a sexy sale, both in
residential and commercial settings.

But designating space for coworking is only a fraction of the work it takes
to create activation like Radius has in their building, and like the other
successes that I've seen with this approach.

Rather than trying to convince a building owner that coworking would
work...*I'd
show them. *

I'd follow the same playbook I always recommend: start developing a
community, or find one that is already forming but doesn't have a home.
Start doing things together that help each others' work and businesses, and
when you find yourself needing a place...see if the building owner would
like to start getting active in that community. You can encourage them (and
guide them) about how to show up, be helpful, and understand the community
they might be able to help thrive in their building.

If the landlord actually gives a shit about the community, and has a
long-view, this has a chance to work. Those landlords exist, though they
are rare. This is a great test to see if they're really in it for the long
haulor if they're just looking to fill idle space and don't care about
the impact on the community.

-Alex


On Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 2:13 AM Caner Onoglu  wrote:

> Hello Ivan,
> Thanks for your informative and helpful message. In our town there are no
> coworking centers. The vacany in the office building can be temporary
> because of being them higher in prices and not ready for a chance in the
> market. They had a big corporate client which took all the building and
> when downsized and vacated the building, they were not ready to deal with
> smaller companies. They even don't have a coffee corner/small cafeteria in
> the building. I am not sure about the potential freelancers and IT
> specialists in town but I guess as everywhere else should be.
>
> I would be glad to cooperate with coworking specialists who want to be
> active in this part of the world. I am located in Atyrau, Kazakhstan. It is
> a major oil town with lots of investment projects going on.
>
> Best Regards,
> Caner Onoglu
> www.altaca.com
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 1:27 PM,  wrote:
>
>> The idea you are proposing sounds reasonable, especially if they have
>> such a high rate of vacancies. Before searching for a solution - any idea
>> on why they ended up in such a situation in the first place?
>>
>> The city size argument doesn't really matter. You are not going after the
>> general population. Instead, they should be looking at the IT/freelancers
>> scene. Plenty of potential, if you have people in those professions living
>> in the city. I can give you an example of a city in Bulgaria called Plovdiv
>> (population around 350k). However, there are around 3 places
>>  and even more opening in the
>> area. Why? Because more and more IT professionals are moving there and
>> would like to get a place to work without the need for long-term
>> commitments.
>>
>> In this context I would also check if there are already coworking spaces
>> in the city and how are they doing. This might give you an idea of the
>> viability of the idea.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Ivan Guberkov | OfficeR
>>
>> Website: officernd.com
>>
>> On Monday, April 23, 2018 at 2:23:29 PM UTC+3, 

Re: [Coworking] Do you usually running 24/7? how do you control the security issue?

[Alex Hillman]

There's lots of tech to help with security and access control.

And from what I've seen, the exact needs to keep a space safe (and more
importantly, the people and their belongings inside it) vary a LOT
depending on the building you're in, the area/neighborhood, and your own
internal culture.

In our current space, we were able to benefit from a big tech-enabled
upgrade due to the building providing access control, though we don't have
it directly integrated with our membership tool because it's managed by the
building.

However, even with the new tech upgrade, we present 24/7 access as an
earned privilege that comes with additional responsibility. We use the
exchange of a key to access the space after hours as a way to establish and
reinforce trust, and to send a message that *"keys don't keep us safe - we
keep each other safe."*

At the time I wrote about our "neighborhood watch keyholder system
"
we were still using physical keys, but now that we have digital keys we're
looking at ways to create a similar system that allows non-full-time
members to earn keyholder powers as well. To this day, becoming a keyholder
is a rite of passage that members look forward to, and congratulate each
other on. It's pretty awesome.

I know that other spaces have borrowed and adapted this technique to great
success - even if it's a social supplement to the tech, I highly recommend
it!

-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, May 14, 2018 at 6:55 PM David Lundy  wrote:

> Vivienne,
>
> Here's a map of spaces on the proximity Network.
>
> https://evolveworkplace.com/connected-spaces
>
> Quite a few spaces, and as I check it occasionally the numbers keep
> growing.  I think that has to do with the management of proximity, their
> culture of always supporting their member Alliance and consistently
> improving their system.
>
> I will admit that when we joined on Mid last year, there were a couple
> things that I would have liked to have seen operational, however I'm
> continually amazed at how quickly services are added.  Furthermore, the
> development team listens to their member Network and are continually
> updating based on the needs of the network.
>
> Another great thing about them is they have regular online community video
> conferences where various topics are brought up, bringing groups together
> to encourage best practices and develop the system in a way that best fits
> the Network's needs.
>
> Weird evolve looked at a lot of different systems, but ended up going with
> proximity not because of its features at the time but because of the vision
> and the drive and the people behind it.  I feel like they're most in line
> with the mission of coworking and will soon be leaders in the coworking
> software systems.
>
> I could go on and on, feel free to reach out to me and we can talk offline
> and I can address any questions you may have.
>
> dlu...@evolveworkplace.com
>
> Be well
>
> On Mon, May 14, 2018, 4:52 PM VillageOne Space 
> wrote:
>
>> Hi, David,
>>
>> Thank you for your information, I just had a talk with Josh from
>> Proximity, I really like their approach of trying to help me to figuring
>> out things, but my concern is they are pretty new company, and not many
>> co-working places are using them, so my question is as a user of theirs,
>> how do you like their product, are they reliable? and easy to use? it would
>> be great help if you could provide me with some insights.
>>
>> Thanks again for your advices.
>>
>> Best
>> Vivienne
>>
>> On Mon, May 14, 2018 at 1:03 PM, David Lundy  wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> We offer 24/7 access to our open desk, dedicated desk and private office
>>> suite members.  Getting to know your members before you hand over access to
>>> your space is a great thing.  So is trust, with verification.  We have
>>> security cameras that record up to 30 or 45 days as well as a door access
>>> system that logs everybody's entrance into the building when doors are
>>> locked.  In regards to receptionist, we do have one full-time, however
>>> Proximity, the system we use to manage our memberships and doors, has
>>> something called Proximity Wave which acts as a virtual receptionist.
>>> Basically an iPad or similar device on a stand that greets your potential
>>> members and your existing member's guests.  Visitors can input who they are
>>> there to visit and it will text the member. Brilliant.
>>>
>>> Proximity.space
>>>
>>> Me - evolveworkplace.com
>>>
>>> On May 14, 2018 9:46 AM, "VillageOne"  wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi, everyone,
>>>
>>> I am considering to run my place 24/7, but I am also concerned about the

Re: [Coworking] Re: Free webinar about hiring for your coworking space TODAY at 1pm eastern

[Alex Hillman]

We're putting together a replay - if you're on my email list (
coworkingweekly.com) I'll be sending out the video + snippets from the
emails we used, etc.

-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 Fri, May 11, 2018 at 6:26 AM, <hub30cow...@gmail.com> wrote:

> awww. missed this when would this happen again  ?
>
>
> On Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at 2:25:12 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote:
>>
>> Finding great people for your team is tough in any industry, but staffing
>> a coworking space is extra tricky. Most potential candidates have never run
>> a coworking space before, and many or most of the spaces I've talked to
>> struggle with staff retention.
>> In today's 1 hour talk + Q I will share how Indy Hall has completely
>> flipped the hiring process on its head with repeated successes over the
>> last decade. I'll also go into specific details about how Indy Hall's most
>> recent hire was chosen from over 70 applicants (how we got so many great
>> applicants and how we narrowed the list). You'll even get a peek at the
>> exact forms, tools and emails that I wrote, which got feedback like "this
>> was the best decline email I've gotten, EVER."
>> The webinar is free but registration is required at the link below. A
>> recording of the call will be sent to all registrants in case you cannot
>> attend live.
>>
>> Link to RSVP:
>> *https://www.habu.co/blog/building-a-rockstar-coworking-team*
>> <https://www.habu.co/blog/building-a-rockstar-coworking-team>
>>
>> Hope to see many of you in the chat room. :)
>> Alex
>>
>> --
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[Coworking] Free webinar about hiring for your coworking space TODAY at 1pm eastern

[Alex Hillman]

Finding great people for your team is tough in any industry, but staffing a 
coworking space is extra tricky. Most potential candidates have never run a 
coworking space before, and many or most of the spaces I've talked to struggle 
with staff retention.
In today's 1 hour talk + Q I will share how Indy Hall has completely flipped 
the hiring process on its head with repeated successes over the last decade. 
I'll also go into specific details about how Indy Hall's most recent hire was 
chosen from over 70 applicants (how we got so many great applicants and how we 
narrowed the list). You'll even get a peek at the exact forms, tools and emails 
that I wrote, which got feedback like "this was the best decline email I've 
gotten, EVER."
The webinar is free but registration is required at the link below. A recording 
of the call will be sent to all registrants in case you cannot attend live.

Link to RSVP: https://www.habu.co/blog/building-a-rockstar-coworking-team

Hope to see many of you in the chat room. :)
Alex

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Re: [Coworking] How are costs and prices determined for coworking spaces?

[Alex Hillman]

Hey Edward!

A couple of tips:

1 - don't price based on square footage. Obviously making sure that your income 
exceeds your per square foot expenses, but I highly recommend decoupling your 
revenue potential from the physical size of the space as early as possible.

2 - try to shoot for 3-5 price points MAX. I see a lot of people trying to 
cater to a lot of options at once and making it very confusing for potential 
members to figure out what they actually need.

I have a way more comprehensive account of how we came up with our prices 
and other best practices/common mistakes. Check it out here 
https://dangerouslyawesome.com/2015/10/the-ultimate-guide-to-structuring-your-coworking-space-memberships/

Alex

On Apr 30, 2018, 3:49 PM -0700, edward...@gmail.com, wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm a business student from Guam looking to open the island's first coworking 
> space. I'm having trouble determining the costs and prices associated with 
> this new venture. Please take a look at the attached working 3D model and 
> advise.
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Who wants to test the new Coworking Visa platform?

[Alex Hillman]

This is one of the most exciting things to come out of OpenCoworking in a
long time. I'm am SO excited about this.

Thank you for leading this initiative!


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Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Thu, Apr 19, 2018 at 12:14 PM, Angel Kwiatkowski 
wrote:

> Tony,
> I just added Cohere and it was SUPER easy. Thank you for refreshing this
> valuable resource!!!
>
> Angel
>
>
> On Thursday, April 19, 2018 at 10:09:26 AM UTC-6, Tony Bacigalupo wrote:
>>
>> Howdy folks,
>>
>> I'm excited to finally be sharing a new platform for the Coworking Visa!
>>
>> *Key points about the new platform:*
>>
>>1. *It has a searchable map!* (HOORAY.)
>>
>>2. *It allows the space manager to submit, maintain, and delete*
>>their listing directly.
>>
>>3. *Listings automatically expire after one year.* (No more outdated
>>listings!)
>>
>>4. *Space managers are automatically reminded to renew their listing*
>>in advance of the expiration date.
>>
>>5. *It offers an optional way for listing owners to support ongoing
>>improvements,* but will always remain free.
>>
>>6. *Once ready, it will allow us to retire the outdated Visa wiki
>>page.* (HOORAY)
>>
>> We’re looking for beta testers, so please message me if you’re interested
>> in helping us get it rolling.
>>
>> The full site should be made live very soon. More to share shortly!
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Tony Bacigalupo
>>
>> *PS - This an initiative of Open Coworking , a
>> nonprofit that is dedicated to advocating for the global coworking
>> movement. If anyone is interested in participating, we're always looking
>> for new voices—please reach out!*
>>
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Re: [Coworking] Co-learning and co-living

[Alex Hillman]

I highly recommend talking to Aaron Schaap about the Colearning program
he's been running for several years now:

http://workthefactory.com/colearning/


A ways back gave my $0.02 on an episode of my coworking Q show about
alternative
learning & coworking
.
I personally think that classes and bootcamps and even co-learning are
really barely the tip of the iceberg. What I really want to see more of is
a re-focusing on apprenticeship models, of which I think coworking spaces
are uniquely positioned to create better than almost any other modern.

-Alex


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Better Coworkers: http://indyhall.org
Weekly Coworking Tips: http://coworkingweekly.com
My Audiobook: https://theindyhallway.com/ten

On Sat, Apr 14, 2018 at 7:24 PM, Jake Weissbourd 
wrote:

> Hi all, this may be a bit off-topic, but I'm interested in investigating
> whether or not the co-working business model could be replicated for
> co-learning. I understand many co-working spaces have educational
> programming, and I have paid attention to WeWork's recent acquisitions of
> FlatIron and 2U, but I'm curious about the prospect of creating spaces
> (co-learning, as well as co-living, perhaps) designed primarily for
> non-traditional learners - who study online, enroll in coding bootcamps,
> etc. As a Higher Ed consultant and innovator, it's becoming clearer and
> clearer that the university will "unbundle" -  students will take a course
> here, and do a bootcamp there - but ultimately, people still want a space
> to congregate, to have in-person instruction, to forge deep bonds, etc.
>
> I've worked for a couple years at Duet  in Boston,
> which rents space from the CIC , so I've seen it
> work, but I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on the idea. Who else is
> trying it? What might be some unanticipated obstacles? Who should I talk
> to?
>
> Would love to hear people's thoughts!
>
> Many thanks,
> Jake
>
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Re: [Coworking] Rural Coworking: Raise Your Hands!

[Alex Hillman]

Congrats on 6 years! 


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On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 4:39 PM, lhtorres  wrote:

> Hello hello all -- it has been a long time. I'm happy to report that Local
> 64 in Montpelier, Vermont is going into our sixth year (we'll turn six on
> 6/4). As we head there, as members of that elite corps of rural coworking
> spaces, I'm keen to know who are compadres are.
>
> Montpelier is the capital of Vermont, with a population just under 8,000
> with a median household income of $62,000. Much of the economic life in our
> town is driven by government and nonprofits. But we do have small and
> growing creative sector, particularly where communications is involved.
>
> Local 64 (http://local64.com) fluctuates between 20 and 25 members, as do
> our bills in the winter and summer. We try to provide both an excellent
> work environment as well as a modest rhythm of events -- mixers, art
> openings, and third party events. We don't really serve entrepreneurs and
> startups -- yet!
>
> Anyone else out there working to build a coworking community in a town of
> 8,000 to 20,000? If so I'd love to hear your story -- and perhaps we can
> connect as a subgroup, to share ideals, experiences, and tactics to sustain
> vibrant spaces in limited markets.
>
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Re: [Coworking] Re: We are setting up a podcast studio. Any advice?

[Alex Hillman]

Trevor's advice is rock solid. You can go CRAZY with recording equipment,
but a lot of it comes down to your goals. I also have the weird perspective
of having had a brief career in audio engineering when I was a lot younger,
so I learned a lot about how to suss out the best on a budget.

We don't have a dedicated studio but we do have all of the gear available
in one of our meeting rooms, which we've also given some light (but
essentially invisible) acoustic treatment.

We decided to keep it simple and focus on people recording 1 or 2 people
max (but the same setup would be easy to upgrade to 4x)

- This Tascam 2x2 Audio Interface

is
$150 USD. It takes approx 60 seconds for any mere mortal to learn even if
they've never used a piece of audio gear. The quality is very good for the
price, you can get slightly better for more but not that much better
without spending way more.
- We got a pair of these Shure 87A's

and they are incredible. You want the *super-cardioid* style because they
are VERY directional, basically only picking up the person directly in
front of the microphone. This removes crosstalk of your people being picked
up on each others' microphones, and even more importantly, makes it so you
don't need an isolation booth to keep the outside world out of your audio. Good
microphones make everything else easier. We've had ours for 3ish years now,
there might be a newer option out there but I'm very very very happy with
these microphones.
- Basic XLR cables to go between the Tascam and the microphones are pretty
cheap, you can get whatever Amazon recommends.
- Since we use the room for things other than recording, we learned that
the spring loaded boom stands are in the way the rest of the timeand
frankly the cheaper ones fall apart quickly anyway. More recently we opted
for tabletop microphone stands like these

.
- Get pop filters
.
Trust me.
- This is a "nice to have" but a good idea: we got one of these headphone
splitters

so
that at *least *the host could put on a pair of headphones on to listen in
live and make sure the audio quality is good. Some guests like wearing
studio headphones too. Many don't (it's weird AF to listen to yourself in
real time as you talk and takes practice getting used to). I like having
both options and for $7 yeah.

I also really like the ATR2100's as a microphone to keep in my backpack for
doing things like intros and ad reads, but for the studio I wanted
something that would make editing easier and better mics 

Re: [Coworking] Selling membership on credit

[Alex Hillman]

I've never personally seen coworking offered on a credit system like this,
at least not first-party through the coworking space.

Payment is due at the start of each membership period (generally monthly).
I HIGHLY recommend setting up an auto-debit option so that you're not
chasing invoices every month. Our first few years there were basically no
tools available to easily and securely charge a card on file - now there
are many and basically all of the coworking platforms support them. For
larger payments (multi-month pre-payments, or single payers covering
multiple memberships) we will accept a check but those are due immediately
as well.

We already assume the risk/liability of our leases and overhead, and give
people the ability to pay monthly (vs long term agreements or prepayments).
I'm not taking on a prospective members' business risks, too ;)

I DID recently see this company which is offering a special line of credit
for coworking deposits and some other "income smoothing" type tools:
https://www.salaryo.com

But I haven't heard any first hand accounts of how it works, only their
press and sales pitch.

-Alex




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*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, Apr 5, 2018 at 12:47 PM, Chi-chi  wrote:

> Hey,
>
> To anyone who may have some insight, is it a customary thing to sell
> membership on credit... or is it expected that a customer/member pays
> immediately for access to your coworking space. In other words, when do you
> expect payment (to be due)?
>
> Sincerely,
> Chi-chi N.
>
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