BLOG How do you help your coworking community members best? How do you help your coworking community members best? One of the most valuable things you can do for the people in your coworking space, Makerspace, Flexible Workspace, or Neighbourhood Workspace—however you are 'self-identifying' this week—is to connect with them. You must be genuinely curious about other human beings, actively listening to them and asking thoughtful questions. So you know when to say: "Oh, look, Maddie over here does this, Bob is working on this, and Sangeeta is looking f
BLOG How do you practise the coworking value accessibility in your coworking space? How do you practise the coworking value accessibility in your coworking space? Many people think you have to redesign your coworking space, and it costs millions of pounds. But Dom, from the Purple Goat Agency, who was on our London Coworking Assembly panel at the Workspace Design Show London panel last month, explained it like this. When you do a few things around accessibility in your space, you'll get people in. When you do that, you'll learn how to accommodate them and the reality of the
BLOG So, what is the coworking value of collaboration? So, what is the coworking value of collaboration? The easiest way to think about it is collaboration over competition. The other way to think about it is what we can do together that we cannot achieve alone. In a coworking environment, collaboration saves time, money, and energy. Do this by running a coworking space where you encourage members to connect and brainstorm together. Academic and commercial studies have consistently found that 80% of business referrals come from people sitting n
BLOG What do people understand by the word coworking? What do people outside our coworking community bubble understand by the word coworking? Most regular human beings need to learn what a coworking space means; as an industry, we have a lot of audience education to do. When I say coworking, I also mean shared workspace, neighbourhood space, community workspace and all those good terms. I adore the word coworking and what it means. But I also know my understanding of that word and what people feel will happen when they eventually get to a cowor
BLOG How can you connect with people from your local community How can you connect with people from your local community and invite them to your coworking space, shared workspace, or whatever you want to call it? (That's where you say neighbourhood space!) I visited the Urban MBA coworking space by Old Street in London this week. Ali Kakande founded a project in lockdown called Carib Eats, which invites older adults to get together, eat food, and connect. They're doing this downstairs in the EdTech Centre at the Urban MBA space. These folks are eating
BLOG Have you got a collaborative habit? Have you got a collaborative habit? That is a book by Twyla Tharp, who's a world-renowned choreographer. Twyla talks about all the projects she's worked on, including collaborations with Billy Joel, Jerome Robbins, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Richard Avedon, Milos Forman, Norma Kamali, and Frank Sinatra. They are successful, and they all come down to collaborating with people. Yesterday, when I attended the Coworking Alliance Summit with Ashley, Sam Poler an
BLOG What is truly unique about your coworking space that you are scared to share? What is truly unique about your coworking space that you are scared to share? So, can you imagine how mind-numbingly dull it is to look through websites or coworking spaces when you want to find somewhere to work? Because they all say things like: -Free WiFi! (Which is like boasting you have a bathroom!) -Innovation! (Really?) -Unique community! (I know you say this with the best intent, but...) But drill down and think, what is the unique thing your coworking space provides? And this is
BLOG How Can Your Choice of Words Set Your Coworking Space Apart? How Can Your Choice of Words Set Your Coworking Space Apart? In a world of devastatingly bland business jargon, the way to disappear is to use the exact words as everyone else because you think they make you look like a grown-up business person. You've seen those websites that boast about "great customer service" or "outstanding quality" and "innovation" - what does that mean? (I know a coworking space that advertises "innovation at the highest level" - WTF, do they make 50th-generation iPhon
BLOG What is community manager burnout? What is community manager burnout? It sounds dramatic. But it is accurate. I've burnt out working in events, catering and community management. Like burnout in the events and catering industry, there is much giving and giving mentally and physically without much training or guidance. We are 'enthusiastic and great with people', so we are let loose - to proceed until apprehended - either by our mental well-being or eventually find the edge of our ambiguous job remit. So many coworking space
BLOG What is the relationship between coworking and hospitality? What is the relationship between coworking and hospitality? Because I've heard this a lot lately, it was a constant topic of conversation at the Workspace Design Show London. But when you say coworking and hospitality, it doesn't mean you're suddenly running a restaurant, which is how people interpret it. I worked in hospitality and catering for years. I loved it. And I've always felt this connection between how we act in a coworking space and a restaurant. Ian Minor says, "It's the art of
BLOG How do you create connections between people in your coworking space without being a bit creepy? How do you create connections between people in your coworking space without being a bit creepy? I say creepy because there's a difference between customer acquisition and me joining your coworking space. You'd be mad not to use technology to help you do things, but if you do it in a very processed, automated way, it feels like people are part of a system rather than a community. And the way to do it is to commit to listening to people and what they're interested in. This week, I talked to e
Who is your coworking space really for? Is it for someone seeking “innovative global solutions and best practise?” Or Is it for a regular human being seeking connection, meaning, change, and somewhere to do their work?
