Gather your community before you need it

At least a hundred and fifty million times, I have seen people open a coworking space and then try to get people to join it.

The really smart people - and I have seen some of you doing it this week, thank you - gather their community before they need it.

This makes total sense, and not just because you can gather a group of people and then sell them desks. It is because you gather these people together, they get to know each other, they form strong bonds, and then you end up with a better idea of what you are offering.

Your offer becomes clearer, and the people who need your offer will take you up on it. The people who do not need your offer will probably just stay in the audience and the community and be part of what is going on anyway.

You are building a thing for people who need that thing, rather than building something and hoping someone will buy it.

I relentlessly advocate for people to start any project, book launch, coworking space, coffee shop or other community, by building an email list.

Yeah, we're on Instagram. Don't forget to follow us, and like and subscribe - or whatever you say these days, and then you disappear into the vortex that is their social media.

For coworking spaces:

• You make an email list.
• You ask people to join the email list.
• You get to know people.
• You have a way to contact people!

You are able to walk around saying:

"Put your name in here. and I'll let you know when we're ready' after that, you start doing a pop-up coworking event with a few people, and even if you have a hundred people on your list, probably seven will show up at first if you're lucky.

Then you build from there, and by the time you're ready to open your coworking space, at least you know a few people with blood pumping through their veins who will show up.