🔔Boost your #coworking & #community building skills with my 2-min daily #email: https://berniejmitchell.com

There are so many businesses; this is a UK stat: 20% fail within the first year, and 60% don't make it past five years.

What can you do to prevent that?

You can do many things to avoid that.

But an easy one is getting together with other people who are going on the same journey.

Time and time again, in so many projects, especially in the London Coworking Assembly, a vibrant community where people come together over a coffee to informally share what is happening.

I've heard things like said like:

Did you know how to press that button in the coworking space software?

And I didn't realise that the accountancy app was connected to that, and that app does not sync with my coworking space software.

And have you tried this?

Cause we tried this, and that happened.

Remember, it's all about constantly going on a shared journey, where each experience, whether a success or a challenge, is a valuable lesson.

If you can find a way to do it, getting together regularly with other people doing the same things might seem like competition.

Maybe you are scared they will steal all your ideas and secrets, but running your business is so personal that getting together with others doing the same thing can only help you.

At times does seem like a time suck and effort, especially when you are busy - but it is so worth it.

🔗 Links and Resources:

- 🛜 https://berniejmitchell.com

- 🎙️ https://coworkingvaluespodcast.substack.com

- 🎪 Luma: https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

- 🟢 Grammarly https://bit.ly/FreeMonthOfGrammarly

📚 Recommended Reading:

➡️ The Mom Test Book - https://amzn.to/3XBtdWr

➡️ Peter Block: Community: The Structure of Belonging - https://amzn.to/3XuBfR1

➡️ Will Guidara: Unreasonable Hospitality - https://amzn.to/3KWFgpH

➡️ Jon Alexander: Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us - https://amzn.to/4cdhlye

💬 Join the Discussion: Leave your comments and questions below! 

We love hearing from you; it helps us make videos to help you.

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- Join 7K + people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/33807/

🔔Boost your #coworking & #community building skills with my 2-min daily #email: https://berniejmitchell.com

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*When you purchase a recommended resource via any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. 

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🙏 Thank you.

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🔔Boost your #coworking & #community building skills with my 2-min daily #email: https://berniejmitchell.com

This is about getting people together before you start your coworking space and gathering them around a table to work.

And it doesn't have to be precisely the building you will be in.

It can be a bit crappy compared to the coworking space you will build to offer people when you open.

But gathering people together is where you'll get fantastic information and learn how to help people meaningfully.

For instance, @indy_hall the coworking legend in Philadelphia, started in a bar called Garage Mechanics, and then they became Indy Hall.

If Alex and Geoff had conducted a survey beforehand, they would have received different responses.

But when you spend months sitting around a table, working with each person, and truly understanding their needs and aspirations, you get to know what matters to them.

And this is about building a community that will be part of your space. And obviously, some of those people will then become members of your coworking space.

It's important to remember that building a community is not just about creating an automatic sales funnel.

When you treat it as such, people can sense it, and it hinders community bonding.

Authenticity is critical in this journey, and it's what will make your community thrive.

🔗 Links and Resources:

- 🛜 https://berniejmitchell.com

- 🎙️ https://coworkingvaluespodcast.substack.com

- 🎪 Luma: https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

- 🟢 Grammarly https://bit.ly/FreeMonthOfGrammarly

📚 Recommended Reading:

➡️ The Mom Test Book - https://amzn.to/3XBtdWr

➡️ Peter Block: Community: The Structure of Belonging - https://amzn.to/3XuBfR1

➡️ Will Guidara: Unreasonable Hospitality - https://amzn.to/3KWFgpH

➡️ Jon Alexander: Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything Is All of Us - https://amzn.to/4cdhlye

💬 Join the Discussion: Leave your comments and questions below! 

We love hearing from you; it helps us make videos to help you.

👍 Like, Share, and Subscribe: Enjoyed the video? 

Give it a thumbs up, share it with your network, and subscribe to the channel for more insights on coworking and community building!

📢 Follow Me on Social: Don't miss the Bernie magic! 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berniejmitchell/

- X/Twitter: https://x.com/berniejmitchell

- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@berniejmitchell_

- Join 7K + people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/33807/

🔔Boost your #coworking & #community building skills with my 2-min daily #email: https://berniejmitchell.com

#CoworkingCommunity #Communitybuilder #CommunityCohort #CoworkingGrowth #CommunityBuilding #CoworkingSpaces #CoworkingSupport #CommunityConnections #SmallBusinessSupport #CoworkingSuccess #coworking #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon #Collaboration #Entrepreneurship

*When you purchase a recommended resource via any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. 

This helps us fulfil our mission to provide you with quality free education, content and guidance. 

🙏 Thank you.

Subscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise

🔔Boost your #coworking & #community building skills with my 2-min daily #email: https://berniejmitchell.com

How do you build that community in your coworking space, flexible workspace, or neighbourhood space?

If you are responsible for this, you'll often have a job title like "community manager", but you're not managing people or things.

You are aiding the environment where people will connect, but you are not a CRM.

So, one of the best things you can do is get out of the way.

Ask people what they are working on and what they are interested in, and hold it in your head - as painful as that might be.

As you talk to everyone in your space, let them know that Sangeeta also likes that; Ruth was thinking of starting a band, and Mohamed would want to run at lunchtime.

By gently connecting people every day and getting out of the way, you will always build the community web, which will be there even if you are

not.

But often, we do this instead:

We put on this fantastic programme of events like a Butlin's holiday red coat, and it all depends on you making it happen, not in a good way.

It's exhausting for you and everyone else.

There were times when only a few people turned up, mainly out of sympathy.

But when you get members to run their own thing, there is involvement and commitment.

They are doing the thing, making it happen, and you can provide the space and area.

Many UK youth clubs, community centres, and village halls have closed, been sold, or privatised, so finding space for communal activities is challenging.

People are always looking for space because they already have the audience and idea, whether it's a cult film night, painting club, marketing workshop, cultural history talk, or poetry slam.

🔗 Links and Resources:

- 🛜 https://berniejmitchell.com

- 🎙️ https://coworkingvaluespodcast.substack.com

- 🎪 Luma: https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

- 🟢 Grammarly https://bit.ly/FreeMonthOfGrammarly

📚 Recommended Reading:

- The Mom Test Book - https://amzn.to/3XBtdWr

- Community: The Structure of Belonging - https://amzn.to/3XuBfR1

💬 Join the Discussion: Leave your comments and questions below! 

We love hearing from you; it helps us make videos to help you.

👍 Like, Share, and Subscribe: Enjoyed the video? 

Give it a thumbs up, share it with your network, and subscribe to the channel for more insights on coworking and community building!

📢 Follow Me on Social: Don't miss the Bernie magic! 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berniejmitchell/

- X/Twitter: https://x.com/berniejmitchell

- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@berniejmitchell_

- Join 7 K+ people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/33807/

🔔Boost your #coworking & #community building skills with my 2-min daily #email: https://berniejmitchell.com

#CoworkingCommunity #Communitybuilder #CommunityCohort #CoworkingGrowth #CommunityBuilding #CoworkingSpaces #CoworkingSupport #CommunityConnections #SmallBusinessSupport #CoworkingSuccess #coworking #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon #Collaboration #Entrepreneurship

*When you purchase a recommended resource via any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. 

This helps us fulfil our mission to provide you with quality free education, content and guidance. 

🙏 Thank you.

Subscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

Subscribe to "Bernie's Better Things" for a daily, no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter— https://berniejmitchell.com/

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 situation, and then you can build upon that.

It's far better to do something and iterate on it than do nothing at all.

There's a staggering 24% of the UK population, which means millions of people have a disability.

Of course, that is a wide range of things from neurodiversity to physically disabled.

There is a very high chance you could meet the accessibility needs of a massive proportion of that 24%, and you don't know you can.

They don't know about you, and all you need to do is find out how to communicate what you can do and who you can realistically do it for.

In the same session, Jeannine pointed out that her De Kamer, Inc. coworking space in the historic part of Amsterdam will never be fully accessible, and that is ok.

They go as far as possible and can go further in other De Kamer, Inc. locations. An excellent place to keep up with this conversation is via AXSChat here on LinkedIn and hashtag#AXSChat on Twitter

🔗 Links and Resources:

- 🛜 https://berniejmitchell.com

- 🎙️ https://coworkingvaluespodcast.substack.com

- 🎪 Luma: https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

- 🟢 Free Month of Grammarly Pro https://bit.ly/FreeMonthOfGrammarly

📚 Recommended Reading:

- The Mom Test Book - https://amzn.to/3XBtdWr

💬 Join the Discussion: Leave your comments and questions below! 

We love hearing from you; it helps us make videos to help you.

👍 Like, Share, and Subscribe: Enjoyed the video? 

Give it a thumbs up, share it with your network, and subscribe to the channel for more insights on coworking and community building!

📢 Follow Me on Social: Don't miss the Bernie magic! 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berniejmitchell/

- X/Twitter: https://x.com/berniejmitchell

- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@berniejmitchell_

- Join 7K + people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/33807/

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

Subscribe to "Bernie's Better Things" for a daily, no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter— https://berniejmitchell.com/

#CoworkingCommunity #CommunityManagement #CoworkingLeaders #CommunityCohort #CoworkingGrowth #CommunityBuilding #CoworkingSpaces #ProjectManagement #ScrumForCoworking #CoworkingSupport #EntrepreneurSupport #CommunityConnections #SmallBusinessSupport #CoworkingSuccess #CommunityLeadership #coworking #communityisthekey #betterthings

#coworkinglondon

*When you purchase a recommended resource via any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. 

This helps us fulfil our mission to provide you with quality free education, content and guidance. 

🙏 Thank you.

Subscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

Subscribe to "Bernie's Better Things" for a daily, no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter— https://berniejmitchell.com/

Connecting with Your First Coworking Space Members

So this is about the first few members in your coworking space and why they're so important.

We've discussed this before, but the first few people who come to your coworking space will shape who else comes.

They'll refer people; they'll create the atmosphere.

New people coming for tours will walk around.

But how do you work out who those people are?

You have to think about the problems of the people you want to solve and then go from there.

How do you find those people?

It's going around and interviewing people.

I know it's terrifying talking to people you don't know, but ask people what they want.

An excellent book for learning about is "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick, which will teach you to ask questions.

So if you say to people, do you want to coworking space?

They'll say yes.

But by digging deeper, you'll discover why they want coworking space.

As you dig deeper, you will find people who share your values and support the difference you wish to make.

🔗 Links and Resources:

- 🛜 https://berniejmitchell.com

- 🎙️ https://coworkingvaluespodcast.substack.com

- 🎪 Luma: https://lu.ma/LondonCoworkingAssembly

- 🟢 Grammarly https://bit.ly/FreeMonthOfGrammarly

📚 Recommended Reading:

- The Mom Test Book - https://amzn.to/3XBtdWr

- Related Article - https://berniejmitchell.com/how-do-i-start-an-email-list-for-my-coworking-space/

💬 Join the Discussion: Leave your comments and questions below! 

We love hearing from you; it helps us make videos to help you.

👍 Like, Share, and Subscribe: 

Enjoyed the video? 

Give it a thumbs up, share it with your network, and subscribe to the channel for more insights on coworking and community building!

📢 Follow Me on Social: Don't miss the Bernie magic! 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berniejmitchell/

- X/Twitter: https://x.com/berniejmitchell

- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@berniejmitchell_

- Join 7K + people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/33807/

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

Subscribe to "Bernie's Better Things" for a daily, no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter— https://berniejmitchell.com/

#CoworkingCommunity #CommunityManagement #CoworkingLeaders #CommunityCohort #CoworkingGrowth #CommunityBuilding #CoworkingSpaces #ProjectManagement #ScrumForCoworking #CoworkingSupport #EntrepreneurSupport #CommunityConnections #SmallBusinessSupport #CoworkingSuccess #CommunityLeadership #coworking #communityisthekey #betterthings

#coworkinglondon

*When you purchase a recommended resource via any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. 

This helps us fulfil our mission to provide you with quality free education, content and guidance. 

🙏 Thank you.

Subscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day - subscribe to Bernie's Better Things for a daily, no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter— https://berniejmitchell.com

Today is about a practice called "The 12 Week Year," which I'm sure loads of you know.

My friend Karen and I have had a weekly accountability meeting every Monday morning since 2017.

It started at the @WorkHubs coworking space in Euston.

We used to have a meetup on Monday mornings called "Not So Manic Monday," which a few of you used to attend.

The idea was for independent workers, freelancers, creators, and others who do stuff independently to show up in the same place at the same time every Monday morning, and we would be accountable to each other.

It failed dismally.

But Karen and I kept on going.

So every Monday morning, whether in airports, beaches, hospitals, or wherever, we've had a WAM, which is a weekly accountability meeting.

And we have followed the 12-week year process.

And it has been wildly rewarding.

For large chunks of it, I have, of course, been phoning it in.

But going through the same thing for so long has helped me develop my vision and mission.

It changes all the time because I change and learn more.

Following a process for so long has been wildly rewarding and revealing.

Much of what I shared has influenced how Emily and I designed the Community Builders Cohort.

We're not teaching the 12-week year method.

From our practical experience, we have learned that while some failures are dismal, even more things succeed.

Emily and I will guide you through both in the Community Builders Cohort.

Most of all, this is a program we wish existed when we started doing this kind of thing over 15 years ago; it's a mix of community building with gentle and fun accountability to keep you building momentum.

Head to the website link here https://berniejmitchell.com/the-summer-2024-community-manager-cohort/

And subscribe to Bernie's Better Things for a daily, no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter— https://berniejmitchell.com/

Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

#coworking #communityisthekey #betterthings

#coworkinglondon

Subscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise

We talk about the brand in this clip from our Coworking Values Podcast with Caleb Parker @urbanmba HQ in London.

Caleb says:

When asked, "What does brand mean to you?" I have to say I strongly believe in the brand. But I think many people misunderstand what it truly is.

Many think of big hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton or companies like Nike and Adidas. Some might even think of personal brands like Richard Branson and his Virgin empire. While these are all examples of brands, they represent only the surface level.

To me, the brand is an idea. It starts with an individual – a founder or co-founder – who sees a problem in the world and thinks, "Holy crap, that's not good enough. Let's fix that." This idea, this solution to a problem, is given a name. We call it a company, a product, a service. But the brand isn't just the name or the logo.

The true brand lies in the values behind the solution. It's the why behind the what. It's the belief system that drives the company's actions and decisions.

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📩 Join "Bernie's Better Things," a no-fluff, no-pitch newsletter sent every weekday.

▶️ https://sendfox.com/berniejmitchell

Beyond the desk: the real impact of coworking spaces on lives (a personal story.)

So this is about impact.

I was chatting with a coworking space owner, and they were devastated that they weren't making enough impact in the world.

All they can see is everyone else razzed about being a B Corp, circular furniture and sustainable coffee.

The whole thing reminded me why I got a paid seat in a coworking space over ten years ago.

Working at home, I wasn't doing very well mentally - like total "Black Dog" takedown stuff.

I found working on my own all too challenging, messy and with no way out.

It's not a good place for someone like me who's a bit on the spectrum—prone to overthinking - well, it's not a good place for anyone.

I know they're paying for it, but you cannot underestimate the effect of giving someone somewhere to work and meet others.

This is particularly true for freelancers, "independent economic agents", creators, those who work remotely, or those with little interaction.

The price of mental health is worth way more than the price of a coworking desk.

And if the only thing you do is provide a workspace in your neighbourhood for people to connect, collaborate, build community, and all that kind of stuff, that is a massive, massive impact on its own.

This is:

personal story of coworking

benefits of coworking

coworking for mental health

how coworking changed my life

why I love coworking

About:

coworking space

coworking community

impact of coworking

mental health and coworking

working from home

remote work

workspace

shared office

freelance

entrepreneur

Seach more:

#coworking

#coworkingspace

#remotework

#workfromhome

#mentalhealth

#community

#collaboration

#productivity

#workspace

#entrepreneur

#freelance

#networking

#sharedoffice

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How do you start a coworking space?

To start a coworking space, you need a simple tool: an email list.

Get set up with an account on Mailerlite, Constant Contact, or, my favourite, Send Fox by App Sumo.

Nearly every platform will give a sign-up form or landing you use to collect people's email addresses.

You can even do this in CRM, too. I use Nimble, which includes a built-in email marketing service.

And when you can get people to join your email list, you get a much better chance of getting to join your coworking community.

Using an email list is remarkably low-risk and straightforward. It's a tool that you can wield with confidence, knowing that it's a proven strategy for engaging your target audience.

And it's as straightforward or as complex as you make it.

And I love to research and over-research and get lost in the minutia, and then Emily comes along and pulls me out.

So many things in business are about execution and not overthinking it.

Make an email list and ask people to join it; if you are still waiting for someone to join my list, they are not interested in you or what you offer.

When contacting your email list, you open the door to valuable feedback. This interaction helps you improve your coworking space and makes your members feel heard and involved in the process.

I have started 50 or 100 email lists in the last 15 years, and many of them have failed, while some work well.

An excellent public example in the coworking world is Hector and This Week in Coworking, which he has been doing for at least two years,

One of the best things you can do in life and business is to start an email list, community or newsletter.

So start your project, coworking space, or community with an email list.

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📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

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➡️ As part of a project, I looked at at least 250 coworking space websites the other day.

🤷🏽And it was unclear what many of you were offering.

So many of you said the same thing.

You had reoccurring themes like:

💡"The future of work starts here!"

Or

💡"Get connected."

These words don't say what you're selling, what you're doing or how you help me.

5️⃣ You have about five seconds - (which could be down to four seconds by the time you finish reading these words) - for people to land on your website and learn what you do.

One place has a header that says "Designed for you" with a picture of the desk behind it.

🥰And I love that place, but I still think it's selling furniture, not selling me a coworking desk.

🔂 Social media buttons:

So many of you have social media buttons up the header for your website rather than a call to action like 'book a call!'

So when I visit your website, I'll go off to Pinterest and look at cat videos.

Getting traffic to your website today is hard enough without sending people elsewhere in one click as soon as they land.

📸 Stock photos:

How many of you with the same photos stock photos on your coworking space websites is devastating!

🇺🇸 At the time of this post, THAT brilliant photo of Bat Haus Coworking by Shridhar Gupta has 26,556,299 views and 188,927 downloads on Unsplash alone, and there are less than 50K coworking spaces globally - do the maths.

🛑 Stop using stock photos!

Of course, they look professional - because the lighting is beautiful, and everyone has perfect teeth.

🤮But they all look staged, insincere and creepy.

Worst of all, those stock photo people aren't the real people I'll see at your building when I visit you.

🔌You make a faster and more meaningful connection with photos of real people from your community.

Join Our 12-week Online Sprint Cohort For Community Leaders in the Coworking Industry.

Are you navigating the unique challenges of running a community or a solo business?

https://berniejmitchell.com/the-summer-2024-community-manager-cohort/

Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

#coworking #communityisthekey #betterthings

#coworkinglondon

Subscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise