Coworking Community Builder Daily

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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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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➡️ 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

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How can you make more of an impact through your work?

Who do you work with?

Where do they live?

How can you engage with them?

What impact would be significant in your area, your geographical area, or your community?

Can you do something to generate some ideas with some of your members?

What type of impact would they like to make collectively or individually that you could operate at?

Your business?

What could you help them to achieve?

How long does it take to make an impact?

It can take years to make an impact, but you can impact someone's life one day.

There are brilliant projects about coworking spaces that offer free space for refugees.

That's one type of impact, but it doesn't have to be that.

You know, look at what you're doing in your own business.

Where are your suppliers coming from?

Where is your energy coming from?

How are your staff treated in their well-being?

What type of impact could you make today?

p.s. - we recorded this clip DINAMO10 in Portugal at a coworking meetup. Claire was part of a banging panel at GCUC UK in Manchester yesterday on local impact and coworking.

Here in London, we spent the day with Facework Group & Urban MBA hearing active examples of the impact projects in coworking spaces are having.

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

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Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

hashtag#coworking hashtag#communityisthekey hashtag#betterthings

hashtag#coworkinglondon

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In this video, Lucy McInally shares her transformative journey with coworking, emphasising the profound impact of community.

While it's her story, I can recognise so much of my path as a freelancer and finding a home 'in coworking' and 'in coworking spaces' since I first read the word 'coworking' in Tony Bacigalupo's group on Meetup in August 2008.

I also want to add that the 'magic' Lucy talks about is not unique to the London Coworking Assembly.

I've had the same experience with many coworking events, meet-ups, and things like Marko Orel's Coworking Symposium - as cheesy as it sounds, it is the power of community.

Lucy explains that to her, the essence of coworking is not just about shared spaces but the vibrant spirit that comes alive when people connect.

She believes the core of coworking lies in community, connection, and collaboration—elements that bring people together to exchange ideas, share challenges, and inspire each other.

Lucy reflects on her experiences since coming to London Coworking Assembly events after moving from Scotland.

Starting as a freelancer, she quickly felt at home, thanks to the community's welcoming atmosphere, many of whom have become her friends and clients.

She notes that this community goes beyond typical organisational boundaries, discussing relevant topics like inclusion, diversity, accessibility, equity, and personal and professional growth.

For Lucy, the London Coworking Assembly is more than just a coworking space; it's a community that listens, supports, and grows together.

🎙️Shout out to Lucy's ongoing collaboration on the Coworking Values Podcast with Christian Schmitz and me.

🎙️Our next 'Community is the key' episode will be recorded in person at our next London Coworking Assembly event at Urban MBA, with (THE) Caleb Parker, the head waiter at Brave Corporation Ltd. 🤣

Join us and the rest of our community next Thursday as we continue to explore and discuss coworking community building and local economic development.

It's a whole day of conversations and connections with Ashley Proctor, Anna Chuicharoen, Kofi Oppong, and Stephen Carrick-Davies at our London Coworking Assembly Forum and Bar Camp:

➡️ RSVP here: https://lu.ma/LCAJune

p.s. Love and Thanks to Blake from Urban MBA for the video, Sam at Silent Gliss International Ltd. and Workspace Design Show London for the location.

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

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Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

#Coworking #CommunityBuilding #FreelancerJourney #CoworkingSpaces #LondonCoworking #CoworkingMagic #Inclusion #Diversity #Collaboration #ProfessionalGrowth #CoworkingEvents #CoworkingSymposium #CoworkingPodcast #CommunityIsKey #LocalEconomicDevelopment #CoworkingForum #communityisthekey #betterthings #coworkinglondon #ukcoworking #coworkingspace #coworkingcommunity

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We now have this category definition of hospitality and coworking in the hospitality industry, and I agree.

I grew up in the hospitality industry and - love it - I still cut onions and mushrooms, like Chris Pope taught me a Five Star London kitchen in the 90s!

(We used to call it catering, but that sounds less glamorous than hospitality.)

I've always seen the similarities, but if your coworking space is in the hospitality industry now, it doesn't mean you are a waiter, a waitress, or a dub dub, as we used to say.

As a coworking manager, you are not just taking care of people but also the spark for their community connections.

The best way to care for them is to help these connections happen, building a strong sense of community and belonging.

Ian Minor says hospitality in this context is about 'the art of being hospitable' - it's that simple.

Iris Kavanagh also said the same thing in a recent Coworking Values Podcast—it's about being "hospitable" but not a servant.

The 'art of being hospitable' in a coworking space means warmly welcoming members and creating a cosy, comfortable environment.

It's about making everyone feel valued and at ease, helping to build a community where they can thrive and feel at home."

It's about connecting and helping people make those connections.

Because there is so much information, people don't need a little information - they need connection, meaning and change.

Helping people connect is one of the best rewards you can give your members.

📩 Sharpen your coworking edge in 2 minutes a day.

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Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

#coworking #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon

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Who's not in your event?

Who's not in your party?

Who's not in your coworking space?

And sometimes you need to notice who isn't there.

But we need to help each other to pay attention.

➡️ I'll give you an example:

Years ago, 2014 was the peak of the #sharingeconomy gold rush.

I ran this 'pucka' event and was so excited to have these four BIG names from BIG companies you use daily—what an EVENT COUP!

But then Elena Giroli pointed out to me that they were all white men from corporations.

Was it only white men from corporations building the sharing economy and changing society?

I'm sure they had an impact on it.

But they weren't the ONLY ones.

Of course, a long list of women and people of colour could have been on that panel.

But my lens was not operating at that frequency then - now I'd go to People of Coworking to find speakers.

https://peopleofcoworking.com/

And there's this thing about being inclusive versus being diverse.

So, if your coworking space is for De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest fans, don't add an Iron Maiden fan so you can say it's diverse.

But make sure that Bruce Dickenson knows he's super welcome when he shows up.

The attention this needs is a daily drip feed.

So I get numbed out by 'days and months to celebrate'; this shit happens all year round for people.

I was reminded of this because we were doing an unconscious bias training with Kerry yesterday.

I've been reading about this forever, but you have to keep returning to it.

There were so many things last night that I remembered or was unsure of.

A lot of this goes back to what Jon Alexander says:

"Why, the key to fixing everything is all of us."

I'd add that a privileged few think they can fix everything or at least control it.

So we all need to pay attention, especially on July 4th in the UK, when an election is coming up.

We must be alert to the importance of community and connection in every aspect of our society.

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Do you do enough marketing for your coworking or co-living space?

A few months ago, I popped across the border to Portugal to DINAMO10 in Viana do Castelo, and I got some coworking words of wisdom from our good friend Matthias.

Matthias, a co-founder of the highly successful Coworking Bansko and Coliving Semkovo in Bulgaria, is a wealth of knowledge in the industry.

He shares: So we should ask ourselves daily if we are marketing enough.

It's not just about the marketing tasks we do, but also about empowering our members to share their own stories and promote the space. This member-driven marketing can be a powerful tool.

Of course, it can't be too pushy, right?

We need to do this organically and incentivise members to repost their stories so that they can also take advantage of our reach.

Make it a small competition, with a bit of gamification to see who can get the most views, but take time to ask your members to promote your space.

Members sharing information about events, meetups, and clubs in your coworking space makes it seem more connected and believable. It gives a genuine proof-of-life feel and makes it relatable.

📩 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

Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

#coworking #communityisthekey #betterthings

#coworkinglondon #ukcoworking

#coworkingspace #coworkingcommunity

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Have you done everything you can to make your coworking space work?

This question often surfaces when we feel our efforts aren't seeing the desired results.

I was talking with some AMAZING people with 'coworking space impostor syndrome' - if only they had free beer, a helicopter pad and a house band, they could do more.

(They don't need any of that stuff - they are lovely as they are.)

But also, there was a sense of defeat, nowhere to turn - they had tried everything.

I know how they must feel.

I experience this every week, from being a decent parent to everything related to my work.

Often, we are inside the jar trying to read the label, so we can't see everything.

We can only see some things we can do, be or have in our box of talents.

This is why it's so important to talk to other people doing the same thing as you, whether you're a writer, a creator, a community manager running a coworking space, or an airline pilot.

Hanging out with your peers is essential because there are so many things you have yet to discover

Getting the support of a coach, consultant, therapist, or running partner will always make a big difference.

They will have ideas and experience that can make your journey easier.

They can also see things differently, which can help you find answers and get through tough times.

When I open up to others and share a problem, a weight is lifted, and the answer to the question plaguing me emerges quickly.

More than once, the speed of the answer came so fast it was embarrassing and awkward that I even called about it! 🤣

But other times, there has been a long, awkward silence on the call because I can't get to the answer or accept the one given.

The inside of my head is a very stubborn, self-protecting space - so regular outside intervention is a must!

When you engage with others, you gain a perspective different from your own.

Like my Nanny used to say, " There is more than one way to skin a cat." She had a lot of cats, and I could not imagine skinning any of them, so I was always confused as to why she favoured this term.

📩 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/

Have a remarkable day.

Be careful out there.

It is a jungle.

#coworking #communityisthekey #betterthings

#coworkinglondon #ukcoworking

#coworkingspace #coworkingcommunity

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