Flex in Five with Mike Kriel

Your building survived. Now, how do you make it more valuable tomorrow than it is today? In this episode of Flex in Five, Mike Kriel breaks down what the "perfect building" looks like in today's market — and why you should think of it as an ecosystem that feeds itself.

He's talking you through what every competitive office building needs: 

• Flexible workspace, from hot desks to enterprise-level space 
• Plug and play spec suites (not white box, but actually move-in ready) 
• Prime tenants with a range of sizes and lease terms 
• Amenities that are useful, not just present 
• A coworking operator, leasing team, and property management team that are all on the same page

If you want to learn more about how coworking can help boost the value of your building, download our Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space. It's 50+ pages of insights like the one I talked about today:

https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/

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Connect with Mike
https://launchworkplaces.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kriel-a43994/  

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About Flex in Five with Mike Kriel

How do you make money in the flexible workspace industry? Mike Kriel, CEO of Launch Workplaces, breaks down the opportunities, trends, and strategies that are working right now, in five minutes or less.

Honest and unfiltered, each episode tackles one focused topic, from what's working in coworking to emerging opportunities for commercial landlords, brokers, developers, and operators.

Drawing from real-world experience and conversations across the industry, Mike delivers actionable insights designed to help you grow your piece of the pie in this ever-evolving market.

Want to learn more about how to add a profitable coworking operation to your building? Download our free Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space: https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/

You just got a letter from a coworking operator saying your building would be their best location ever. Flattering—but what do you actually do with that?

In this episode, Mike breaks down how building owners should evaluate a coworking operator who comes knocking—the questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, and why you should never stop at one conversation.

In five minutes, you'll learn:

• The one question every landlord should ask a prospective coworking partner
• What a credible operator's due diligence actually looks like
• The red flag that should end the conversation
• Why cultural fit matters more than you think

If you want to learn more about flex as an opportunity in your building, download our Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space. It's 50+ pages of insights like the one I talked about today:

https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connect with Mike
https://launchworkplaces.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kriel-a43994/  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Flex in Five with Mike Kriel

How do you make money in the flexible workspace industry? Mike Kriel, CEO of Launch Workplaces, breaks down the opportunities, trends, and strategies that are working right now, in five minutes or less.

Honest and unfiltered, each episode tackles one focused topic, from what's working in coworking to emerging opportunities for commercial landlords, brokers, developers, and operators.

Drawing from real-world experience and conversations across the industry, Mike delivers actionable insights designed to help you grow your piece of the pie in this ever-evolving market.

Want to learn more about how to add a profitable coworking operation to your building? Download our free Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space: https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/

What does a coworking operator actually look for in your building?

In this episode, Mike breaks down Launch's proprietary 12-point evaluation system. This is the weighted criteria we use to determine whether a building is set up to succeed with flexible workspace.

From competition proximity to amenity activation, capital strength to tenant mix, this is the same scoring system Launch has used for 10 years to predict financial performance.

The 12 points are:

1. Proximity of competition
2. Quality of competition
3. Professional management services
4. Entrepreneurial strength and mindset
5. Capital strength
6. Risk tolerance
7. Building class
8. Operator alignment with building class
9. Parking
10. Amenities in the building
11. Activation of those amenities
12. Vacancy and tenant stack

How do your business and your building stack up against these criteria?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connect with Mike
https://launchworkplaces.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kriel-a43994/  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Flex in Five with Mike Kriel

How do you make money in the flexible workspace industry? Mike Kriel, CEO of Launch Workplaces, breaks down the opportunities, trends, and strategies that are working right now, in five minutes or less.

Honest and unfiltered, each episode tackles one focused topic, from what's working in coworking to emerging opportunities for commercial landlords, brokers, developers, and operators.

Drawing from real-world experience and conversations across the industry, Mike delivers actionable insights designed to help you grow your piece of the pie in this ever-evolving market.

Want to learn more about how to add a profitable coworking operation to your building? Download our free Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space: https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/

Everyone's sharing their predictions for coworking in 2026. Here's what Mike's actually seeing in the market.

In this episode, he breaks down four major trends shaping the coworking industry this year: consolidation and the different strategies driving it, operators exiting the business, authenticity becoming non-negotiable, and wellness and sustainability as table stakes.

The encouraging part? The industry is maturing. You're going to see more reliable, high-quality flexible workspace options than we've ever had before.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connect with Mike
https://launchworkplaces.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kriel-a43994/  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Flex in Five with Mike Kriel

How do you make money in the flexible workspace industry? Mike Kriel, CEO of Launch Workplaces, breaks down the opportunities, trends, and strategies that are working right now, in five minutes or less.

Honest and unfiltered, each episode tackles one focused topic, from what's working in coworking to emerging opportunities for commercial landlords, brokers, developers, and operators.

Drawing from real-world experience and conversations across the industry, Mike delivers actionable insights designed to help you grow your piece of the pie in this ever-evolving market.

Want to learn more about how to add a profitable coworking operation to your building? Download our free Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space: https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/

Mike Kriel, CEO of Launch Workplaces, has never been short on thoughts about the flexible office industry. Now, he's channeling that passion into a new series: Flex in Five.

The concept is simple: In five minutes or less, Mike breaks down one focused idea, trend, or insight about what's happening in flexible workspace and what it means for you.

Whether you're a commercial landlord, broker, developer, or coworking operator, Mike's goal is to help you grow your piece of the pie in this evolving market.

Each episode draws from real conversations, real deals, and real experiences, covering what's working, what's not, and where the opportunities are right now.

New episodes drop regularly, so hit subscribe to stay ahead in the flexible workspace industry.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connect with Mike
https://launchworkplaces.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kriel-a43994/  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Flex in Five with Mike Kriel

How do you make money in the flexible workspace industry? Mike Kriel, CEO of Launch Workplaces, breaks down the opportunities, trends, and strategies that are working right now, in five minutes or less.

Honest and unfiltered, each episode tackles one focused topic, from what's working in coworking to emerging opportunities for commercial landlords, brokers, developers, and operators.

Drawing from real-world experience and conversations across the industry, Mike delivers actionable insights designed to help you grow your piece of the pie in this ever-evolving market.

Want to learn more about how to add a profitable coworking operation to your building? Download our free Commercial Landlord's Guide to Flexible Office Space: https://launchworkplaces.com/landlords/