"She was so busy that you couldn't even get time on her calendar to deal with important issues. She didn't have any spare time because of how many roles she had to fit."

DeShawn Brown watched a community manager drowning in multiple jobs at one of Raleigh's first coworking spaces. Not because she was popular. Because the industry treats one person like an entire operations department.

Now, as CEO of CoWorks and Director of Operations at Future Leaders of Coworking (FLOC), he's tackling the structural problems that make coworking managers leave the industry entirely.

This isn't a conversation about software features or workspace trends. It's about why DeShawn wants coworking to become a university major, not just "entrepreneurship with a side of workspace."

It's about generous leadership — the radical idea that the best people don't need managing; they need to be excited.

And it's about the perception gap, where everyone thinks coworking is about tech bros playing ping-pong, while salon owners, scientists, and makers are quietly revolutionising how communities share resources.

The kicker? Most coworking space owners don't even know about the mailbox business — recurring revenue they're leaving on the table. Meanwhile, managers are hitting career ceilings, thinking their only options are ownership or exodus.

DeShawn's building the infrastructure to change that, from university programmes to peer networks to tools that turn overwhelmed managers into what he calls "superhumans."

Timeline Highlights

* 01:03 — The perception problem: UK freelancers think coworking is "just tech pros playing ping-pong"

* 02:06 — DeShawn as CEO of CoWorks: "helping to foster that community, grow that community, really create some organisation in the chaos"

* 03:44 — Generous leadership defined: "The best teammates... are the ones that you don't have to micromanage"

* 07:00 — The burnout crisis: "You reach a ceiling... I have to just own the coworking space or leave the coworking industry"

* 08:24 — The moonshot: "to help create a coworking major at the university level"

* 11:52 — The modern manager archetype: "tour coordinator, dishwasher, bathroom stalker, sales admin, event coordinator, booking admin, billing admin"

* 13:26 — The breaking point: Manager so overwhelmed "you couldn't even get time on her calendar"

* 15:31 — Jamie Russo's role: "probably one of the best resources... to learn how to manage a space"

* 18:20 — Regional differences: Southeast US has warehouses, West Coast has smaller spaces, New York is "work, work, work"

* 21:00 — The WeWork blessing/curse: "At least if you say coworking now, they have a reference point"

* 23:16 — Why his team left the office: "We want a change of scenery and we want to be around people"

* 24:40 — Beyond ping-pong: "coworking spaces for salons, for wellness professionals, for scientists"

* 28:36 — The mailbox revelation: "easy recurring money" most owners don't know about

* 29:32 — LinkedIn petition status: Bernie last checked at "387" signatures, need 1,000

The Multiple-Hat Problem

DeShawn lays out the brutal reality: one person juggling tour coordinator, dishwasher, bathroom stocker, sales admin, event coordinator, booking admin, and billing admin. All in a nine-to-five.

With "limited staff and resources." The manager at Jason Widen's Raleigh space was so buried she couldn't even schedule time for critical issues — not because she was in demand, but because every minute was already claimed by operational chaos.

This isn't poor management. It's a structural failure. The industry expects one person to be an entire department, then wonders why they burn out or leave.

Your takeaway: If your manager is wearing more than five hats, you don't have a staffing problem — you have a business model problem. Either hire, automate, or accept that you're burning through talent.

Generous Leadership vs Management Theatre

"The best teammates... are the ones that you don't have to micromanage... the ones that you just get them excited to be where they are."

DeShawn's philosophy: develop people, don't manage them. His best business wins come through genuine relationships — "this person genuinely likes me and vice versa."

Compare this to the traditional model: micromanagement disguised as supervision, which forces rather than inspires. The difference? Generous leaders build networks that generate opportunities. Managers build spreadsheets that track attendance.

Your takeaway: Stop managing enthusiasm out of people. If you're spending time forcing productivity, you've already lost. Focus on making people excited to contribute.

The University Major Nobody's Building

DeShawn's moonshot: making coworking a university major. Not entrepreneurship with workspace on the side. Actual coworking studies. Universities are already building "entrepreneurs' spaces which look eerily similar to coworking" but without the educational infrastructure to support them.

Currently, people enter the industry without training, discover Jamie Russo's programmes if they're lucky, and then learn through expensive mistakes. Meanwhile, entrepreneurship went from being non-existent to offering full-degree programmes in a generation.

Your takeaway: Professional development isn't optional when your managers are juggling eight different roles. The industry treating education as an afterthought is why managers struggle from day one.

The Perception Gap That's Killing Diversity

Bernie recalls a UK freelancer group where mentioning coworking triggered identical responses: "white dudes with tech startups drinking craft beer and playing ping-pong." Meanwhile, DeShawn lists the reality: salon spaces, wellness professionals, scientists with shared labs, and makers. The perception is stuck in 2010, whilst the industry has exploded into every vertical.

The WeWork paradox: it's both a blessing and a curse. People finally have a reference point, but "is that the reference point we want?"

Your takeaway: If you're not actively showcasing diversity in your space, you're reinforcing stereotypes that exclude potential members. Every ping-pong photo you post confirms their biases.

The Mailbox Money Everyone's Missing

"If you do it right, it's just easy recurring money." DeShawn's amazement at how many owners don't understand the mailbox business mirrors Bernie's experience. Virtual addresses aren't just convenient — they're a necessity. "You can't put your home address as your business address. You can. You should not."

DeShawn notes that there are "some operations, some overhead, some maintenance," but compared to complex membership programmes, it's relatively straightforward revenue that spaces leave untapped.

Your takeaway: Before you launch another complicated membership tier, master the basics. A mailbox service, done right, generates predictable revenue with manageable overhead. Why aren't you offering it?

Why LinkedIn Recognition Matters

FLOC's petition for LinkedIn to recognise coworking as an official industry sits under 400 signatures. They need 1,000. "It seems so simple and so trivial, but it's a huge deal." Currently, professionals often choose between "consulting," "real estate," or "hospitality" — none of which accurately captures what they actually do.

This isn't vanity. It's about legitimising careers, enabling accurate job searches, and acknowledging that coworking is distinct from its parts.

Your takeaway: Sign the petition. It takes thirty seconds and helps establish coworking as a professional path, not a temporary stop.

Links & Resources

* CoWorks Platform

* Future Leaders of Coworking (FLOC)

* Everything Coworking Podcast - Jamie Russo

* Community Manager University - Jamie Russo

* LinkedIn Coworking Recognition Campaign

* LinkedIn Coworking Group

* Workspace Design Show - Business Design Centre, February 2026

* RSVP for Unreasonable Connection

* Coworking Values Podcast on LinkedIn

* Connect with Bernie on LinkedIn

* Connect with DeShawn on LinkedIn

One More Thing

DeShawn didn't start CoWorks to build another platform. He started it because he watched a brilliant community manager at one of Raleigh's first coworking spaces become so buried in operational tasks that members couldn't even book time with her. Not for mentorship or connection — for basic problem-solving. She wasn't building community. She was drowning in dishwashing rotas and bathroom supplies.

The multiple-hat problem isn't a management issue. It's an industry that refuses to professionalise, expects miracles from individuals, then wonders why people burn out and leave.

DeShawn's pushing for university programmes, peer networks, and tools that turn chaos into systems. Not because it's innovative. Because it's necessary.

This is the Coworking Values Podcast. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we share conversations from the front lines of workspace and community building. Not the polished version.

Not the conference keynote. The version where people admit their managers are drowning, and their owners don't know about mailbox revenue. If you're ready for honest conversations about building sustainable coworking businesses, you're in the right place. We don't do hype. We do humans solving real problems. See you Thursday.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit coworkingvaluespodcast.substack.com