Newbie here looking for some pointers

Tiago_Vasconcelos · May 3, 2016, 12:18pm

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

alex · May 4, 2016, 1:34am

Hey Tiago,

Where exactly are you located? I’d recommend talking to some folks who are currently doing coworking in tropical areas for digital nomads, and might be able to make some suggestions on who to talk to about the unique challenges they’ve discovered.

Your concerns all tie back to one thing though: that you’re starting with space and (in your own words) commodities. You need to start from the people. Without a community, you’re instantly at a disadvantage in every way and as you’ve already experienced, have no way of knowing what you ACTUALLY need.

You don’t NEED to be 24/7. Most places actually aren’t. And I bet that those surfers and nomads are more likely to be working a few hours a day and then fucking off to the beach the rest of the day. But if you don’t have a community yet, you can’t know that.

You don’t NEED to start with a huge space - in fact I recommend against it, especially if you have no money or members.

You don’t need member management software if you don’t have members yet.

Basically, your questions all get MUCH easier to answer once you’ve started building a community

The approach is going to need to adapt a bit given your location, but my advice about where to start doesn’t change!

-Alex

···

On Tue, May 3, 2016 at 8:18 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

–

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The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

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Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

Tiago_Vasconcelos · May 4, 2016, 11:44am

I’ve already read your post Alex, twice. It’s been a great resource for me. The problem is, i don’t really know how to start that “community”… and i’m affraid that if i start making a hype over this that my “idea” would get stollen by someone with much more money than i do and can swing a cowork space in a flash!!

I do understand your point of view but, how do i get to the people, how do i do that market research? I’ve been puzzling my mind over that for quite a few weeks by now (first time i read your post was about 2 months ago).

Surfers and nomads would be a part of the “community”, i’d like to be able to serve the locals also, people with flexible workplaces, freelancers, or even people from here (Portugal) that would like to be a couple of months in the beach but still be able to do some work.

A big place is scary for me. I’d probabily be better off with a 100m² (+/-1000sqf) for start (i think smaller than this is very tight, no?) with a small rent to minimize the risks.

So, how do you build a community? I don’t really freelance (unfortunatelly), it’s not easy to find other people to work with, and i have a 9-5 job (more like 9 to 19 ) that consumes my time. Is social network a possibility? Facebook, a fb group? what would i be marketing? an hipotetical space or just a community without mention or ties to any commercial space that i might be considering?

Thanks for your reply Alex, love your blog and thank you for your help!

Best regards,

Tiago

tonybgoode · May 4, 2016, 12:32pm

Tiago, welcome! Thanks for posting.

When do you think it will be easier to learn how to build community? Now, when you can afford to take your time and learn from mistakes, or after you open a space when you have the burden of monthly rent hanging over you?

If you’re working 9-19, how do you intend to build and operate a coworking space? If you don’t have the freedom to build community, I’m having trouble seeing how you could have the freedom to build a space.

There are some on this group who may advocate your approaching this as if you were building a hotel. Maybe you can develop a space and learn how to rent it out to people at a profit like a traditional business. Maybe that’s fine if you want people to treat you like most people treat the hotels they stay in. Personally I think we’re here to do something more worthwhile.

Starting with building a community is so simple that many tend to overlook it.

You just start talking to people. Or, more importantly, listening to people.

Just get out and make genuine connections with human beings. Relationships form communities. Everything unfolds from there.

···

–

I wonder why you are here and why you care enough to want to build a space.

Maybe you can go to that core Why and look at the myriad ways you can align what you do with that drive.

Maybe you care about empowering people.

Or bringing people together.

Or helping improve the economy.

Or helping forge an alternative to traditional employment.

Whatever that passion is that drove you to this group, I’m confident there are others who resonate with that.

You can seek them out and connect with them, online or offline, locally or globally.

You can attend Meetups.

You can start a Meetup.

You can befriend a bar manager and start hosting happy hours for freelancers and expats.

You can host dinner parties where everyone takes turns talking about a topic of urgent importance to them.

You can organize educational sessions.

You can find a bar with wifi and host late night coworking sessions for people who have day jobs but also side projects.

You can host weekend coworking sessions the same way.
You can write.

You can create art.

You can stand on a street corner handing out pamphlets.

I wonder, if you go back to your Why and look at how you can work towards it with what you have in front of you right now, what you will find.

Know this: you’re far from alone. You have a world of people who care like you care working alongside you.

Rooting for you!

Tony

On Wednesday, May 4, 2016, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

I’ve already read your post Alex, twice. It’s been a great resource for me. The problem is, i don’t really know how to start that “community”… and i’m affraid that if i start making a hype over this that my “idea” would get stollen by someone with much more money than i do and can swing a cowork space in a flash!!

I do understand your point of view but, how do i get to the people, how do i do that market research? I’ve been puzzling my mind over that for quite a few weeks by now (first time i read your post was about 2 months ago).

Surfers and nomads would be a part of the “community”, i’d like to be able to serve the locals also, people with flexible workplaces, freelancers, or even people from here (Portugal) that would like to be a couple of months in the beach but still be able to do some work.

A big place is scary for me. I’d probabily be better off with a 100m² (+/-1000sqf) for start (i think smaller than this is very tight, no?) with a small rent to minimize the risks.

So, how do you build a community? I don’t really freelance (unfortunatelly), it’s not easy to find other people to work with, and i have a 9-5 job (more like 9 to 19 ) that consumes my time. Is social network a possibility? Facebook, a fb group? what would i be marketing? an hipotetical space or just a community without mention or ties to any commercial space that i might be considering?

Thanks for your reply Alex, love your blog and thank you for your help!

Best regards,

Tiago

–

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Trevor_Twining · May 4, 2016, 12:57pm

Tiago, welcome to your first coworking community!

I was in the very situation you fear about two years ago. Twice! People with more money and better connections than I had were able to move more quickly to open their own spaces before we opened Cowork Niagara. One of them is still floundering. The other has boarded up and the building is up for sale. You can read about it here.

Community wins. Every time.

How did it end up for us? Within two years we became cashflow positive. We’ll be posting our first profit next year (likely a significant one), and we’ve become actively involved in growing the independent sector of our local economy.

It takes one conversation at a time. It takes one relationship at a time. It’s slow, methodical, hard work, but it creates such a strong community that it will withstand these shallow attempts at ‘stealing your market.’

Because you’ll come to realize that while markets can be stolen, communities can’t.

···

Trevor Twining

Cowork Niagara

http://coworkniagara.com

Home of Niagara’s independent workforce

twitter: @coworkniagara, @trevortwining

On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 7:55:27 AM UTC-4, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

I’ve already read your post Alex, twice. It’s been a great resource for me. The problem is, i don’t really know how to start that “community”… and i’m affraid that if i start making a hype over this that my “idea” would get stollen by someone with much more money than i do and can swing a cowork space in a flash!!

I do understand your point of view but, how do i get to the people, how do i do that market research? I’ve been puzzling my mind over that for quite a few weeks by now (first time i read your post was about 2 months ago).

Surfers and nomads would be a part of the “community”, i’d like to be able to serve the locals also, people with flexible workplaces, freelancers, or even people from here (Portugal) that would like to be a couple of months in the beach but still be able to do some work.

A big place is scary for me. I’d probabily be better off with a 100m² (+/-1000sqf) for start (i think smaller than this is very tight, no?) with a small rent to minimize the risks.

So, how do you build a community? I don’t really freelance (unfortunatelly), it’s not easy to find other people to work with, and i have a 9-5 job (more like 9 to 19 ) that consumes my time. Is social network a possibility? Facebook, a fb group? what would i be marketing? an hipotetical space or just a community without mention or ties to any commercial space that i might be considering?

Thanks for your reply Alex, love your blog and thank you for your help!

Best regards,

Tiago

tonybgoode · May 4, 2016, 3:36pm

···

On May 4, 2016, at 5:57 AM, Trevor Twining [email protected] wrote:

Tiago, welcome to your first coworking community!

I was in the very situation you fear about two years ago. Twice! People with more money and better connections than I had were able to move more quickly to open their own spaces before we opened Cowork Niagara. One of them is still floundering. The other has boarded up and the building is up for sale. You can read about it here.

http://www.trevortwining.me/blog/2015/10/16/community-trumps-capital-every-time.html

Community wins. Every time.

How did it end up for us? Within two years we became cashflow positive. We’ll be posting our first profit next year (likely a significant one), and we’ve become actively involved in growing the independent sector of our local economy.

It takes one conversation at a time. It takes one relationship at a time. It’s slow, methodical, hard work, but it creates such a strong community that it will withstand these shallow attempts at ‘stealing your market.’

Because you’ll come to realize that while markets can be stolen, communities can’t.

Trevor Twining

Cowork Niagara

http://coworkniagara.com

Home of Niagara’s independent workforce

twitter: @coworkniagara, @trevortwining

On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 7:55:27 AM UTC-4, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

I’ve already read your post Alex, twice. It’s been a great resource for me. The problem is, i don’t really know how to start that “community”… and i’m affraid that if i start making a hype over this that my “idea” would get stollen by someone with much more money than i do and can swing a cowork space in a flash!!

I do understand your point of view but, how do i get to the people, how do i do that market research? I’ve been puzzling my mind over that for quite a few weeks by now (first time i read your post was about 2 months ago).

Surfers and nomads would be a part of the “community”, i’d like to be able to serve the locals also, people with flexible workplaces, freelancers, or even people from here (Portugal) that would like to be a couple of months in the beach but still be able to do some work.

A big place is scary for me. I’d probabily be better off with a 100m² (+/-1000sqf) for start (i think smaller than this is very tight, no?) with a small rent to minimize the risks.

So, how do you build a community? I don’t really freelance (unfortunatelly), it’s not easy to find other people to work with, and i have a 9-5 job (more like 9 to 19 ) that consumes my time. Is social network a possibility? Facebook, a fb group? what would i be marketing? an hipotetical space or just a community without mention or ties to any commercial space that i might be considering?

Thanks for your reply Alex, love your blog and thank you for your help!

Best regards,

Tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

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Tiago_Vasconcelos · May 4, 2016, 3:57pm

Thank you all for your replies, i really appreciate them.

@Tony

My goal is to ditch this crappy work, or eventually do it remotely. Although i have 2 months behind of getting payed, i still need it to pay the bills. I have 15 years of my life here and i don’t want to get out with my finger up my butt. I already tried and agreement with thm to let me go but it didn’t work out too well.

My goal is that exactlly. Make something of value, change something, help people, bring them closer… i’d like it to be my legacy (ok, a bit too romantic…) !! Also i think is a business oportunity, i can’t eat fullfilment and they don’t accept that as bank payments either. So i guess my drive is a little bit of both.

You make some very good sugestions. Maybe the in-person ones are a bit difficult for me, i’m a shy guy at first, but maybe i’ll try and start contacting the 50000 hostels around and try to understand if they have many costumers that actually do some work, etc… Start a FB group/community on the subject… Only one doubt, do i make this approach as a “business” owner/entrepeneur obviously community member and caring fellow coworker or do it has just another coworker trying to reach out and then come up with a “solution”… a cowork space? The latter doesn’t make me feel very good about myself, as i feel i’m tricking people and using them… (not sure if i made myself clear on the point!!)

@Trevor

thanks for sharing your experience. I read somewhere that the idea is about 5% of a “product”, so not to woory about the idea getting stollen. But there’s always a risk and i’m glad you understand my fear.

Read your post, nice going man. I’m not sure i want to go the coop way, but it’s nice to see you came out on top with that all story.

Best regards,

Tiago

···

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

alex · May 4, 2016, 3:59pm

Hey Tiago,

I often recommend folks coming from the corporate world to try their hand at some kind of consulting or freelancing before getting into the overhead and challenges that come with running a Coworking space.

Three reasons:

it’ll help you understand your (potential) members better. If you’ve never been in a similar situation as the person you hope to create something for, it’s very easy to make assumptions and be DEAD WRONG about what they actually need, want, and value.
consulting is a nearly overhead-free business, compared to coworking. You can start it the second you find your first client. No long term commitments like leases. A lot of people learn their taste for running their own business as a consultant. If you find that you love it, awesome, and you have a huge advantage over someone who doesn’t have the same experience (back to my first reason). And if you find out that it doesn’t live up to the dream, you’re not on the hook for a lease and furniture and all of the other things that come with opening a coworking space.
consulting gives your skills and revenue to fall back on while your coworking space is growing and stabilizing. Especially during the first 2 years. Our model of building the community first and involving them in the process allowed us to be profitable 4 months after opening our doors, but that included 12 months of work before we opened our doors during which my consulting allows me to be more in control of my time and income to work on the community and the business.

I’ve run a profitable Coworking space for nearly a decade and I’ve seen a lot of patterns in success and failure. Comparatively, consulting in nearly any B2B industry is a MUCH easier path to sustainable income than a coworking space, especially as a first venture.

Set yourself up for a win and maybe even try consulting on the side (so long as it doesn’t conflict with your employment contract). You’ll learn a LOT that will benefit you in running a coworking space.

-Alex

···

On Wed, May 4, 2016 at 11:57 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

Thank you all for your replies, i really appreciate them.

@Tony

My goal is to ditch this crappy work, or eventually do it remotely. Although i have 2 months behind of getting payed, i still need it to pay the bills. I have 15 years of my life here and i don’t want to get out with my finger up my butt. I already tried and agreement with thm to let me go but it didn’t work out too well.

My goal is that exactlly. Make something of value, change something, help people, bring them closer… i’d like it to be my legacy (ok, a bit too romantic…) !! Also i think is a business oportunity, i can’t eat fullfilment and they don’t accept that as bank payments either. So i guess my drive is a little bit of both.

You make some very good sugestions. Maybe the in-person ones are a bit difficult for me, i’m a shy guy at first, but maybe i’ll try and start contacting the 50000 hostels around and try to understand if they have many costumers that actually do some work, etc… Start a FB group/community on the subject… Only one doubt, do i make this approach as a “business” owner/entrepeneur obviously community member and caring fellow coworker or do it has just another coworker trying to reach out and then come up with a “solution”… a cowork space? The latter doesn’t make me feel very good about myself, as i feel i’m tricking people and using them… (not sure if i made myself clear on the point!!)

@Trevor

thanks for sharing your experience. I read somewhere that the idea is about 5% of a “product”, so not to woory about the idea getting stollen. But there’s always a risk and i’m glad you understand my fear.

Read your post, nice going man. I’m not sure i want to go the coop way, but it’s nice to see you came out on top with that all story.

Best regards,

Tiago

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

Tiago_Vasconcelos · May 4, 2016, 4:01pm

@Tony
“” i don’t understand this… Maybe “I’m too old for this shit”

···

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

tonybgoode · May 4, 2016, 4:02pm

That sounds like a good track.

I think you can go with that latter plan, but feel good about yourself simply by being honest about your intentions.

You don’t have a business yet, but maybe you’d like to one day. That’s the truth. Be real and people will respond to that.

Also: lots of potential coworkers are shy too. Maybe a majority. So that can be a good thing!

Tony

···

On May 4, 2016, at 8:57 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

Thank you all for your replies, i really appreciate them.

@Tony

My goal is to ditch this crappy work, or eventually do it remotely. Although i have 2 months behind of getting payed, i still need it to pay the bills. I have 15 years of my life here and i don’t want to get out with my finger up my butt. I already tried and agreement with thm to let me go but it didn’t work out too well.

My goal is that exactlly. Make something of value, change something, help people, bring them closer… i’d like it to be my legacy (ok, a bit too romantic…) !! Also i think is a business oportunity, i can’t eat fullfilment and they don’t accept that as bank payments either. So i guess my drive is a little bit of both.

You make some very good sugestions. Maybe the in-person ones are a bit difficult for me, i’m a shy guy at first, but maybe i’ll try and start contacting the 50000 hostels around and try to understand if they have many costumers that actually do some work, etc… Start a FB group/community on the subject… Only one doubt, do i make this approach as a “business” owner/entrepeneur obviously community member and caring fellow coworker or do it has just another coworker trying to reach out and then come up with a “solution”… a cowork space? The latter doesn’t make me feel very good about myself, as i feel i’m tricking people and using them… (not sure if i made myself clear on the point!!)

@Trevor

thanks for sharing your experience. I read somewhere that the idea is about 5% of a “product”, so not to woory about the idea getting stollen. But there’s always a risk and i’m glad you understand my fear.

Read your post, nice going man. I’m not sure i want to go the coop way, but it’s nice to see you came out on top with that all story.

Best regards,

Tiago

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

tonybgoode · May 4, 2016, 4:04pm

Hah! I just wanted to express my love for Trevor’s post.

One day when emoji is a proper language that may translate to something different.

···

On May 4, 2016, at 9:01 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

@Tony
“” i don’t understand this… Maybe “I’m too old for this shit”

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

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Tiago_Vasconcelos · May 4, 2016, 4:09pm

Well, i do some extra work, mainly for myself right here at work. I know it’s not the same, but i get to do some web development, i sell online, etc… At the moment i need to get out of here. I’ve been wanting to do the consulting stuff for a while now, it’s nice you’ve pointed out. My profession is CAD Drafting, and as it’s something i know very well, i thought about setting up a blog (another one to manage) teaching some skills, maybe a course and offer some consulting on Autodesk implementation on businesses, best practices, etc…

···

On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 5:00:42 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote:

Hey Tiago,

I often recommend folks coming from the corporate world to try their hand at some kind of consulting or freelancing before getting into the overhead and challenges that come with running a Coworking space.

Three reasons:

it’ll help you understand your (potential) members better. If you’ve never been in a similar situation as the person you hope to create something for, it’s very easy to make assumptions and be DEAD WRONG about what they actually need, want, and value.

consulting is a nearly overhead-free business, compared to coworking. You can start it the second you find your first client. No long term commitments like leases. A lot of people learn their taste for running their own business as a consultant. If you find that you love it, awesome, and you have a huge advantage over someone who doesn’t have the same experience (back to my first reason). And if you find out that it doesn’t live up to the dream, you’re not on the hook for a lease and furniture and all of the other things that come with opening a coworking space.

consulting gives your skills and revenue to fall back on while your coworking space is growing and stabilizing. Especially during the first 2 years. Our model of building the community first and involving them in the process allowed us to be profitable 4 months after opening our doors, but that included 12 months of work before we opened our doors during which my consulting allows me to be more in control of my time and income to work on the community and the business.

I’ve run a profitable Coworking space for nearly a decade and I’ve seen a lot of patterns in success and failure. Comparatively, consulting in nearly any B2B industry is a MUCH easier path to sustainable income than a coworking space, especially as a first venture.

Set yourself up for a win and maybe even try consulting on the side (so long as it doesn’t conflict with your employment contract). You’ll learn a LOT that will benefit you in running a coworking space.

-Alex

The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

On Wed, May 4, 2016 at 11:57 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

Thank you all for your replies, i really appreciate them.

@Tony

My goal is to ditch this crappy work, or eventually do it remotely. Although i have 2 months behind of getting payed, i still need it to pay the bills. I have 15 years of my life here and i don’t want to get out with my finger up my butt. I already tried and agreement with thm to let me go but it didn’t work out too well.

My goal is that exactlly. Make something of value, change something, help people, bring them closer… i’d like it to be my legacy (ok, a bit too romantic…) !! Also i think is a business oportunity, i can’t eat fullfilment and they don’t accept that as bank payments either. So i guess my drive is a little bit of both.

You make some very good sugestions. Maybe the in-person ones are a bit difficult for me, i’m a shy guy at first, but maybe i’ll try and start contacting the 50000 hostels around and try to understand if they have many costumers that actually do some work, etc… Start a FB group/community on the subject… Only one doubt, do i make this approach as a “business” owner/entrepeneur obviously community member and caring fellow coworker or do it has just another coworker trying to reach out and then come up with a “solution”… a cowork space? The latter doesn’t make me feel very good about myself, as i feel i’m tricking people and using them… (not sure if i made myself clear on the point!!)

@Trevor

thanks for sharing your experience. I read somewhere that the idea is about 5% of a “product”, so not to woory about the idea getting stollen. But there’s always a risk and i’m glad you understand my fear.

Read your post, nice going man. I’m not sure i want to go the coop way, but it’s nice to see you came out on top with that all story.

Best regards,

Tiago

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

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alex · May 4, 2016, 4:13pm

Tiago -

Before I left my last job, my employer and I clashed big time as well and I felt stifled. I know how horrible that can feel. I did a pretty rare interview about the experience and the impact it had on Indy Hall, if you’re interested in some commiseration.

Point is, I feel for you on that “need to get out” AND I know how great it feels to get out, so I’m rooting for you I’ll still stand by my statement that getting an income-earning freelance or consulting practice up and running quickly is much, much much easier path. Check out that interview - it’s got some serious gold inside that I think can help you make this next step.

-Alex

···

On Wed, May 4, 2016 at 12:09 PM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

Well, i do some extra work, mainly for myself right here at work. I know it’s not the same, but i get to do some web development, i sell online, etc… At the moment i need to get out of here. I’ve been wanting to do the consulting stuff for a while now, it’s nice you’ve pointed out. My profession is CAD Drafting, and as it’s something i know very well, i thought about setting up a blog (another one to manage) teaching some skills, maybe a course and offer some consulting on Autodesk implementation on businesses, best practices, etc…

On Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 5:00:42 PM UTC+1, Alex Hillman wrote:

Hey Tiago,

I often recommend folks coming from the corporate world to try their hand at some kind of consulting or freelancing before getting into the overhead and challenges that come with running a Coworking space.

Three reasons:

it’ll help you understand your (potential) members better. If you’ve never been in a similar situation as the person you hope to create something for, it’s very easy to make assumptions and be DEAD WRONG about what they actually need, want, and value.

consulting is a nearly overhead-free business, compared to coworking. You can start it the second you find your first client. No long term commitments like leases. A lot of people learn their taste for running their own business as a consultant. If you find that you love it, awesome, and you have a huge advantage over someone who doesn’t have the same experience (back to my first reason). And if you find out that it doesn’t live up to the dream, you’re not on the hook for a lease and furniture and all of the other things that come with opening a coworking space.

consulting gives your skills and revenue to fall back on while your coworking space is growing and stabilizing. Especially during the first 2 years. Our model of building the community first and involving them in the process allowed us to be profitable 4 months after opening our doors, but that included 12 months of work before we opened our doors during which my consulting allows me to be more in control of my time and income to work on the community and the business.

I’ve run a profitable Coworking space for nearly a decade and I’ve seen a lot of patterns in success and failure. Comparatively, consulting in nearly any B2B industry is a MUCH easier path to sustainable income than a coworking space, especially as a first venture.

Set yourself up for a win and maybe even try consulting on the side (so long as it doesn’t conflict with your employment contract). You’ll learn a LOT that will benefit you in running a coworking space.

-Alex

The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

On Wed, May 4, 2016 at 11:57 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

Thank you all for your replies, i really appreciate them.

@Tony

My goal is to ditch this crappy work, or eventually do it remotely. Although i have 2 months behind of getting payed, i still need it to pay the bills. I have 15 years of my life here and i don’t want to get out with my finger up my butt. I already tried and agreement with thm to let me go but it didn’t work out too well.

My goal is that exactlly. Make something of value, change something, help people, bring them closer… i’d like it to be my legacy (ok, a bit too romantic…) !! Also i think is a business oportunity, i can’t eat fullfilment and they don’t accept that as bank payments either. So i guess my drive is a little bit of both.

You make some very good sugestions. Maybe the in-person ones are a bit difficult for me, i’m a shy guy at first, but maybe i’ll try and start contacting the 50000 hostels around and try to understand if they have many costumers that actually do some work, etc… Start a FB group/community on the subject… Only one doubt, do i make this approach as a “business” owner/entrepeneur obviously community member and caring fellow coworker or do it has just another coworker trying to reach out and then come up with a “solution”… a cowork space? The latter doesn’t make me feel very good about myself, as i feel i’m tricking people and using them… (not sure if i made myself clear on the point!!)

@Trevor

thanks for sharing your experience. I read somewhere that the idea is about 5% of a “product”, so not to woory about the idea getting stollen. But there’s always a risk and i’m glad you understand my fear.

Read your post, nice going man. I’m not sure i want to go the coop way, but it’s nice to see you came out on top with that all story.

Best regards,

Tiago

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:25:20 PM UTC+1, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

Angel_Kwiatkowski · May 6, 2016, 4:11pm

Here’s a quick resource guide on the very first steps of building community https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vkJMT7jPxJ6ukjvNVbvMnZQ8dPoIHzc3fw15kipxqyQ/edit?usp=sharing

···

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 6:25:20 AM UTC-6, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

Andre_Robb · May 8, 2016, 11:15pm

Tiago,

Thanks for asking your questions, being honest and starting a dialogue that I benefit from reading.

Alex, Tony, Trevor and Angel - thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience in responding to these questions.

···

On 6 May 2016 at 11:11, Angel Kwiatkowski [email protected] wrote:

Here’s a quick resource guide on the very first steps of building community https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vkJMT7jPxJ6ukjvNVbvMnZQ8dPoIHzc3fw15kipxqyQ/edit?usp=sharing

On Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 6:25:20 AM UTC-6, Tiago Vasconcelos wrote:

Hello everyone, just discovered this group. Already consumed so many information here, thank you all for this.

I’m looking to open a cowork space but i have many doubts and no money!! The place is a highly touristic place by the ocean and a known surf spot. I’ll be counting with some nomad surfers, or digital nomads that surf or just people who want to be in a nice place by the beach and do some work.

At the moment i’m looking for real estate but don’t know what to look for exactly. I found a couple of stores from 60 to 100m² . Last week i found what it used to be a hostel and it blew my mind and got me starting thinking big. So what should i be looking for in a place?

Secondly, after some research i found that most places are open 24/7 and people have keys to the place, is this mandatory?! I found also that there’s management software for costumers. How does this work? Do people have to do a login of some sort or have a check clock to punch in?

What comodities are a must for a coworking space?

I guess for now these are my biggest doubts… i have many more that i’ll be asking, if you don’t mind, later!

Thanks in advance,

Tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Andre Robb

+27 749 686 646

Please don’t print this e-mail unless you really need to.

Tiago_Vasconcelos · May 26, 2016, 5:31pm

hey guys, been busy...

no community yet, started a fb group trying to narrow freelancers in my area, very slow feedback. also sent a few hostels in the area pitching the idea and trying to feel how many turist could bw potencial clients. only one reply asking for a get together to understand the business.

i've found a place for the cowork. it has around 70m2, already has a kitchen, bathrooms etc.needs some work but it costs €250/month and there's the ppssibility to start paying after 2 months.

now i'm aafraid of diving in this because i don't have a community yet.

just sharing some developments on COWorkPeniche with you guys.

best regards,
tiago

tonybgoode · May 26, 2016, 5:50pm

Thanks for sharing, Tiago!

It’s OK if you let a space pass you by. When your community is ready, the right space will present itself.

Have you organized any events? A happy hour, or dinner party?

Tony

···

On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 11:31 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

hey guys, been busy…

no community yet, started a fb group trying to narrow freelancers in my area, very slow feedback. also sent a few hostels in the area pitching the idea and trying to feel how many turist could bw potencial clients. only one reply asking for a get together to understand the business.

i’ve found a place for the cowork. it has around 70m2, already has a kitchen, bathrooms etc.needs some work but it costs €250/month and there’s the ppssibility to start paying after 2 months.

now i’m aafraid of diving in this because i don’t have a community yet.

just sharing some developments on COWorkPeniche with you guys.

best regards,

tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Trevor_Twining · May 26, 2016, 6:08pm

When we started our weekly meetups for Cowork Niagara, there were only four people who came out to the first event. I remember thinking that we were never going to get where we needed to be with that number!

But over the weeks and months that followed, people started coming out more regularly. We grew in number so that, by the time six months passed, we had 20 or more people coming out on a regular basis.

The most important parts at this point are patience and consistency. You need to give the community room to grow, the same way you would a seed. It will grow when the conditions are right, but only as quickly as it’s supposed to.

···

On Thu, May 26, 2016 at 11:31 AM, Tiago Vasconcelos [email protected] wrote:

hey guys, been busy…

no community yet, started a fb group trying to narrow freelancers in my area, very slow feedback. also sent a few hostels in the area pitching the idea and trying to feel how many turist could bw potencial clients. only one reply asking for a get together to understand the business.

i’ve found a place for the cowork. it has around 70m2, already has a kitchen, bathrooms etc.needs some work but it costs €250/month and there’s the ppssibility to start paying after 2 months.

now i’m aafraid of diving in this because i don’t have a community yet.

just sharing some developments on COWorkPeniche with you guys.

best regards,

tiago

–

Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Coworking” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.