6 questions to successfully start a coworking space

The precursors of today's coworking spaces are the community-oriented, publicly accessible hackerspaces of the 1990s, whose function was to bring like-minded people together. Little has changed in this model - similar mentality, fruitful collaboration, shared resources. Nevertheless, each coworking space has its own mission statement that needs to be defined during planning and founding.

As with pretty much all good concepts, the classic W questions can provide guidance.

Why? - What is your motivation, why do you want to start a coworking space in the first place? Is the monetary profit in the foreground? Do you care about a creative, vibrant community? Do you want to proactively facilitate skill sharing, throw parties, tap into the interior design potential of an existing space, self-actualize? "Know your intent" - know your motivation, because only with the end result in mind can the planning of such an extensive project be truly sustainable.

▶︎ Continue reading "Why Start a Coworking Space?" here.

When? - The rather unsexy part of such an endeavor lies in the bureaucracy. You'll come into contact with that in a big way, so be prepared for mountains of paperwork. Not only does the drafting of a lease agreement take time, but any remodeling and beautification efforts often come with various extra loops, keyword fire safety perhaps. In addition, your business model will take a while, which also needs to be checked legally. It pays to be meticulous. So take plenty of time for the bureaucratic basics so that your coworking space literally stands on a solid foundation.

▶︎ Continue reading "When is a good time and how long does it take to start a coworking space?" here.

Speaking of business models, the category of your future coworking space plays a decisive role. Do you want to offer primarily private offices and rent them out on a long-term basis? Do you want to enable as many social contacts as possible and integrate a café or restaurant, a large community room or leisure activities? Should tenants be able to join on a flexible, hybrid and daily basis thanks to a membership plan that is as variable as possible? All these questions need to be reflected upon and finally weighed up on the basis of your financing and space options.

▶︎ Continue reading "How to find the right business model for your coworking space?" here.

How much? - When it comes to money, you will certainly be aware that important decisions have to be made early on. Do you have financial backers, liquid partners who will invest in your project? Are you considering a subscription model with a price structure that covers the running costs? At this point, it is recommended to have as many conversations as possible, for example with operators of successful locations, and to take advantage of consulting services. Often, the local municipality offers these explicitly for founders. Just ask, it costs nothing compared to expensive loans or poor financial planning.

▶︎ Continue reading "How much money do you need and for what?" here.

Finally, the most important point, because a coworking space can only be as great as its coworkers. What criteria do you want to use to select teams or freelancers, what should they bring to the table? Conversely, what do you want to offer them - a coffee flat rate, quiz nights, yoga classes or gin and tonic happy hours? Most importantly, what values do you represent with your space? After all, apart from all the amenities, it's precisely those that really bring like-minded people together.

▶︎ Continue reading "Who will work in your coworking space?" here.

Communicate with what? - If you want to keep your flock together in a coworking space, you need communication skills. And in the best case, software that supports them - after all, most communication is now digital. Organize memberships? Keeping track of room bookings? Informing the community about news and events? With coapp, you have the overview: The app is a 3in1 of digital community platform, workspace management software and social marketplace. Sounds exciting? Book a demo now.

All key topics at a glance:

Startup Series: Why start a coworking space?

Startup series: When is a good time and how long does it take to start a coworking space?

Startup series: How do you find the right business model for your coworking space?

Startup series: How much money do you need and for what?

Startup series: Who will work in your coworking space?

Other articles:

Productivity Unleashed: Designing Your Perfect At-Home Coworking Setup