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Most of the people that I work with have some combination of the following goals:
-small town economic development and vitality
-adaptive reuse of historic assets
-promoting their community
-fostering community involvement
-being a leader of positive transformation
And most of the people I work with are amazingly good at accomplishing these goals.
However, in the past few months I’ve had the same “hand on forehead” revelation in discovery conversations and I want to share it with you in hopes that we can get ahead of it together.
Basically it goes like this - an organization has coworking on their list of master plan items to explore…right below finding a new office.
And a month or two after getting settled into the new office, they are on a Zoom with me discussing ideal coworking space locations. And I really wish they would have scheduled a call with me before getting their new offices, because my favorite coworking structure is one where the local Chamber, DDA, EDC, or Main Street is headquartered in the coworking space.
It’s a setup that makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons.
First, it’s cost effective. Why pay for an office and a coworking space if you don’t have to? The same cost savings and value added features that are pitched to potential coworking members are the same ones that your organization can benefit from. Coworking membership revenue helps cover utilities, insurance, wifi, office supplies, coffee, etc.
(If you haven't read my blog about nonprofit coworking spaces, it might be a good read for you too: Nonprofit Coworking: Transforming Small Towns (integratedlifeco.com)
Along these same lines, it provides an attractive place to meet with potential new downtown business owners and investors, to host educational and networking events as well as social events, it provides more space for your team to work and a more creative and enriching place to work than most boards will approve for a traditional office.
Establishing your organization's presence in a well selected coworking space also puts you closer to street level and provides the opportunity for you to be closer to your existing storefronts downtown. It becomes much easier to check in our your businesses when they are just outside your door and vice versa, it becomes much easier for them to connect with you.
Which segways into the most important factor, it puts you and your organization at the heart of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It’s worth repeating over and over that coworking and community building is all about people.
As the leaders of your local entrepreneurial ecosystem, no one cares more about fostering an amazing environment than you and your team. A coworking space is the perfect place to put that passion on full display and to energize and inspire the entrepreneurs and business owners in your community.
A well executed coworking space is the pumping heart of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem that extends well beyond the walls of the building and out into the community. And there is no better place for you and your organization than directly in the middle of that.
In short, launching a small town coworking space around your organization will help you accomplish:
-small town economic development and vitality
-adaptive reuse of historic assets
-promoting their community
-fostering community involvement
-being a leader of positive transformation
If your DDA, Main Street, Chamber, or EDC is considering moving to a new office, I strongly encourage you to consider a discovery call with me and The Integrated Life Company. Even if we never move forward with contracted work, our short call can arm you with the knowledge you need to consider the benefits of launching a small town coworking space as your new office and your entire community will reap the rewards.
If you’d like to schedule a short, free, no obligation, discovery call, please reach out at life@integratedlifeco.com, alternatively you can use the contact form on our website, or leave a voicemail at 248-985-9613. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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