With almost 2,500 coworking spaces worldwide since DeskMag’s last coworking survey in February 2013, the quality of coworking spaces is imperative to fulfill their mission and ensure that they keep their doors open. This guide highlights key takeaways from Steve Glaveski’s Ten Step Guide to Perfect Coworking.

1. Ten Step Guide
to the Perfect
Coworking Space

2. Introduc)on
With
almost
2,500
coworking
spaces
worldwide
since
DeskMag’s
last
coworking
survey
in
February
2013,
the
quality
of
coworking
spaces
is
impera)ve
to
fulfill
their
mission
and
ensure
that
they
keep
their
doors
open.
This
guide
highlights
key
takeaways
from
Steve
Glaveski’s
Ten
Step
Guide
to
Perfect
Coworking.
Image:
DeskMag

3. Step
One
–
Iden)fy
Your
Market
Who
are
you
targe@ng?
Your
market
dictates
everything
you
do.
Your
name,
logo,
website,
loca)on
and
fitout.
Basically,
everything
that
defines
your
brand.

4. Iden)fy
Your
Market
(cont.)
Pick
a
niche
Choose
your
target
market
carefully
based
on
the
following
factors.
• Industry
• Business
maturity
• Size
of
the
business
• Loca)on
• Age
• Culture
• Values
• Demand
prospects
“While
it’s
good
to
push
some
people’s
boundaries,
it’s
also
true
that
we
have
very
individual
ways
of
working
and
we
should
feel
comfortable
to
gravitate
to
the
community
that
suits
us
best”
–
Lauren
Anderson,
Collabora)ve
Labs

5. Iden)fy
Your
Market
(cont.)
Open
door
policy?
Decide
on
whether
you
will
run
an
open
door
policy
or
review
applica@ons.
Businesses
at
the
same
stage
of
the
business
maturity
lifecycle,
for
example,
will
be
going
through
similar
growing
pains,
and
have
a
lot
to
gain
through
sharing
insights
with
each
other
and
helping
each
other
along
the
way.
The
same
cannot
be
said
about
businesses
in
vastly
different
stages.

6. Step
Two
–
Loca)on,
Loca)on
Where
are
you
seFng
up
shop?
As
with
buying
a
home,
loca@on
is
king
when
it
comes
to
coworking
spaces.
The
hustle
and
bustle
of
the
CBD
or
the
edginess
of
the
inner
city
suburbs?
Whatever
the
case,
ensure
that
the
loca)on
selected
is
the
best
fit
for
your
market.
Image:
St
Kilda
Hub

7. Step
Two
–
Loca)on,
Loca)on
(cont.)
Surroundings
count!
Coworkers
want
more
than
just
a
place
to
work.
• Public
transport
• Car
parking
• Cafes
• Retail
stores
• Restaurants
• Bars

8. Step
Two
–
Loca)on,
Loca)on
(cont.)
Read
the
fine
print
Ensure
you
have
the
right
to
alter
the
look
and
feel
of
the
venue
if
taking
out
a
lease
Park,
river
or
beach
views
are
a
bonus!

9. Step
Three
–
Fitout
Clothes
maketh
the…space.
First
impressions
count,
get
the
right
look!

10. Step
Three
–
Fitout
(cont.)
The
look
dictates
the
feel.
A
coworking
space’s
fitout
should
reflect
the
space’s
principles
and
values.
Fitout
influences:
• The
work
environment
• Member
aFtudes
• Opportuni)es
for
conversa@on
and
collabora@on
• Member
aNrac@on
and
reten@on

11. Step
Three
–
Fitout
(cont.)
Mix
it
up!
• Casual
hotdesks
• Permanent
desks
• Dedicated
open
plan
team
spaces
• Private
team
spaces
• Quiet
spaces
• Mee)ng
and/or
conference
rooms
• Breakout
areas
• Open
collabora)ve
areas
Most
successful
coworking
spaces
have
a
mix
of
the
following:
Image:
Moboff.co.jp

12. Step
Three
–
Fitout
(cont.)
Coworking
should
inspire.
Artwork
is
important
–
it
can
be
funky,
post-­‐modern,
conserva)ve…whatever.
It
all
depends
on
your
market.
In
all
cases
though,
it
should
inspire
and
not
distract.
Image:
Startupvitamins.com

13. Step
Three
–
Fitout
(cont.)
Avoid
unnecessary
noise
Bad
acous)cs
can
make
a
coworking
space
sound
like
a
boiler
room
straight
out
of
The
Wolf
Of
Wall
Street.
Consider
the
following:
• Sound
deadening
floor
coverings
• Ceiling
treatments
• Sound
clouds
• Wall
panels
• Individual
work
areas
• Varying
ceiling
and
wall
surface
angles

14. Step
Four
–
Branding
What’s
in
a
name…
Your
name,
logo,
marke)ng
materials
and
digital
iden)ty
say
a
lot
about
your
coworking
space
and
its
members.
Shakespeare
taught
us
that
a
rose
by
any
other
name
would
smell
just
as
sweet.
While
that
may
be
true,
you
can’t
smell
the
rose
unless
you
venture
into
the
garden,
so
a
less
than
engaging
name
may
have
your
target
market
searching
elsewhere
and
never
gedng
close
enough
to
smell
the
proverbial
rose.

15. Step
Four
–
Branding
(cont.)
Your
online
iden@ty
• Your
website
is
most
prospec)ve
members
first
contact
with
your
coworking
space
• If
it
sends
the
wrong
message
you’ll
lose
them
forever
• On
social
media,
if
you’re
using
it
(which
you
should)
don’t
just
post,
be
sure
to
engage!

16. Step
Four
–
Branding
(cont.)
Adver@sing
plaTorms
There
are
many
pure-­‐play
shared
office
space
plaforms
such
as
LiquidSpace
in
the
United
States,
HotDesk
in
Australia
and
Seats2Meet
in
Europe,
among
others.
While
not
absolutely
cri)cal,
having
the
plaform
align
with
your
brand
is
an
advantage.

17. Step
Five
–
Community
and
Culture
Build
a
tribe!
The
difference
between
a
coworking
space
and
a
shared
office
space
is
community.
The
key
to
airac)ng
people
may
lie
in
branding,
but
the
key
to
reten@on
is
in
community.

18. Step
Five
–
Community
snd
Culture
(cont.)
Tools
of
the
trade
It’s
all
about
inclusivity!
• Photo
boards
comprised
of
space
members
• Regular
newsleiers
• Events
and
workshops
• Special
member
only
offers
• Spotlights
on
members
and
their
businesses
• Engaging
with
members
on
social
media
• Friday
night
drinks
and
pizza
• Beer
fridges
• The
occasional
lunch
• Alterna)ve
currencies

19. Step
Five
–
Community
snd
Culture
(cont.)
Community
management
If
economically
viable
and
if
you
don’t
have
the
)me
to
build
the
community
yourself,
consider
hiring
a
community
manager.
A
great
community
manager
will
be
worth
their
weight.

20. Step
Six
–
Events
and
Educa)on
Educate
the
tribe
Events
are
a
great
way
to
earn
addi@onal
revenue
and
market
your
space
to
outsiders.

21. Step
Six
–
Events
and
Educa)on
(cont.)
Be
strategic.
Align
the
nature
of
events
with
your
brand
and
target
market.
For
example,
if
your
coworking
space
focuses
on
public
prac)ce
professional
services
such
as
accountany,
law
and
company
planning,
hos)ng
talks
related
to
topics
such
as
‘how
to
maximise
your
tax
return’
will
only
serve
to
build
your
brand
further
and
solidify
your
reputa)on
as
the
public
prac)ce
coworking
space.

22. Step
Six
–
Events
and
Educa)on
(cont.)
Member
par@cipa@on
Let
members
aiend
for
free
as
a
membership
value-­‐add
and
encourage
them
to
organise
their
own
events.
The
resident
tax
consultant
will
not
only
boost
his
public
speaking
creden)als
by
holding
a
workshop,
but
could
also
generate
addi)onal
leads
and
customers.
Another
value
add.

23. Step
Six
–
Events
and
Educa)on
(cont.)
Networking
drinks
Whatever
the
event
and
whoever
the
organiser,
a
30
to
60
minute
block
of
networking
drinks,
generally
aler
the
presenta)on,
is
a
must.

24. Step
Six
–
Events
and
Educa)on
(cont.)
Ongoing
educa@on
and
insights
Educa)on
also
extends
beyond
workshops
to
sharing
informa)ve
blog
posts
on
topics
such
as
efficiency,
collabora)on
and
remote
working
tools
via
your
website,
social
media
accounts
and
newsleiers.
A
library,
whether
digital
or
hardcopy,
of
books,
journals
and
general
value
adding
insights
is
also
very
useful.

25. Step
Seven
–
Administra)on
Boring
but
important!
In
the
digital
age,
you
don’t
want
people
to
deal
with
hardcopy
paperwork,
manual
payments,
difficulty
gedng
in
and
out
of
the
venue
or
issues
connec)ng
to
the
wireless
internet.

26. Step
Seven
–
Administra)on
(cont.)
Suppor@ng
technologies
While
technologies
in
this
space
are
not
mature
yet,
they
do
make
life
easier!
From
managing
user
registra)ons
and
access
to
coworking
spaces
and
wifi
services
to
facilita)ng
mee)ng
room
bookings,
invoice
genera)on,
direct
debit
of
member
payments
and
the
subsequent
provision
of
receipts,
tools
such
as
COBOT
and
Nexudus
can
help
make
your
job
easier.
Plus,
you’ll
save
some
trees
along
the
way!

27. Step
Eight
–
Music
Everyone’s
a
DJ
Introduce
a
Bluetooth
ready
speaker
system,
invite
each
member
to
contribute
songs
to
a
Spo)fy
playlist
and
keep
the
volume
to
an
appropriate
level.
Background
music
may
not
be
suitable
for
every
space
so
think
about
your
members!

28. Step
Nine
–
Ameni)es
A
home
away
from
home
As
alluded
to
in
previous
steps,
coworkers
will
expect
a
minimum
set
of
ameni)es
at
most
spaces.
• Ergonomic
chairs
and
desks
• Wireless
internet,
printer
and
copier
access
• Basic
kitchen
facili)es
• Coffee
machine
• Showers
• Lockers
• Change
rooms
• Lavatories
• Nerf
guns
op)onal

29. Step
Ten
–
Pricing
and
Flexibility
Don’t
forget
why
you
exist
Coworking
is
meant
to
be
flexible...and
affordable.
Deskmag
found
that
the
most
important
factors
for
coworkers
are
convenience
and
affordability.
Don’t
lose
sight
of
this
fact
and
be
sure
to
create
a
number
of
packages
to
suit
different
member
needs.
From
casual
drop-­‐ins
to
1,
3
and
5
day
a
week
passes,
be
flexible.

30. Step
Ten
–
Pricing
and
Flexibility
(cont.)
Compare
the
market
Assess
what
other
spaces
are
charging,
and
based
on
your
target
market,
loca)on,
fitout,
community
and
overall
brand,
determine
a
reasonable
price
point
for
member
packages
as
well
as
short-­‐term
daily,
weekly
and
monthly
bookings.
Offer
24-­‐7
access
where
possible.

31. Step
Ten
–
Pricing
and
Flexibility
(cont.)
Be
crea@ve
Consider
whether
or
not
you
will
charge
for
mee)ng
room
use
and
whether
this
will
form
part
of
user
packages.
Find
that
the
space
is
most
quiet
on
Mondays
and
Fridays?
Consider
offering
a
cheap
drop-­‐in
pass
for
those
days.

32. About
the
Writer
Steve
Glaveski
is
the
founder
and
managing
director
of
HotDesk,
a
shared
office
space
and
coworking
plaform
focused
on
op)mising
distressed
office
and
improving
cashflow
for
both
landlords,
lessees
and
users
of
space
by
developing
collabora)ve
and
innova)ve
coworking
spaces.
Feel
free
to
contact
Steve
at
any
of
the
below.
Steve
Glaveski
|
Founder
and
Managing
Director
Hotdesk
-­‐
find
a
working
space.
T
@steveglaveski
E
steve@hotdesk.com.au
W
www.hotdesk.com.au