The NYC Coworking Field Trip

On Wednesday, May 27, I’m piloting a Coworking Field Trip to coworking spaces in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  The plan is to highlight the diversity in coworking spaces in a city or metropolitan area.  This diversity—in design of the space, in the activities (other than work) that take place there, in the people that work there—is one of coworking’s strongest points.  It points to the incredible level of innovation that’s going on in the space—innovation that will both lead to insights into work and workplace, and into the design of coworking spaces themselves.

The spaces this time around are:

• New Work City
• Ditmas Workspace
• Treehouse Coworking
• Williamsburg Coworking

If you’re interested (either as a space or a participant) in taking part in a future field trip, let me know.

Pictures (and tweets) of the event will be posted.

Todd

Our eBook Version is Available Until Paperback Comes Online

We’re not big fans of Lulu right now.

For some reason, the book keeps getting pulled offline due to printing issues, despite the fact that every copy we’ve ordered has come through just fine.

In any case, our eBook version is still up for sale here!

If you want to buy a paperback copy of our book, email us and we’ll let you know when it’s back online!

What is the #1 Question People Have About Coworking?

The #1 question is still, “What is coworking?” if my day to day conversation about our book is any indication.  Most people on the street have never heard of coworking, so that question isn’t a surprise.

I’m interested in what people who have heard of coworking want to know about, so I asked (via Twitter, of course—my ad hoc polling tool of choice).  The answers surprised me.  I had expected questions about the mechanics of setting up a coworking space, mixed with questions about where to find more information.

Instead, easily well over half of the questions had to do with social issues—how to handle noise, what about distraction, can I really get my work done in a coworking space?

In retrospect, this is no surprise.  Coworking is about work.  Coworking’s invention and rapid growth is fueled by the very pragmatic need for a place to work.

Ensuring this is the case should weigh heavily in any coworking plan’s feature list.

- Todd

Thanks to everyone who responded!

I’m *Not* Outta Here: When Offices Adapt

I was reading portions of Richard Florida’s “The Rise of the Creative Class” yesterday, and it provided some great cultural and sociological perspective that overlaps in many ways with what we’re exploring here.

What I found interesting was his perspective on the workplace: Florida, too, acknowledges that a new generation of workers will be demanding a better workplace and a better relationship with employers, but he takes a slightly different angle– suggesting that employers will have to improve the layouts and management of their spaces to accommodate a more creative environment, as opposed to simply releasing people from the office altogether.

It’s important to keep in mind that the technological revolution we are in the early stages of is one that is going to transform life and work on lots of levels: while I’m Outta Here focuses on the people who have gotten out of the office (or never been in one), and the many who will follow, many companies will retain employees in central or satellite offices… and those offices will change too.

There will be a whole spectrum of shifts, from businesses that virtualize completely to ones that retain their offices and simply repurpose them.

And that’s a good thing too. The rise of coworking is proof that, when people are left to decide where they work, they often naturally choose to work along with each other, so many smart businesses will likely recognize that they must create an environment that people would *want* to work in, if getting employees together in the same place is important to them.

When I visited my friend Paul’s office, I was surprised at how social an environment it was for him. Just showing me around his floor, he said hello to ten or more people, each with a work area decorated to their own style. 

The point? People *like* some aspects of working in an office. 

What if a company focused on making the office a place you’d voluntarily want to work in? What if, one day, they announced, “OK, you don’t need to come into the office anymore! Work where you want!” And employees came in anyway?

The company will inevitably still save on office space and overhead, as many may choose to work elsewhere, but the space they retain will be used for good, useful, healthy, necessary gathering and collaboration.

And that’s a good thing. If the changes come to you, you may not have to say “I’m outta here” to be part of the revolution after all.

Starting A Coworking Community, Step 1: Don’t Start A Coworking Community.

So, you want to start a coworking community?

Awesome. We’re glad to have you on board.

Your first step? Don’t start a coworking community. At least, not yet.

Starting a coworking community is just like starting a business: do your due dilligence. Find out what else is out there. Find out who else in your area is doing similar things.

Meet as many people as you can, and listen to what they’re doing and what they need. 

Only after you’ve gotten a really good view of the landscape will you be able to know whether there is a need that needs to be fulfilled. Along th way, odds are good that you will also have encountered the people who will help you build this community, either as collaborators or as members. Keep talking to both these types of people.

In the meantime, join the Coworking Google Group and start reading and participating. This is the collective brain trust of community organizers around the world, and the sheer brain power between these great folks is something not to be missed.

Okay, I did my homework, and we still need an awesome community where the current stuff doesn’t cut it. Now what?

Sweet, let’s continue! 

The next and most important thing to keep in mind is the following: your goal is to become an agent of the people. To build a healthy, successful community, then the community must be theirs, and not just yours. Imposing your views on the community pushes people away. Empowering the community members to participate and contribute to the operations and growth of that community guarantees that it fills the needs of its members and strengthens bonds.

Your job is to manage that ever-morphing public opinion, and to use your judgment when decisions need to be made in the best interests of the community. Managing the community doesn’t mean that you do what everyone wants without question– it’s your job to determine where the real needs are and what direction to take the group.

Keeping a open mind moving forward is going to be important, because your plans are going to change a lot along the way– especially if you start working on opening a full-time coworking space.

But more on that later

2009 is Coworking’s Perfect Storm

I hate the phrase “the perfect storm”.  I also feel like it’s exactly what’s about to happen around coworking.

In 2006 there were only a handful of coworking and related alternative workspace facilities.  There were over 70 spaces worldwide by the end of 2008.  Based on the volume of discussion and the number of new spaces online since the beginning of 2009, I predict that there will be 200+ coworking spaces worldwide by the end of 2009.

Here’s one data point to chew on.  One March 9th, I went to Jelly NYC, which was being held at Treehouse Coworking in downtown Brooklyn.  Brooklyn already has Williamsburg Coworking, one of earliest coworking spaces, and Ditmas Workspace which opened in Ditmas Park in 2008.  Since then, I’ve learned of concrete plans to launch two more spaces in Brooklyn.  Then there’s Manhattan, Staten Island…

Why the sudden interest?

A lot has been written and said about two important drivers—work that can be done anywhere (design, software development…) and technology that allows workers to work anywhere (laptops, wifi…).  I believe there are two more drivers that are more important but that haven’t been given as much attention.

A year ago, I wrote Coworking as Catalyst, and described the impact that coworking will have on business.  But I failed to see the impact that business—specifically the current economic crisis—would have on coworking.

One factor is access to real estate.  Coworking depends on physical space, and as Drew wrote a few weeks ago, there’s never been a better time to negotiate.

The second factor is the job market.  Layoffs started in earnest the last quarter of 2008.  Many of those affected have had time to look for another job, reconsider (either begrudgingly or not), and take steps toward independence.  Life as a new independent worker is challenging—coworking provides a support system comprised of people and place that offset the office.

If only a small percentage of the millions laid off start coworking, the impact, in terms of numbers, will be tremendous.

Todd

Happy Third Birthday, Jelly!

Three years ago today, Amit Gupta put up a post on the House 2.0 blog Introducing Jelly – a semi-weekly work-together - and began what would become a global movement.

Today, Jelly is in over 30 cities worldwide, has spun off Jelly Talks, and is growing every day.

Thursday I met the guys from Jelly Sydney, who kicked off last year’s 24 Hours of Jelly, and seeing just how similar they are to the people I’ve encountered from other cities reminded me just how much technology’s been helping likeminded people connect everywhere.

Three years in, I can’t help but wonder what Jelly will look like three years from now. What will coworking and Jelly communities be like after they’ve had three more years to spread? Will they continue to grow and thrive, or give way to something else?

Whatever it is, the path we’re going down is a healthy one, and an exciting one. Cheers to Amit and Luke, and happy birthday to Jelly!

News, Reviews, and Problems with Lulu

Tony Bacigalupo is I’m Outta Here author-at-large at SXSW.  If you haven’t had a chance to buy a copy of the book and want to leave SXSW with a copy, find Tony—he brought a pile of books with him.  The exact price will depend on how heavy his backpack is and how late at night it is (read into that what you will) when you find him.

We’ve been lucky to have great feedback on the book on the ‘Net, even though we only soft-launched a few weeks ago.  I’ve linked to a few mentions below:

• Coworking Book: I’m Outta Here – Cameron’s in one of the pictures in the book. Can you find him?
• The First Coworking Book – We’re bummed to hear MC Hammer’s no longer at Sandbox Suites.  Still…
• The Coworking Manifesto—With Pictures – Check out Johnny’s video about Indy Hall.
• Is the Office Obsolete? – Steve King is positioned to see coworking from vantage points on both sides of the chasm.

Finally, we’ve had intermittent problems with printing the paperback at Lulu.  The ebook version is not affected.  I think we have the problems sorted out, so order away—both versions are available again.  If you have problems, please let us know here or on our UserVoice account.  We’ll be following up with those of you who’ve contacted us.

Todd

Hunter Gatherers Lead the Way

With roughly 600,000 people losing their jobs each month, it is getting difficult to imagine what all those people are going to do.  File for unemployment? Search Craig’s list for gigs? Refresh that database of contacts? Massage your LinkedIn profile?

Probably all of these at some point.  But increasingly, as Intuit’s “The Future of Small Business” Report (The New Artisan Economy) suggests, whole categories of accidental entrepreneurs are entering the ranks of the self employed.  This includes Boomers who un-retire, mompreneurs, and… the recently laid off.

Start a Business in a Recession?

Consider the story of Black Sheep Adventures, which began operations in the wake of the tech crash of 2001-2002.  A fragile jobs market combined with scarce capital made for a tough environment, but they have made it 7 years now, and are profitable.  To be sure, it is difficult, but there are opportunities out there.

In February 2009, Draper-Fisher-Jurvetson invested $1.1 million in World of Good, an online market place (that runs on an eBay platform) that sells artisanal goods made by artists in developing countries.  While the volume may be small, signs of entrepreneurial success are not necessarily about VCs and headline-making investments.  Rather, it is about bootstrapping and hard work and making due with very little.

Revenge of the Nomads

Independent entrepreneurs today are the new hunter gatherers, foraging on the margins of a traditional economy defined by single-source employment, job security, benefits, retirement plans, etc.  There is nothing wrong with these things, they just happen to be really scarce right now!

Like nomadic hunter-gatherers of old, this new breed of independent business owner recognizes that being successful in small business requires a symbiotic relationship with other institutions—companies, banks, non-profits, government, partnerships with other independents, etc.  This is the new ecology of trust, transparency, reputation, and authenticity, all qualities sadly lacking in many large firms.

Historically, there has often been an ebb and flow between the success of large organizations (Empires) and nomads surviving on the margins in symbiosis.  Occasionally, the relative power of nomads increases dramatically.  Recall the Mongols, who for countless generations were referred to by Imperial China simply as the ’savage hordes to the north’… Thus the Great Wall.

At some point in the early 14th century the Mongols made it around the Wall and sacked the Chinese government on their way to building the largest (by land mass controlled) empire in human history.  They controlled from Beijing to what is now eastern Austria!

I’m not saying that today’s entrepreneurs are on the verge of a revolution; however, they are filling a niche and providing jobs, gigs, and money in an environment when the corporate empires are reeling.  Nomads are not totally independent, they never have been; but they serve a useful, even necessary, function, in the allocation of resources and the maintenance of social continuity and stability.

So, while this too will change eventually, for the time being look to small businesses and would-be entrepreneurs as part of the solution to the current economic crisis.  Heck, you might even have a go yourself!

Office Space for Lease! Or Not?

Every where I go I see signs like this.  Just on the 2 mile drive to drop my kids at school, 11 ’spaces’ are now available to rent as “office space.”  What does this say?  What does it mean?

First, it means that we are in the midst of one helluva recession.  A recession with an ‘R’ that looks an like a ‘D’.  But we all know that.  What I see in this, in combination with the some 600,000 people who seem to be losing their jobs every month, is opportunity.

Time to Negotiate

Sure, there is ample doom and gloom to go around.  But there is good—no great—news for the coworking community!

There has never been as good a time to revisit that tightass landlord who, only 6 months ago, was still holding out for a 3-5 year lease, with a month’s or two rent deposit, 4 references, a bank account large enough to pay off the whole lease in the event of an asteroid strike, etc.  Since you first visited him (and yes, it probably was a ‘him’), he has just been sitting on that property, collecting nothing. What he didn’t tell you was that he was probably sitting on that property for at least 6 months before you first met him.

So the question/issue, for commercial realtors, is this.  Are you going to stay wedded to the traditional/paranoid lease structure process, and continue to sit on millions of square feet (nationally) of empty space, for months and months if not years, or are you going to flex with the times and get some money for that space?  By remaining old school, you folks are just digging your holes deeper and deeper.

In walks the would-be coworking entrepreneur.

“I’ve noticed that this space has been for lease for… 2 years.  Are you going to lease it to us, or are you going to just keep sitting on it.  I mean, we do plan on paying you money.  Our question is, do you want money or not?”

“Get back with us when you make up your mind.”