Community is the key: What is the secret?

The coworking movement differentiates itself from traditional working models and spaces by focussing on community, collaboration, and connection – the “co” of coworking. But, for the London Coworking Assembly, the term ‘community’ has an even greater meaning beyond bringing a group of people to work together.

We all know that community is the key to coworking, but what is the secret to building one? 

On Wednesday 18th October, this topic was explored at the recent London Coworking Breakfast Show powered by SALTO Systems, taking place at Urban MBA’s brand-new Old Street hub. 

The panel of inspiring workspace and community experts was led by host Joyce Ogunade, Head of Affordable Workspace at London Borough Islington, and included the following speakers:

• Elena Giroli is the Change and Communication Manager at Creative Works Space, a flexible workspace for entrepreneurs in Walthamstow, Northeast London. 
• Gerald Vanderpuye is the co-founder of Impact Brixton, a place for a diverse community of entrepreneurs, freelancers, dreamers, creators, and social change-makers in Southwest London. He’s also the co-founder of ShoDeck. 
• Catherine Park is the Community and Events Lead at award-winning non-profit, Color in Tech. Working towards a more transparent and inclusive tech economy, Color in Tech is striving to close the wealth and opportunity gap for underrepresented individuals.
• Stephen Carrick-Davies is the Director of Facework Group, which equips young people for the changing world of work. He’s also the founder of Hatch Hubs at Peckham Levels, in Southeast London. 

What does community truly mean? 

Each panel member had a varied definition of community, exemplifying how personal it is for everyone. Despite this, the understanding of community across the group was fairly unified. Community is where people feel that “they belong, are accepted, and welcomed,” began Stephen. It’s about establishing a safe space, agrees Catherine. 

Community includes a group of “people who’re going to look out for you,” says Gerald, before sharing a story about how he recently helped one of his members during a personal emergency in the middle of the night. Community is exemplified when every member is supported and nurtured, where people truly care for one another and look out for one another. Although community can exist within a workspace, a true community will exist beyond the limitations of its physical space and opening hours. 

So, how do you build that in coworking?

Starting from scratch 

The very foundations of a community require a clear intention and vision of what the community is and who will be a part of it. These individuals can be selected, as a community doesn’t “need to be all things to all people”, Stephen stresses. The smaller the community, the more purposeful you can be with it, says Gerald, an advocate of smaller communities. 

Narrowing your definition of who is invited to join your community, and catering to them, empowers each individual. Begin by identifying people who resonate with your vision. For instance, attracting technology entrepreneurs with similar characteristics to join your tech hub. Select people who share inclusive values to join your community that is striving to become a safe workspace. Design a space for your chosen community, whether that’s by implementing a prayer room for your Muslim community, or putting sanitary products in the bathrooms for your female community. 

This isn’t to say that you should be exclusive when it comes to community building. Perhaps your community is a diverse group of people defined by location. The founder of Hatch Hubs in Peckham, South London, Stephen, says that the location attracted city workers who felt lonely working from home during the pandemic. The community consists of people who both live and work amongst one another. 

This can build a strong community of neighbours and local businesses. ‘Everyone needs to live within walking distance of a workspace or third space,’ expresses Stephen about the good local coworking or ‘working near home’ does for people in local communities.

Be there to serve

Despite identifying a particular group of people in your workspace, the community must be able to grow of its own accord. Elena says: “Community can’t be fully controlled, but it can be guided.” Provide a level of support and direction, but give your members a sense of autonomy too. This incentivises them to contribute to your community, whilst taking some form of ownership of it. It makes people feel that they’re an integral community member of your workspace. 

Nonetheless, the task of community building is a huge time commitment. Sometimes it proves more successful when it’s undertaken by someone else, such as a community manager, which frees your time to grow the business. The “glue in the place,” described Stephen, the community manager has great people skills, hospitality, and networking abilities. They make sure everyone is cared for and included. 

An audience member suggested that a workspace community ought to be viewed as partners, and served with excellent hospitality and customer service as a result. Gerald and Stephen both agreed that a growing community involves serving people really well.

Striking the balance between people and profit

Your community members are your customers, but viewing them as “bums on seats,” says Stephen, or money in the bank can be a slippery slope. Meanwhile, if you don’t prioritise the financial side of your business, it can be a detriment to its future existence. 

After reading the book Profit First, Gerald realised that if he didn’t put his business first, then it may cease to exist (if the business were to experience financial struggles). His mission at Impact Brixton is so important – he says “purpose is what drives you,” but at the same toss of the coin, it mustn’t distract from making revenue. When Gerald shifted his mindset from growth to profit, Impact Brixton started to experience significant growth and increasing revenue. 

One of the most recent challenges faced by workspace operators, as well as myriad businesses, is at the hands of the cost of living crisis. This not only impacts members who may not be able to afford overheads and therefore stay at their workspace. It also affects the bottom line with soaring energy costs impacting physical businesses.  

It’s been a real struggle, stresses Elena. By having open conversations and offering greater flexibility, she’s working through this challenge with her community by her side. Elena’s honesty around this topic was a poignant moment during the discussion, when Catherine compassionately told Elena that she didn’t need to have all the answers. An excellent show of support, this moment exemplified the community that exists within the London Coworking Assembly.

To aid the balance sheet, Stephen advises that coworking spaces recognise that they’re managing an asset, and consider diversifying revenue streams. For instance, Hatch Hubs is one of several businesses at the buzzing Peckham Levels in Southeast London. From renting your space out in the morning for an early Yoga class, or the evening for networking events, or at weekends for children’s parties, getting creative with your space can have a profound impact on profit and brand awareness. It’s also important to stand firm in your offering, as Elena and Gerald both expressed disappointment that some people expect to use their spaces for free out of working hours. 

Stephen recommends partnering with other businesses and forming local partnerships to seek additional revenue. Recently, Elena has formed partnerships with independent local businesses to build a collective in E17. This initiative revitalises the local area, celebrating the people who reside there and educating new residents and young people about its history. After all, Catherine says, the nature of coworking is ‘collaboration over competition. Work with other people to make it bigger.’

Coworking Values: The Podcast

Over the next 12 months, Bernie Mitchell, producer of London Coworking Europe and the Coworking Values podcast, is collaborating with myself, and Lucy McInally, content writer in the coworking industry, to research and interview people around the world, asking one question: What is the secret to community?

Listen to our first episode with Stephanie Mayr, Leasing Manager Office Austria for Immofinanz, and watch out for next month’s episode where we interview Matthias Zeitler, founder of Coworking Bansko and a pioneer of rural coworking communities.