The Caldwell Workspace is on the right. Photo by Becky McCray.
When I visited Caldwell, Kansas, the manager of the co-working site said they had filled their private offices, but struggled to attract day users.
People who work from home like working from home. They don’t want a full time office, so they said they don’t want to use the coworking space.
How can the coworking space attract those work-from-home folks?
Promote the “co” part more than the “working” part.
At their best, co-working spaces are human spaces, Emergent Research has been saying for ten years now. Studies found that people who use co-working say it makes them less lonely. That’s the part to talk about, much more than the fact that you can work there.
Start by providing your work-from-home people with social hours and temporary events so they can connect and build community with each other. That will help their wellbeing right away. Plus, as long as they’re in the space, they’ll look around and found out more about the space and the services it offers.
Social hours also give you (the manager of the space) a chance to ask more about what they do, what they want and need. Do they want day time hangout events? Are they eager to be social? Do they really just need a copier? I don’t know, but they’ll tell you when you get them together to Build Connections. (That’s Idea Friendly, of course.)
Bonus: you can bring in business supporters like the chamber of commerce or advisors like the Small Business Development Center. When they meet each other in an informal setting, they may be more likely to connect.
Schedule a social hour, and set a goal of three people attending. Even three people is enough to start building community. Put the word out all the ways you know how: local Facebook groups, the chamber of commerce email newsletter, signs around town, and text some friends. Take a lot of pictures so you can use them to promote the next one.
Then try another one, maybe at a different time or a different day. Experiment. Take Small Steps. (That’s Idea Friendly, too.) Let me know how it goes.
Learn more
Find more practical steps you can take in SaveYour.Town’s video Remote Work Ready: Zoom Towns. Everything you’ll learn is do-able, affordable and scaled for small towns.
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
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