problems with getting through to people

[Piotr Boulangé]

Hi,

there were so called "summer days" when a lot of (young?) people don';t think about work...

Nevertheless, the summer has ended and I just can't get an idea, of how to reach the potential clients - coworkers - freelnacers.

We have just few people interested, and they SAY that the idea is great... the place is ok.... and that's it... the rest "doesn't follow"...

maybe any of you can share some experience? if not publicly, than at least of the record? :)

thanks.

piotr.b...@gmial.com

www.clock-work.pl

www.facebook.com/clockwork.cowork

[Alex Hillman]

Pitor,

Do you have any members now? Or are you just not growing?

Have you asked the members you do have why they come and why they stay?

-Alex

--
/ah
indyhall.org
coworking in philadelphia

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[Piotr Boulangé]

Alex,

thanks for email :)

I am new, but it's 4th month, and I have 5 people "part-time". 

They came, because the "communictaion" (?) was good = close to home, not far from subway or tram.

and that's all.

I just can't get people to come and visit us... that's my problem. This idea is "new" for them...

2012/9/12 Alex Hillman <dangerous...@gmail.com>

[Jerome Chang]

Host events.  Repeat, mix, and stir.

Jerome
______________
BLANKSPACES
"work FOR yourself, not BY yourself"

www.blankspaces.com
5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.330.9505 (office)

[Randall G. Arnold]

What Jerome said.

 

Also, make sure to get out and join/network with user and enthusiast groups that could benefit from your services.  Developer groups, Adobe Photoshop users, web designers, etc.  Visit with any and all groups that could utilize your space.  Leave cards with them offering free or discounted usage.  Get in touch with schools and especially universities.  

Randy 

[Thomas]

hi,

at Tau (France, Toulouse) we have the same problem : we opened with a
handful of hardcore members and a dozen of "yeah it sounds great"
contacts. we got a great deal for the place so it didn't cost us to
much to launch : with 4 people we were able to cover costs. but then
we stayed with 5 people for months ...

now things are starting to move with more people coming. what happened
? we did small, targeted events or deals (a code and coffee event is
happening close by every week, people showing up there get a free pass
for half a day or something at Tau), we talked around and are
preparing different small things.

so just like Jerome said : hosts or organize events, show up at other
events, talk to people, etc

I can't recommend enough reading Alex Hillman posts (mosts of them
from the last 2 years) there is a couple big ones about this precise
topic or around it.

what I've found out with Tau is that culture takes time to appear in a
place, it takes dedication, patience and efforts

TR

Thomas Riboulet
+33 (0) 698 926 057

[Piotr Boulangé]

All of you - THANKS a lot for all the reply's.

In theory, i know about all about that - but I just can't get to the people - I know all the local networks, sites, groups, events... and if I go somewhere, I meat people, I tell them.., I hear it's great, and the'll come... and  I wait... and wait... and wait...

As for the events, we have similar problem - people say: "nice" and don't show up at all...

OK, I'll gladly hear few more ideas - maybe I haven't tries out averything yet.

But for me - from this discussion - the new thing would be to look at cowork in terms of fashion and style, instead of freelnace, and office :-))) 

Nice one.

Regards, ane depending on the part of the world: good night, have nice day, have a pleasant afternoon, or goodmorning sunshine ;-)

[Jeannine]

Piotr,

Hello there.  good to see you here, too.  (Guys, you have to follow this guy on Facebook, he has a truly hilariously evil sense of humor and is wicked smart).  I assume you all have found the "See translation"button by now, if only because you all of course follow me.  *koff*.

The best thing I did when my space was shaking its way through the startup phase was to offer it for free to 1) a theater group and 2) a local art event.  The first was a good idea because nobody can get the word out faster than people in theater, if they cannot do that they don't last long.  (Besides, they are huge fun.  I had a party with the theater group and a circus group, and it was worth it just to get to come, lol).  The second was a good idea because several hundred people had a good excuse to walk in and look around without feeling weird about it.

But the nature of the thing doesn't matter:  find some nonprofit in your area that needs space and give them the space for a fund raiser.  Or find some need in your community that isn't being taken care of and fill it.  Make sure that the people who care about that overlaps to some extent with your desired members.  Do something for somebody else, it will get you noticed. Organize a Cashmob, people like new, shiny stuff and buy local is hip these days.  Something like that.

Jeannine

[Piotr Boulangé]

Jeannine,
I am blushing, because of You now! ;-)
OK - to tell You all what we did:
1) We are cooperating (almost for free) with psycho-ontological foundation, which uses our space for their group trainings
2) We are giving for free our space for non profit journalist group (unfortunately, they don't have big network)
3) We made our space availible for free for psychological training group helping young people get into the grown up life (moving places and jobs)
4) We have rented for free our space for TV shooting (one of companies, not the channel itself)
5) I have offered (but they didn't come) free space, for social media news agency
6) I have made offer for "MotherWork" ... but they made bigger and global event out of this, with ALL coworking spaces, and it will be "maybe" in october (for me it is right now very /too/ far away)
7) I gave interview for "CochingWorld" - still waiting to be printed
8) I made people write about us in local news-media: "WarsawLove", "Reporter", musical ".LiveLife" ...
9) I am actively present on event calles "Thursdays with Social Media"
10) My article (with data from DeskMag) was printed in paper version of bilingual: www.outsourcingandmore.pl magazine - BECASUE I "SOLD" THE IDEA of coworking, as outsourcing the place to work - the article will be available on the website in a month
11) I have a sponsored article (right now) on a www.outsourccingportal.pl (http://www.outsourcingportal.pl/artykuly,coworking,0,2,842,2.html)
and....those are the thing which I have done and which resulted in "something" ... or shoul

[Piotr Boulangé]

Sorry, my web editor broke down in the meantime.
Ending my post:
Those were the most "resulted" activities, which I have done.
many others didn't work out, and only few (just maybe) will come back to me in some future, if I will still egsist as a cowork :-)

I have 5 people now (4 polish and 1 British)

On the other hand MAYBE YOU GUYS could help with doing networking among your colleagues - maybe your firends have friends that have friends among Polish foreigners?Maybe I just find them? And as for Polsih standards, may English is quite good :-) so I can speak :-)

OK.What else..? Not much... I am running out of ideas... and the cashmob? it never was done in Poland.. And the idea of getting TWO NEW things in ONE event (cowork and cashmob)) maybe riski  - I haven't heard  about it = but I am reserching, datamining, and thinking about it :-)

....but maybe... just maybe.... the cashmob would work on the internet? in global matter? .... If i was earaning (even just enough) than maybe I would give couple of dolars or ueuros for some kind od space like mine... hmmm... I will rethink the idea, and get back to You.

GUYS! This is great - this conversation shows true value of coworking (to bad it's virtuall, and not in the real life). But YOU HELP ME - for what I am grateful AND WE ALL HAVE NEW IDEAS, because it is like a BRAINSTORMING SESSION... at lest for me :-)

THANKS A LOT!

I am checking out few concepts, and will see what I can get out of them :-)