Government Owned Coworking/MakerSpace

[Hagen DeRouen]

So, I've been researching opening a coworking location and developing my business plan near my hometown. When I started networking, I discovered that the city has a pipeline project to open a coworking/makerspace. I applaud the city for taking on such a product and they have a very large renovation budget. This is pretty intimidating for me and I'm contemplating whether I should move forward. My gut says that I will be able to provide a better quality of service and management but, do I really want to take on the city? Does anyone have any experience with government owned coworking spaces? Do you think there is still room for a private business? 

[Alex Hillman]

If you haven't already talked to Derek Neighbors and the Gangplank crew, I highly recommend it. They'll give you the no-bullshit reality of working with the city. 

I've copied him on this reply in case he didn't notice this thread :)

-Alex

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The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

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On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 10:19 AM, Hagen DeRouen <hage...@gmail.com> wrote:

So, I've been researching opening a coworking location and developing my business plan near my hometown. When I started networking, I discovered that the city has a pipeline project to open a coworking/makerspace. I applaud the city for taking on such a product and they have a very large renovation budget. This is pretty intimidating for me and I'm contemplating whether I should move forward. My gut says that I will be able to provide a better quality of service and management but, do I really want to take on the city? Does anyone have any experience with government owned coworking spaces? Do you think there is still room for a private business? 

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[Ramon Suarez]

Find more information about the project. If they offer space for free it may be tougher to beat, but no government run initiative will ever have the thrust, energy and care for clients that an entrepreneur may have.

[Alex Hillman]

If they offer space for free it may be tougher to beat

Just remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and that they need you much more than you need them.

Before you jump on ANYTHING, try out a small scale collaboration and see how it feels. Focus on tiny, achievable wins. 

The best parts about the slow approach we've taken to building our relationship with our local gov't is that we don't NEED them - in fact we're automatically on a short list of people who almost never ask them for anything. That instantly makes us stand out from the crowd of people who are always expecting a handout, a subsidization, etc. 

Which means that when when we do ask for something, even something as crazy as renaming a street, they're more than happy to help!

-Alex

------------------

The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.

Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com

Listen to the podcast: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/podcast

On Thu, Sep 24, 2015 at 1:50 PM, Ramon Suarez <ra...@betacowork.com> wrote:

Find more information about the project. If they offer space for free it may be tougher to beat,  but no government run initiative will ever have the thrust, energy and care for clients that an entrepreneur may have.

[Derek Neighbors]

Hagen,

Episode #6 of the Dangercast is a good jumping off point on this topic.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gangplank-dangercast/id699313645?mt=2

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Derek Neighbors

http://derekneighbors.com

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[Craig Baute - Creative Density Coworking]

You to start a conversation to find out what their intentions are. The city of Denver opened big fancy 'coworking and event space for entrepreneurs' right downtown called The Commons. It's a pretty big place with a new sleek look. It doesn't affect Creative Density from what I can tell.

What I've learned from them is that they have a different agenda than our coworking community. We, Creative Density, focus on being a great clubhouse for remote workers and freelancers with a strong community. The Commons is a great spot but they are trying to be a hub for Meetups and entrepreneurial events and a place to for people to meet versus hang out all day and work (although they could). The Commons is also located in the heart of downtown where we are about 2 miles away in the the urban area but surrounded by apartment buildings and not tall office buildings. Parking is difficult down there but not so much here.

Basically, see what the city is trying to do and where they are located because we may find that you two are going down different paths that sound similar but are actualy complimentary versus competitive. 

[Hagen DeRouen]

I've reached out to the project leader and it seems like they have a great idea but are working backwards by building the space first and then the community. There are a lot of questions that they can't answer. Kudos to you on The Coworking Handbook. It was a great starting point for me. 

[Hagen DeRouen]

Thanks Derek. Good info in the Dangercast. I reached out to the city but, I'm not going to get their attention until I start gaining some momentum. I figured it would be great to collaborate so we don't step on each others toes by offering redundant services, programs, etc. but, it's not going to happen this early. I'll have to wait and see what the future holds. At this point I'm only focusing on what I can do for the community. Like you said Alex, I'm not looking for handouts.