Coworking in the NW...
Imran Ali
groups.google.com/group/coworking/browse_thread/thread/
158d34fc92ab31bd?hl=en)
A Wilmslow-based coworking community is taking shape... http://www.demute.co.uk/
Guy Dickinson
I like their er, enthusiasm - I'd suggest they add a photo of the
facilities!
Demute
Manchester?
On Jul 9, 11:11 am, Guy Dickinson <guydickin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 9 Jul 2008, at 10:50, Imran Ali wrote:
>
>
>
> > ...just popped up today on the global coworking mailing list (http://
> > groups.google.com/group/coworking/browse_thread/thread/
> > 158d34fc92ab31bd?hl=en)
>
Guy Dickinson
On 9 Jul 2008, at 14:12, Demute wrote:
> <moved to bottom...>
>
> On Jul 9, 11:11 am, Guy Dickinson <guydickin...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 9 Jul 2008, at 10:50, Imran Ali wrote:
>>
>>> <snip>
>>
>>> A Wilmslow-based coworking community is taking shape...http://www.demute.co.uk/
>>
>> I like their er, enthusiasm - I'd suggest they add a photo of the
>> facilities!
>
> I will, er, in due course! do you have anything up and running in
> Manchester?
Not me personally, but Ben et all on this group have setup a co-op to
purchase space in the Science Park; they want a professional working
space.
I'm after a more 'bohemian' working space in the centre (or near)
Mancs, so am not joining that co-op effort.
guy.
Richard_Smedley
On Jul 9, 4:06 pm, Guy Dickinson <guydickin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> A Wilmslow-based coworking community is taking shape...http://www.demute.co.uk/
> >> I like their er, enthusiasm - I'd suggest they add a photo of the
> >> facilities!
find at:
http://blog.demute.co.uk/blog/_archives/2008/7/11/3787670.html
a link to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=low4P_48OZo
which shows the space.
@demute
How's it going in Wilmslow? It's quite a handy
location for me, so I'd be interested in hearing
more about the project.
> > I will, er, in due course! do you have anything up and running in
> > Manchester?
> Not me personally, but Ben et all on this group have setup a co-op to
> purchase space in the Science Park; they want a professional working
> space.
> I'm after a more 'bohemian' working space in the centre (or near)
> Mancs, so am not joining that co-op effort.
the immediate short term.
- Richard
Paul Robinson
>> I'm after a more 'bohemian' working space in the centre (or near)
>> Mancs, so am not joining that co-op effort.
>
> +1 - I'm still interested, but not in
> the immediate short term.
Oh man, you guys haven't been keeping up! :-D
The Science Park will be set up the way the tenants want it to be set
up (it's a very laid back env for an office if you ask me), and
please, please bear in mind something *critical*:
The co-working co-op is not just there to manage a space. The co-op
exists to promote co-working. PERIOD. It will also be a legal entity
to hold leases on whatever space the membership deems suitable, in
order to prevent liability on the lease resting with a single tenant.
If you find a great site and the maths work out and you can find
enough people who want to share it with you, you will be able to use
the co-op (we hope!) to hold the lease agreement and manage the space
and mediate any disputes between co-workers.
I repeat: This is *NOT* about us trying to get people into the Science
Park, it's just the first people to the plate want to work from there
and therefore it has the earliest chance of success. They have chosen
that the most suitable set up for them is an office in a relatively
traditional layout.
Show us the space you want, how you want it, tell us the figures, help
us crunch them, we'll try and work out how to make it work.
We asked for feedback on this back at the start of June and nobody
responded:
http://groups.google.com/group/co-working-manchester/web/vision-mission-statement-and-values
We're moving ahead with that view of what we're here to do. Note the
Science Park is not mentioned once. :-) I want to stress in the most
urgent way possible the "multiple formats" element of that mission.
If the mission is wrong, and we need to stress that more, let me or
Ben know.
Regardless, when we start asking for people to become members of the
co-op, think carefully before passing. You might not have another
chance to make the environment you want actually happen in Manchester
in the near future.
--
Paul Robinson
http://vagueware.com :: pa...@vagueware.com :: +44 (0) 7740 465746
Vagueware Limited is registered in England/Wales, number 05700421
Registered Office: 3 Tivoli Place, Ilkley, W. Yorkshire, LS29 8SU
Correspondence: 55 Velvet Court, Granby Row, Manchester, M1 7AB
Paul Robinson
> Oh man, you guys haven't been keeping up! :-D
That came across as flippant and condascending when I re-read it. So
did much of the rest of the mail. Apologies.
The point is this: describe the space you want, we'll try and make it
happen. Really, you wouldn't believe the effort we've put in so far
and how much we want this to work.
Bear in mind though that it has to be a pragmatic balance. We can't
provide everybody with something looking like the Google offices but
with more coffee machines for £50/month. :-)
Demute
condescending or whether I need to get a bit more immersed in the
culture of this group! That said I do have a couple of points:
Choregus have reviewed our offices at
http://www.choregus.co.uk/servicedoffice-blog/wilmslow-serviced-office-space-with-a-difference-1235.html
and seem to think it's ok, we are expanding over the next month to
take on another three offices. We started on the journey about the
same time as your group, we are up and running and making money, with
respect I don't understand how you're cooperative will fund the space
you are looking for unless you have a backer relaxed about getting
their money back or you have a large number of people looking to pay
and use the service from day 1. I'm sure the guys at eOffice in
Manchester and other places like itstheworks will tell you that
getting people in is tough, retaining customers after the first visit
is tough the credit crunch is making people think more about taking on
long term leases which is good for us but the economic outlook is
pretty grim. Back of a fag packet calculations tell me that you are
going to burn northwards of £75k getting your cooperative going and
funding it through the first year I've only read comments passed back
and forth about stumping up a few hundred quid to set the thing up,
not a great deal about how/where the rest of the money is coming from
and who is prepared to put their neck on the block.
I'll grant you my website is pretty rudimentary and to guys like you
it's probably even a little naff but I can fix that. Happy to share my
experiences in getting what I've got up and running. Look forward to
comparing notes.
Ian M
I think that's Phill Gardener after reading the review.
It seems what you are doing. I think you've got a good price point
there, and it will provide
an attractive hot desking space for those in Cheshire, who like you
say don't want to commute to the city centre (or the myriad of
business districts in between). You've got Mobica on your doorstep,
as well as quite a few other smaller firms
who would find this attractive I'd imagine, oh and that big 'fishy'
consultancy. Shiver.
I think if I was in the Wilmslow area for a day, or fancied a change I
would definately pop in.
We've found there's definate interest in getting a group together who
would associate themselves with a co-working space.
This is likely to be a combination of hot desks, permanent desks with
storage, and possibly 'semi-open' offices.
There's a couple of small companies interested in a number of spaces,
as well as a number of freelancers, who have expressed a financial
interest in supporting the co-working space from the start at £x per
desk per month.
There's a definate distinction between a service office, and the
numerous succesful co-working ventures.
Once a space is setup I believe the 'co' aspect will be a unique
selling point in attracting further people,
and that most people seem to be in complimentry industries, as well
potential exchanges for day hot desk space with other co-working
spaces across the country.
It would be start on a size that we can afford and expand from that
point, so wouldn't need a large fund to get started.
Though it does seem that their are development funds that can be
applied for from the co-op, which we recently found out about after a
visit to the multi-discipline co-working venture (OpenSpace) in
Hulme. That sort of fund could probably be used to enchance an
existing set up rather than set a space up in the first place.
Paul Robinson and Ben Gibbs are in the midst of organising the next Co-
Working day which will be announced soon (prompt.prompt;). I
personally think it would be great if you came along and shared your
experiences.
Ian
p.s. if you're looking for an easy way to get pictures of your office
space up so people can see them I thoroughly recommend http://flickr.com.