- Every industry has its fair share of trendsetters and influencers.
- The coworking industry has several influencers that have helped pave the way of the industry’s growth and evolution.
- Check out the list of people who are driving the conversation around coworking.
It’s a fact: coworking is the new normal.
Incredible interiors, collaborative communities and interesting new niches are just a handful of the things that make it so popular with today’s trendsetters. The fashion industry has Alexa Chung, travel has Murad Osmann and food has Jamie Oliver. But who are the influencers championing the coworking industry?
Actually, there are quite a few.
Let’s take look at a handful of the most prolific coworking influencers operating online at the moment (in no particular order). Follow their social media accounts to stay in the know — and if you’re considering using influencer marketing to advocate your brand it might even be worth reaching out to them!
1. Nicole Vasquez
Co-founder at Deskpass and Second Shift
Self-confessed coworking geek Nicole is a serial entrepreneur and a huge champion of the coworking movement. She believes that “a certain kind of magic occurs when people of all different backgrounds come together to share ideas.”
Nicole’s accolades include being named one of the ‘35 under 35 Making an Impact in Chicago’ and winning the RedEye Chicago Big Idea Award for Community — among many others. She also traveled to Europe as a Professional Fellow to talk about entrepreneurship, cultivating communities and owning a coworking space.
2. Jerome Chang
Owner and Architect at BLANKSPACES
Harvard University School of Design graduate Jerome Chang is a coworking industry pioneer and bona fide influencer. His overarching goal is to “promote communities of entrepreneurs through shared office space and paying it forward.”
In 2007 he founded, designed and managed BLANKSPACES, the first coworking space in Southern California. In 2011 he shared his expertise by hosting one of the first gatherings of coworking operators which kickstarted the creation of the League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces and COSHARE.co.
Connect with Jerome Chang on LinkedIn.
3. Liz Elam
Founder at GCUC and Link Coworking and Partner at Deco Group
Coworking extraordinaire Liz heads up GCUC (pronounced ‘juicy’), the largest coworking conference in the world. In other words, she knows a thing or two about the industry. Liz recently wrote a piece on LinkedIn titled Megatrend Predictions for 2019, in which she cites design, differentiation and consolidation as potential game changers.
To date, Liz has shared her expertise on various stages around the globe, including at SXSW for several years running. Her coworking research has been published in the Harvard Business Review and a number of other prestigious publications.
Read Cat Johnson’s interview with Liz Elam. (An influencer chatting with a fellow influencer!)
4. Cat Johnson
Storyteller and Content Strategist
California-based content maverick Cat is on a mission to elevate coworking brands through storytelling. She does this daily by planning and crafting effective marketing campaigns for spaces, alliances, service providers, industry events and community organisations.
Her metrics speak for themselves. At the time of writing this, over 1,380 flexible workspace operators are subscribed to her mailing list. So if you’re looking to nail your content this year and want to learn some new skills, Cat is a must-follow.
Cat’s newsletters, podcasts and training sessions can be found at catjohnson.co/.
5. Hector Kolonas
Founder at included.co
Like all of the influencers on our list, Hector does a lot. Driven by the belief that “entrepreneurship is one of the world’s most powerful equalisers and drivers of social change”, he launched included.co to “enable entrepreneurship” by connecting coworking communities around the world with B2B service providers.
Over 300 operators are currently part of the network that enables members to benefit from shared insights and bargaining power so as to access the best solutions on the market.
Follow Hector Kolonas on Twitter @inztinkt.
6. Jamie Russo
CEO at the Global Workspace Association
As CEO, Jamie is responsible for the organisation’s strategy and oversees its execution. The GWA is the central platform for the conversation around shared workspaces, supporting operators around the world — as the name suggests. Jamie knows what it’s like to set up a coworking space having launched two herself under the brand Everspace Coworking.
Jamie is also President of the aforementioned League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces (LEXC) and a keen podcaster. If you’re interested in starting a space, investing in one or just want to learn more about the industry, we’d recommend Everything Coworking.
Visit the Everything Coworking website to listen to episodes.
7. Jean-Yves Huwart
Founder at SocialWorkplaces.com
Jean-Yves established SocialWorksplaces.com, a consultancy firm focused on open innovation and new working models, in 2009 with a view to “connect the dots between workplace communities”. The company has grown since, adding value to the lives of coworking operators through its annual coworking conferences in different continents
These conferences include the Social Workplace Conference and Coworking Europe, Africa, India and Middle East. They usually take place over the course of a long weekend and include talks by leading influencers, networking events and the opportunity to explore the host city’s coworking spaces.
Head to Warsaw in November to catch the next Coworking Europe conference.
Is someone missing from our list? Join the conversation on Twitter @Allwork_space #CoworkingInfluencer.
