This article originally appeared on catjohnson.co.
As a coworking space operator, you solve a lot of problems. Whether someone needs a workspace away from home, a meeting room, an office for their team, a nice place to bring clients, or a room to take zoom calls, you’ve got them.
And so does every other coworking space in the world.
So, rather than focusing on the problems you solve, which are super valuable, you have to focus on something more compelling, something stickier, something more human.
And the best way to do this is to share the stories of your space, brand, and community. Doing so is a huge differentiator that requires you to dig deep into your vision and values, your own story, your passion for coworking, and the transformational experience that being a member of your space provides.
Here are nine storytelling angles to start with, and you can probably find nine more sub-angles for each one. Take some time to dig into these, get clear on what they mean to you and your community, and start putting those stories out into the world through your content, your tours, your events, and every time you have an opportunity to talk about your space.
- Your origin story: What brought you to coworking? What was your coworking a-ha moment? Why did you choose coworking over other industries? How did your path lead you to coworking?
- Your why: Running a coworking space is hard work. It’s an always-on job and the profit margins are tight. So, what is your why? What drives you? What keeps you committed and passionate about your space and community even on the hard days?
- Your unfair advantage: An unfair advantage is something you have that can’t easily be duplicated by anyone else. For example, maybe you have an entrepreneur accelerator; maybe you have a well-established event series; maybe you have in-house media training and facilities; maybe you’re in a historic building; maybe you have deep roots in the business community; maybe you’re the place to be for creatives in your town; etc. Surface your unfair advantages and share them at every opportunity.
- Your vision: If everything went amazingly well in your space and community, what would that look like?
- Your values: What are the core values that drive you, your space, and your community?
- Your vibe: What’s the vibe in your space? What does it feel like to spend a day in your space? What does it feel like to be a member of your space week after week, year after year? Doing a vibe check and sharing it across your channels is content gold.
- Your purpose: Why do you do the work you do, beyond making money? This is an opportunity to dig into your big picture. What change would you like to make in the lives of your members, your local community, and the world? Your purpose can be lofty and aspirational. For instance, my purpose is: “To create a world of activated and connected people doing work we love.” This is bigger than me, and it’s bigger than coworking. But it is my North Star that I return to again and again to keep me focused and aligned.
- Your culture: The vibe in your space is, ideally, buzzing. But what’s the underlying culture? Do you encourage members to connect and collaborate? If so, how do you do that? What opportunities will members have? How do you celebrate wins? How do you support each other through failures? How can members share what they know with other members? How do you create a sense of belonging in your space? How do you welcome new members into the community? These all contribute to the culture of your space and make great stories.
- Your community: Who are all these people anyway? Every coworking space has humans in it, but who are your humans? Who are the people attracted to your vision, values, and vibe? What do they do? What are they about? How do they connect and network with each other? What opportunities do they have to lead, create, and participate? Your biggest differentiator is your community, so help your community members shine.
Layer it on.
Being a solver of problems is a great thing. But it’s just the foundational step in creating a great coworking space. All the good stuff gets layered on top of that foundation. So don’t stop with the foundation.
Dig into all the good stuff, and share it everywhere, frequently, and consistently.
