New Year, New Goals: Tips For Coworking Operators And Community Managers

• The New Year is the perfect time to revisit your company’s goals, future plans, and strategies.
• Take a look back over the past 12 months to establish which strategies worked, which ones failed, and what lessons you can learn from 2018.
• Use this time to revisit your company’s goals as well as your own personal plans, and map out a fresh strategy for the year ahead.

January 1st marks the beginning of a new year and the opportunity to start afresh. Getting a business on the right track requires planning, thinking, understanding, and analyzing where the company stands and where you want to take it. January is the perfect time to revisit your company’s goals, future plans, and strategies.

With 2019 now upon us, here’s a list of action points flexible workspace operators should do to kick-start their year.

1. Look back to 2018 with a critical eye

Review your goals and strategies of the previous year with a critical eye. What were your goals? Did you meet them? What worked and what didn’t? Which months did you perform your best? Which areas do you need to strengthen? Is there something you should stop doing? Answering these questions will help ensure that your time and resources are well invested in the new year.

2. Set and map out new (and realistic) goals

Once you’re clear on what worked and what didn’t, it’s time to set new goals. What do you want to achieve monthly, quarterly, and annually? Knowing where you want to be by the end of each month, quarter, or year will make it easier for you to prioritize tasks, efforts, and resources. Make sure you determine how you will measure your efforts; keep track of your progress throughout the year and if necessary change your strategy. Make sure you establish your big wins and how you plan to achieve them.

3. Make sure your coworking members’ and vendors’ contact information is up to date

Whether you use a software or you do it manually, review all of your members’ contact information and make sure it’s up to date. Check if payments are up to date, if credit or debit cards are expiring, if their email and phone number are the same, etc. If necessary, renew memberships and contracts.

4. Focus on improving your customer experience

The flexible workspace industry is a growing industry. Competition is intensifying and people expect more from the industry. You need to make sure you offer a unique workplace experience to attract and retain customers. Reach out to them and ask them what they like and what they don’t like. Ask them for suggestions and if there’s anything your space is missing. Providing a unique experience across all touchpoints will help you build loyalty and create brand advocates. Make your members a priority.

5. Talk to your staff

Just as it’s important that you are catering to your members, it’s equally or even more important that you are also paying attention to what your team needs. They’re involved in the day to day operations and nuances of running your space, ask them what you think is working, what isn’t, and if they have any new ideas to tackle some of your more pressing issues. Keep in mind that the highest hidden cost of operating a coworking space is building and keeping the right team in place; one way to make sure they stay is by empowering them to make decisions.

6. Revamp your content marketing strategy

Content marketing is a powerful and inexpensive tool that can help coworking operators get in front of their target audience. Look back to what you’ve been doing over the past couple of years. Has it worked? If you think your marketing efforts aren’t as fruitful, revisit your strategy. Create your ideal coworking customer persona and use a content calendar to make sure your content strategy stays on track throughout the year.

7. Stay up to date with industry tends

The flexible workspace industry has experienced exponential growth over the past two years. In this time, the industry has changed and evolved. Operators are looking to management contracts and property owners are looking to enter the industry with their own brands. Flexible workspaces are opening up in malls, and workplace talk is focusing on wellness. Knowledge is power; it’s important that you understand the trends that are likely to impact your business so that you may prepare for them and, where necessary, adapt to them.

The Allwork.Space team wishes you a Happy New Year!