Who Actually Runs Your Space, You or Your Members? | S2 EP22

Who Actually Runs Your Space, You or Your Members? | S2 EP22

For anyone running a coworking space, there's a tension that builds up slowly and rarely gets talked about. The members you opened the doors with become part of the furniture. You know their kids' names and you've shared the highs and the wobbles.  Somewhere along the way, decisions that should sit with you start getting weighed against how those members might react. A price review gets put off, a change gets softened or a conversation gets parked for another week. In this episode, Graham and Anne-Marie work through what happens when an operator's relationships with longer-standing members start steering the business. They cover legacy pricing, communicating change with confidence, the role of a well-kept handbook and why honest conversations are what real community is actually built on. If there's a conversation you've been carrying around, this one will help you find a way through it. Key takeaways for coworking and flexible workspace operators: 1. Refresh your handbook and reshare it with a quick read-and-acknowledge step 2. Make current pricing visible somewhere all members can see it 3. Pick one small change this month rather than waiting for a bigger overhaul 4. Apply rules consistently for everyone, regardless of how long they've been in the space 5. Set up a feedback channel and respond to what comes through it Thanks for tuning in to Flex That Worx! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss our next episode. Connect with us on LinkedIn: * Graham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayclarke/] * Anne-Marie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariemurphy1/] Watch the full episode on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Baseworx], explore free tools and resources over at Baseworx.co [http://baseworx.co/]. This is Flex That Worx powered by Baseworx, scaling your workspace, made simpler and less stressful!

Your Costs Are Rising, Is Your Space Ready? | S2 EP21

If your energy bill doubled tomorrow, would your space still make money, and would you actually know why? It is the question Graham and Anne-Marie sit with this week on Flex That Worx, with single space coworking operators front of mind, because you are the one carrying this weight, in a building full of people you know by name and that takes its own kind of strength. This is a practical chat about putting your experience to work, getting clear on what each part of your space actually costs to run, having the kind of conversation worth having with members who have been with you a long time and looking at the revenue lines that grow alongside your daily memberships.  There is plenty here on staying useful to your local community when things get unpredictable and on holding tightly to the warmth of your space when the natural pull is to shrink back. You have weathered cost pressure before, the instincts are still in you and this episode is here to help you trust them. Key takeaways for coworking & flexible workspace operators: * Visibility on your cost base, room by room, is the foundation for every other decision you make * Long-standing member pricing deserves a fresh, kind conversation, because the gap between what early members pay and what it costs to host them keeps widening * Revenue lines like registered addresses, day passes, meeting room hires and hybrid bundles can ease the pressure without changing the feel of your space * Being known to your local council, chamber and business community puts your space front of mind when disruption hits * The warmth and welcome of your space is what members are paying for, so it deserves protecting when the pressure is on Thanks for tuning in to Flex That Worx! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss our next episode. Connect with us on LinkedIn: * Graham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayclarke/] * Anne-Marie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariemurphy1/] Watch the full episode on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Baseworx], explore free tools and resources over at Baseworx.co [http://baseworx.co/]. This is Flex That Worx powered by Baseworx, scaling your workspace, made simpler and less stressful!

How to Build a Sales Process as a Coworking Space Operator | Flex Rewind | S2 EP20

If you're running a coworking space on your own, sales is the work that probably gets pushed to the side when the day gets full. There's always something else going on like a tour to give, a question to answer, a list of small things waiting on you before lunch. If this sounds like your current reality, this week's Flex Rewind is for you.  Anne-Marie and Graham return to one of the conversations operators keep telling us they need to hear, all about how to build a sales process when you're running things on your own and don't have hours to spare on it. It's a practical look at why being a single space operator is itself a reason for a small process to exist. You'll hear about a simple pipeline you could set up over a coffee, the one question worth asking every person who comes through your door and the kind of light-touch monthly check-in that helps you see where your time is best spent. Nothing complicated. Just enough to keep the leads that come in from slipping away without you noticing. Key takeaways for coworking & flexible workspace operators: * A simple sales process is critical so that it runs every day and fits around your work instead of fighting it. * Picturing the person who'd take the desk is often more useful than the next round of marketing. * Three stages is enough. New enquiry, in conversation, closed. * One question, every time. Ask each enquiry where they found you and write it down. * Two numbers, once a month. Tours carried out and new invoices sent gives you your conversion picture. * Start small this week: A coffee, a notebook and three columns is all you need to begin. Thanks for tuning in to Flex That Worx! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss our next episode. Connect with us on LinkedIn: * Graham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayclarke/] * Anne-Marie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariemurphy1/] Watch the full episode on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Baseworx], explore free tools and resources over at Baseworx.co [http://baseworx.co/]. This is Flex That Worx powered by Baseworx, scaling your workspace, made simpler and less stressful!

Pricing Your Space Without Losing the Trust You've Built | Flex Rewind | S2 EP19

Pricing your space sits in a category of its own. The numbers come together quickly enough. The harder part is sitting with what a change might mean for the members who've stayed with you, who've shaped the community in your space and who you'd rather not lose. That weight is real and it's part of what makes you the kind of operator your members are happy to keep coming back to. In this Flex Rewind, Graham and Anne-Marie come back to the topic of pricing. They cover why standardised pricing protects the trust at the heart of your community, where private rates genuinely belong for at-scale clients, why it's okay to charge fairly for what your space provides and how clear bundles can take the friction out of the day-to-day for both you and your members. Key takeaways for coworking & flexible workspace operators: * Standardised, public pricing protects the trust your members place in you and the conversations they have with each other  * Private rates make sense for clients taking a meaningful slice of your desks * Passing rising costs through with care is part of looking after the business that holds your community * Some members stepping back when rates shift is part of running a healthy business, not a sign you've fallen short on the care you've shown * Clear bundles ring-fence fair usage and avoid the awkward meeting room conversation before it lands * Flexibility is a kindness, and letting members pick what fits how they actually work is part of why they stay Thanks for tuning in to Flex That Worx! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss our next episode. Connect with us on LinkedIn: * Graham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayclarke/] * Anne-Marie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariemurphy1/] Watch the full episode on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Baseworx], explore free tools and resources over at Baseworx.co [http://baseworx.co/]. This is Flex That Worx powered by Baseworx, scaling your workspace, made simpler and less stressful!

Scaling Your Coworking Space Without Losing What Makes It Work | Flex Rewind | S2 EP18

Scaling a coworking space is a milestone worth pausing over. If you are looking at opening a second location or you already have a handful of spaces running, you have built something that works well enough to grow from. Scaling also tends to come with feelings that rarely get talked about out loud, like the tiredness, the overworked team and the Sunday evening reports that take longer than they should. In this Flex Rewind, Anne-Marie and Graham discuss what scaling actually looks like from the operator's seat. They talk through why taking stock of what you already have is part of growing well, how to hold space for the fact that every location inside your brand will have its own personality and what to look for in the systems underneath your business so they carry your team well as you grow. Wherever you are on your scaling journey, this one was made for you. Key takeaways for coworking & flexible workspace operators: * Scaling is the reward for a lot of quieter work that came before and it is worth celebrating before adding more * Looking honestly at the spaces you already run is often where the next stretch of good growth starts * Every location inside your brand will have its own rhythm and that is part of what keeps a growing brand feeling alive * The process and tech underneath your business is what holds the brand together as each site takes on its own personality * The tools you choose at this stage need to support your team, your managers and the people you are reporting to Thanks for tuning in to Flex That Worx! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss our next episode. Connect with us on LinkedIn: * Graham [https://www.linkedin.com/in/grayclarke/] * Anne-Marie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariemurphy1/] Watch the full episode on our YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Baseworx], explore free tools and resources over at Baseworx.co [http://baseworx.co/]. This is Flex That Worx powered by Baseworx, scaling your workspace, made simpler and less stressful!