How did you get your first bunch of members in a co-working space?

Hi! Hope you're doing great!
I've work and interact with several co-works, helping them, as part of them with memberships and also using their facilities to organize events, i've seen a lot of them grow and some fail.

So, i can share some strategies to have in mind :

1)Offer special discounts for the opening of the co-work for a limited time.

2)Always communicate the benefits of working in your co-work, and why they should go there.

3)Invite communities to use your facilities for meetups and similar events.

4)Go out and reach your potentials customers like business , tech students and startups.

5) You've said "we",so one of you should be focus only in business development, is the easiest and fastest way you're going to grow.

If you want some help developing more in deep these strategies i will gladly help you.

Best,

Co-working spaces are a dime-a-dozen these days. There's no shortage of co-working spaces. Without knowing exactly what sets yours apart from all the rest my only assumption is that the product your providing (co-working space) isn't good enough to convert. On the other hand the issue can be with your pricing as well, not only level but also contract duration etc. Try really hard to think about why a company should choose you as opposed to the numerous other alternatives.

I have been a coworking user for 3 years (not an operator). Local Marketing by Experience is what you need to do. By this I mean get visitors to the space and pitch them when they are there...

My advice is this
1 - offer the space as a meeting venue for Meetups locally. Get people visiting the space through meetups and ask the organiser to allow you to pitch all attendees about the available space and "special rates" for their members.
2 - Research highly networked people you know and ask them to help you publicise on social platforms. Ask them to occupy the space free of charge on the condition that they use your space to host their meetings - so they bring people in.
3 - Offer the space short term for the use of local business incubator (they typically run Lean Canvas startup programs for 8 - 12 weeks). This gets visitors in the space and it looks busy... again, you achieve the objective of getting people in and using the space and used to visiting.
4 - Review your pricing. Find out why visitors choose to go elsewhere and if it's price - adjust accordingly.
5 - Review your offer. Can you offer Co (collaboration) and Working (shared workspace)? Most only offer workspace. My advice is to proactively manage the collaboration part. How can you introduce workers to each other, now can you facilitate them winning new customers in your space, how can you leverage your networks to help them win business... How can you use your platform to help them sell more. If you do this, people will want to use your platform for their business and the condition for that is to pay you to occupy your workspace.... problem solved.

Although all these tactics can work, my view is that the last one gives the most opportunity - but it takes work and is possibly hardest to deliver on quickly.

For more tactical marketing execution guidance, hire me and I'll teach you how to deliver.

A hello! will go a long way, either it could land you the next collaboration, get your next client, spark the most inspirational conversation, or simply create a new best friend. Take a break and invite your co-workers for lunch or for a coffee, bring food or sweets, a great way to know everybody quick, especially if you are shy. A great non-intrusive way to meet your fellow co-workers is to participate in events and social gatherings organized by your coworking space. A community invests so much of time and money for their members, by being a part of its members will get an opportunity to interact with the co-workers and get the best out of the events. Many coworking spaces have a community manager who is an invaluable resource. They will have a good knowledge of the people within the space, are informed about events, deal with any issues that arise and are keen to make their service as good as possible. This will put you on top of their mind and can help refer co-workers who could benefit from your service. Helping each other is an integral part of coworking culture. If you are a software developer, you are not necessarily a designer, product manager, or marketer as well. When you work at a coworking space, people with those skills probably work right next to you and are just as interested in building something awesome as you are. Invest in your community by taking a genuine interest in what they do.
The great thing about coworking is they get to operate as real human spaces. Talk to your co-workers and talk to your hosts. It is easy to start random conversations as people are usually friendly. Being organized and disciplined in your place not only helps you boost capacity but helps the co-workers to be productive as well. The most important thing about being productive is that it can only be accomplished by setting a routine and being disciplined. Set timers for how long you’re going to work and have intense focus and maintain breaks to keep your workday on track - take a walk or having a conversation. Whether it is digital sounds like ringing phones or computer notifications, or it is human sounds coughing or sneezing, the ambient sounds of coworking spaces can be distracting. Headphones are a topmost recommendation for staying productive. If you can, invest in a noise-cancelling headphone. Many coworking spaces are designed with different "vibes” in mind–from communal tables and lounges to hidden corners and conference rooms. Speak to the community manager or coworking team and try out which area makes you feel most comfortable.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath