The coworking industry is evolving rapidly, yet one challenge remains constant for operators everywhere: finding new members. In this episode of Flex That Worx, Anne-Marie Murphy and Graham Clarke unpack how coworking and flexible workspace operators can unlock growth by looking beyond traditional audiences. Drawing from day-to-day conversations with space managers, they explore how broadening your customer base can strengthen your community and ensure steady, sustainable growth. Coworking has matured beyond serving just freelancers or start-ups. Today’s potential members include students, graduates, and professionals who have never stepped inside a coworking space and may not even know they’re welcome. You don’t need to expand to grow. Often, growth comes from helping more people discover what’s already available. By being proactive, visible, and inclusive, coworking spaces can build stronger, more diverse communities. 🎧Listen to “Discovering Hidden Opportunities: Expanding Your Coworking Customer Base” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or watch us on YouTube (Links to episode in comments below) #coworking #coworkingspaces #flexibleworkspace

My longtime collaborator Amanda Leffew is a quiet force in my business. She's smart, creative, strategic, and I always ask her opinion on moves I'm making—large or small. In next week's Coworking Creators Summit, Amanda is teaching a session on building content momentum when you feel invisible (Who can't relate to that?). In advance of the Summit, Amanda, who is my Summit co-founder, shares her insights into cutting through the noise, quick creative actions you can take right now, and how slow doesn't mean it's not working. 1. What’s the biggest challenge new content creators face? It’s not coming up with ideas, it’s figuring out how to cut through the noise. Most new creators try to do too much too fast, every platform and every trend all at once. The smarter play is to pick one channel, pick one theme, and commit to it for 90 days. Consistency beats chaos. People start to recognize your voice when they know what you stand for and where to find you. 2. How can space operators keep momentum when progress feels slow? Slow does not mean nothing is working. Momentum comes from showing up, not from going viral. If it feels quiet, set up a content rhythm you can sustain. Start a weekly series like a quick reel showing what is happening in the space today or a regular member spotlight. Repurpose everything. A single blog post can fuel your socials for a week. When you feel stuck, simplify and stay consistent. That's what compounds over time. 3. What’s one small creative action that can help a coworking space gain visibility today? Grab your phone, film a 10 second clip of something real happening in your space, add text on screen, and post it. Do not overthink it. It could be a member celebrating a win or just the vibe on a Monday morning. The goal is not perfection, it is visibility, and people connect fastest when they can actually see themselves in your space. Learn more from Amanda at the Coworking Creators Summit. 🎟️ coworkingcreators [dot] com

In advance of Thursday's Coworking Creators Summit, I asked our teachers to give us a sneak peek. Here are some of my favorite insights: 👉 Taylor Mason from Talemaker CJ: How do you prioritize which channels to use for content distribution? TM: The most commonly used content marketing channels for coworking spaces are blogs, email, and social media. The great thing is that they can all work together seamlessly with a simple distribution process. 👉 Lauren Urlacher, professional artist and CM at Fellow Coworking CJ: Why is showing up creatively important for coworking pros? LU: Getting creative with your brand and messaging is the best way to show off your space’s personality. That’s how you set yourself apart from the competition and start attracting members who truly belong. 👉 Dani Corbett from Lake City Photos CJ: What role do authentic images play in attracting new members? DC: A bigger role than most people realize. The truth is, people decide how they feel about your space before they ever schedule a tour. Your images are your first impression, and stock photos won’t cut it. In fact, stock photos reduce your authenticity and people’s trust in you. 👉 Dean Connell from I-AM.D.C CJ: How do you personally push through creative roadblocks? DC: I return to four words that became synonymous with my WeWork experience: We’ll figure it out. This became my methodology for approaching uncertainty. Constraints aren’t limitations, they’re invitations to be creative. 👉 Garrett Tichy from Seemingly Overzealous Ice Cream CJ: What makes a brand voice feel authentic instead of forced? GT: Whether an actual person or a persona, the voice needs to come from an active participant in whatever you are building. Your potential community members have a lot of choice in some markets and if they see themselves in the brand you have a greater chance of bringing them into your community. 👉 Kristen Fields from KNUCKLEDRAGGER STUDIOS CJ: Why is storytelling such a powerful tool for coworking brands? Story is the thing that connects us all. We use stories from the moment we’re born until the moment we die. Whether it’s sharing anecdotes about work, or leisure, family, or friends, we connect to each other through stories. They help us build empathy and reinforce communal bonds. And what more could you want for your coworking community than to have your members feel deeply connected (and to tell stories about your space!)? 👉 Amanda Leffew from Her First $100K and CJ Co CJ: How can space operators keep momentum when progress feels slow? AL: Slow does not mean nothing is working. Momentum comes from showing up, not from going viral. If it feels quiet, set up a content rhythm you can sustain. When you feel stuck, simplify and stay consistent. That’s what compounds over time. ----- 👇 Links to read more and get your Coworking Creators Summit pass below.

Most operators I speak to want the same thing: more members. But what if the next group of members isn’t who you expect? In this week's chat with Anne-Marie on Flex That Worx, we looked at where coworking spaces can find real growth in the next couple of years. Spoiler: it’s not just about adding more desks or bigger buildings. It’s about looking beyond the usual suspects. My Takeaways • Stop thinking about coworking in narrow terms. It’s not just for freelancers and founders anymore. • Be the first to reach out. Partnerships with local universities or businesses can open the door to completely new audiences. • Share your story. No one set out to study coworking at university, we all arrived here through different routes. That journey is what people connect to. • Get out of your space. Go to events, talk to people, tell them what coworking actually is. You’d be shocked how many have never heard the term before. If you’re planning for next year’s growth, start with awareness. There’s a big audience out there waiting, they just haven’t met you yet. To get these insights and learn how you can attract new customers, Listen to “Discovering Hidden Opportunities: Expanding Your Coworking Customer Base” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or watch us on YouTube (Links to episode in comments below) #coworking #coworkingspace #flexwork #flexibleworkspace #workspacemanagement

Someone visits your coworking website, clicks on “Book a Tour”… and then disappears. Are they gone forever, or can you re-engage them? Remarketing promises to bring them back by showing them ads for your space as they browse other sites or scroll social media, providing a gentle reminder of what they left behind. It’s a powerful tool for quick, low-stakes purchases like shoes or takeout. But joining a coworking space isn’t an impulse buy. So, should you consider remarketing for your coworking space? Where should you really be investing your ad dollars to fill your space, given the unique context of the coworking industry? We break it all down in this resource, including what works, what doesn’t, and how to allocate your budget in the unique context of coworking. Link in the first comment.

Recently listed coworking space provider DevX reported a net profit of INR 14 Lakh in the first quarter of FY26 (Q1 FY25) as against a loss of INR 6 Cr in the year-ago period. On a sequential basis, the company’s profit declined over 93% from INR 2.1 Cr. Operating revenue zoomed 123% YoY to INR 55.6 Cr. On a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, the top line fell 15% from INR 65.4 Cr. Including other income of INR 1.3 Cr, the company’s total income for the quarter stood at INR 56.9 Cr. This marked a 127% jump from INR 25.1 Cr in Q1 FY25. Meanwhile, its expenses for the quarter stood at INR 56 Cr, up 82% YoY and down 15% QoQ. In the quarter ended June 2025, the coworking space providers revenue contribution of its top ten clients increased to 44.4% from 38.9% in FY25.

Only 11% of coworking spaces are profitable in year one. By year four, that number jumps to 50%. The difference isn't luck. It's knowing where the money leaks and how to plug those holes. Profitable coworking spaces share three characteristics: diversified revenue, controlled costs, and operational efficiency. Revenue diversification matters more than you think. Memberships alone won't sustain you. Meeting room rentals, virtual mail services, event space, and corporate partnerships can add 15-25% to your bottom line. Cost control determines survival. The biggest leak? Bloated headcount. Adam Hyman manages three KoWorks locations by himself using automation. No small team. No administrative overhead. Operators implementing full automation report 15-25% reduction in administrative labor costs. That's not efficiency. That's transformation. Spaces using Optix Automations onboard members faster, collect payments reliably, and reduce no-shows through automated reminders. Every manual task eliminated is time redirected toward revenue-generating activities. The coworking industry will grow from $22 billion in 2024 to $82 billion by 2034. The operators capturing that growth aren't working harder. They're automating smarter. Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/gyn-fdnz

3 Questions with Garrett Tichy: Garrett built one of the most recognizable coworking brands, Hygge Coworking, and has now co-founded Seemingly Overzealous Ice Cream. A masterful brand builder, Garrett shares what makes a brand feel authentic, the benefit of a great brand voice, and how coworking space operators can start creating a stronger voice and brand. 1. What makes a brand voice feel authentic instead of forced? Whether an actual person or a persona, the voice needs to come from an active participant in whatever you are building. Your potential community members have a lot of choice in some markets and if they see themselves in the brand you have a greater chance of bringing them into your community. 2. Where should coworking spaces start when developing their voice? First and foremost, be yourself OR let whoever is developing this voice be themself. It's really exhausting to have to "turn on" a persona. It also runs a greater risk of inconsistencies between who you are and what you're putting into the world. Also, don't be so rigid that you leave no space for someone to see themselves in the brand. That may sound weird but some brands draw such hard lines that they cut people out without even knowing it. Leaving this space allows people to feel a part of it, embody it, and also parrot your voice while adding their own flair. 3. How does it benefit a business when the brand voice is done really well? We're all vying for people's attention. A great brand voice can separate you from the numerous competitors in your market. It's really that basic, but it's true. Learn more from Garrett at the Coworking Creators Summit on October 23. 🎟️ coworkingcreators [dot] com

Tbilisi’s Coworking Boom: Tbilisi is fast becoming Eastern Europe’s remote work hotspot, welcoming 42 new coworking spaces in 2025. This boom reflects the city’s growing appeal among digital nomads and startup communities seeking flexible, modern work environments. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dkzQmcXv

Beauty coworking spaces are changing the game for hair stylists, makeup artists, and estheticians who want to work for themselves without the $200,000 startup cost of opening a traditional salon. But there's a problem most operators don't see coming. Managing a beauty coworking space manually is chaos. The operators who succeed aren't just providing beautiful spaces. They're automating the complexity. When a member books a chair, automated confirmations go out instantly. Payment processing happens without manual invoicing or collection calls. Access codes get generated and sent before each session. Usage analytics reveal which equipment and time slots drive the most revenue. The beauty entrepreneurship wave is here. Operators who automate will ride it. Those who don't will drown in logistics. Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/gXwzzmhe