Skip to Content

Alex Hillman

better coworking, better business, and better communities

Twitter Instagram

Search this Site

Type in terms like retention, culture, or tummling and press enter to search.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for by searching, don’t give up! Shoot me a message on Twitter, I might be able to point you to a post about the thing you’re looking for.


How do coworking spaces differentiate?

1 minute read
by Alex Hillman

From my inbox:

“I finished graduate school about a year ago and have been living a fairly isolated freelancing, self-employed life—a rough road after leaving such a fulfilling, tight-knit family experience. I feel deeply compelled to start something bigger than myself and a shared work space is my dream.

But I feel pressured by others opening coworking spaces in the area. How can one differentiate them? I think of New York, Chicago, etc., where there are so many. How do they all manage to essentially do the same thing but still stay in business?”

1 – Many of them don’t stay in business. I watch a lot of coworking spaces close, because they forget what business they’re in, and that being a commodity is a race to the bottom. Which brings me to…

2 – You already answered how they differentiate in your first paragraph. “A fulfilling, tight-knit family experience.”

Do families compete with each other? Or do neighborhoods thrive when they’re full a little tight knit interconnected but different families?

Do neighborhoods compete with each other? Or do cities thrive when they’re full of little tight knit interconnected but different neighborhoods?

This will help make sure you can find the most useful resources. I respect your privacy & email. Absolutely no spam, and I won't ever share your data. Pinky promise! 🤞

Hey, thanks for reading!

Alex Hillman I am always thinking about the intersection of people, relationships, trust and business. I founded Indy Hall in 2006, making us one of oldest fully independent coworking communities in the world. This site is packed with the lessons and examples I’ve learned along the way. You can find me on Twitter, too! 🐦 Say hi.