Alex Hillman
better coworking, better business, and better communities
better coworking, better business, and better communities
Beyond the buzzword, my take is that community is all about creating experiences where people feel trusted, safe, & supported.
This collection includes my full back catalog of articles about exactly how to start, grow, and nurture a thriving community.
I’ve realized that people tend to avoid defining “community” because there are so many variations on the recipe. We say things like, “That’s not how my community works” or “we did it this way” to draw lines in the sand based on differences without taking the time to look for s...
Continue ReadingThis morning, I’ll be joining a few of my friends and the Mayor of Philadelphia as he announces a new City of Philadelphia initiative called StartupPHL and I wanted to share a few thoughts in the moments beforehand.
Continue ReadingGuest contributor Michelle Leddon interviewed me via email for a Deskmag piece on Coworking Space Failures, which I happily obliged, especially given my interest and recent info-gathering efforts on the topic.
Continue ReadingIndy Hall turning 5 represents so many things to me and to our community.
Continue ReadingAre you feeling the pressure to be a better community builder?
Continue ReadingHave you ever gone grocery shopping while hungry?
Continue ReadingOne of the key elements to a healthy coworking space (and any office, for that matter) is obvious to some, but not as obvious to others: get to know your coworkers!
Continue ReadingAfter last week’s town hall about Indy Hall’s expansion, I was speaking with some friends about how we approach things, especially in times of growth. We’re pretty deliberate about the way we choose to interact and the things that we make priorities, and while these decisions ...
Continue ReadingThis is a cross-post from the Indy Hall blog.
Continue ReadingDavid Dylan Thomas and Mo Gaston are up to something. They’re doing a documentary-style web series on what we – the Philly Tech Community – has been up to for the last few years. The series is set to launch later this year, but they’ve been doing interviews since the beginning...
Continue ReadingJeff Atwood is a prominent programmer, and wrote this article about dealing with community feedback in his prominent programming community…but the lessons are 100% for coworking communities, too. These lessons become particularly pertinent to helping our communities scale beyo...
Continue ReadingThe topic of social capital came up on the coworking google group today. My boy Trek, from Workantile, was cited for his usage of “social capital and debt” to determine which members might be not worth retaining.
Continue ReadingOne of my favorite Philadelphians and human beings, Wil Reynolds, tipped me off on this post tonight.
Continue ReadingFrom a new piece in Flying Kite today:
Continue ReadingThis morning I woke up in Berlin and spoke to a room of over 200 international coworking space owners, coworking catalysts, coworking enthusiasts, and a whole bunch who I’d call “coworking curious”.
Continue ReadingMy series of essays on the 5 coworking core values have begin being translated & interpreted!
Continue ReadingMake genetically-engineered bacteria, sequence DNA, find the tools to get your bio-project growing, or make friends with amateurs and experts in the community.Meet BioCurious.
Continue ReadingIf knowing how to start is hard, and knowing how (or when) to stop is even harder, then knowing how often to do things between starting and stopping is the hardest. Because of this, EVERYONE is guilty of having a “great idea” that doesn’t stick right away, and giving up after ...
Continue ReadingIn the last few weeks, there’s been announcements of coworking spaces closing. First C4 in San Antonio, then ConvergeNJ. Todd from C4 was an active member of the coworking google group over the years, and I advised Steve from Converge early in his process of getting his effort...
Continue ReadingIn early summer of 2007, Indy Hall wasn’t a place, but it was a nomadic tribe. We were moving from bar to cafe to restaurant to living room – anywhere with wifi – in the pursuit of a better working experience than working alone in our apartments.
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