Edition #1: Tony Bacigalupo

Here at GCUC we are immensely fortunate to cross paths and work with so many amazing people. Through our work, we’ve cultivated a global community of people we think you should know about.

Community of Cultivators is a new blog series to introduce you to coworking game changers and connectors. Each month, we’ll release new interviews that we hope inform and inspire you.

This month we interviewed Tony Bacigalupo, Founder of New Work Cities. Tony is one of the industry’s OG’s. You may have seen him on stage at a GCUC once or twice. Tony has a real knack for building community (and karaoke). Check out what Tony had to say:

Name: Tony Bacigalupo
Company & Title: New Work Cities, Founder

If you had $500 to spend, what would you buy?

I’d buy some art supplies, a folding table, a cart, and some poster board. I’d set up in Central Park and invite people to join me to make arts & crafts while facilitating some light conversation. We’d paint happy sayings on rocks we find in the park, and hide them for others to find. #kindnessrocksproject!

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming an entrepreneur?

Start impossibly small. It’s easy to get paralyzed by the scope of your ambition, so circumvent that by starting with what you have. You can make incredible progress starting a business simply by asking a few people out to coffee and listening to what people have to say.

When you’ve got a handful of people on board with what you’re thinking of doing, you’re suddenly capable of doing a lot more than if you were just trying to figure it all out yourself.

What in your life are you most proud of cultivating or creating? Why?

It’s a predictable answer, but I’m proud of the coworking space I built. Four years after we closed our doors, I am still encountering people who tell me new stories about the positive impact the space had on their lives. I think we sent some big ripple effects through our city and the rest of the world by doing what we did in such a visible and inviting way, so it feels good to know we largely achieved what we’d set out to do.

What is one piece of advice you give everyone that works with and/or for you?

When facing a dilemma or difficult situation, focus on the fundamentals—breath, water, rest, nutrition, movement, writing. If you can identify a way you might take better care of yourself, odds are good that whatever challenge you’re facing will become easier.

There you have it. Our first community of cultivators interview said and done. What do you think? We are really loving getting to dive a little deeper with those in our community. Check back next month for two more interviews with pillars in the coworking community.