GCUC Blog

Fundamentals of Flex

By Stormy McBride On November 22, 2022 In CoworkingGCUC North America

A one day primer on building, operating and succeeding in the workspace landscape from experts who have already succeeded.

Now that the spotlight is on our industry, many landlords, investors, developers and budding entrepreneurs are looking to shift into the market. Is this good for our industry? It could be…if the new players enter the arena with a quality offering.

Much like the double edge sword of an industry giant entering a city, the giant was able to do the marketing and educate the masses on the benefits of “coworking” but also seemingly taint the name of coworking while offering cheap jam packed spaces that were not reflective of the industry as a whole. This new wave of offerings and operators will be much the same if not shown differently.

This is where we lean into our collaboration over competition roots and offer up our expertise.

Rising tides lift all ships.

The coworking world is a community with the interest of our members at heart, we want to make sure that the industry keeps community and collaboration at its core which is why we have set up a course to educate the new comers.

The details:

This crash course on building a sustainable and successful workspace is led by industry professionals who will teach the critical learnings for design, management structures, technology, operations, partnerships & community building.

We’ll show you how to build, operate and succeed in the competitive workspace landscape.

If you are a:

  • Developer
  • Investor
  • CRE Professional
  • Landlord
  • Entrepreneur looking to open up your own space

This course was designed for you.

This course is practical, not theoretical. Unlike other courses, Fundamentals of Flexspace was designed by the GCUC team who has over 15 years of hands-on experience in the coworking and flex space industry. We know what it takes to run a successful space and we’re sharing it with you.

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Mod One: Real Estate and Finance

Understanding how to structure the deal is imperative to the foundation of your flexspace. Whether you assume the risk and go it alone or seek out a partner to operate your space under a management agreement you will need to understand what is different about flex.

The objective of this session is for you to understand a management agreement structure and some possible scenarios. At the end you will have a good understanding of what a partnership agreement could look like and how it will differ from a management agreement. Finding the right partner can be complex, we will give you some things to think about and look for in a coworking/flex operator partner. Location is different in flex/coworking. We will talk about what you need to know and how to maximize your business.

Mod Two: Activated Space Design

The difference between a well designed and activated space and just another space that looks good but isn’t buzzing like a hive is make or break. It’s not all spec suites and it most certainly is not all open workspace. Let’s talk to some architects who have been designing award winning spaces for years.

The objective of this session is for you to understand how flexible/coworking space design is different from just designing a space that looks good. You will have a new understanding of the importance of wellness and why you need to invest in and how you can monetize it. You will understand some of the new trends and practices coming your way and which ones you can put aside.

Mod Three: Technology and Operations

You may think you know how to run space but we can assure you that this space is different. The business is complex and so are the systems to run it. Let’s talk about where to invest and where to tread lightly.

The objective of this session is for you to leave with a clear understanding of the product roadmap for flexible space, where to invest and how to pick the right technology for your business.

Mod Four: Community and hospitality

Member engagement and satisfaction is critical to your success as a flexspace owner. You will leave with an understanding of how the community aspect of coworking and flexspace sets it apart from traditional real estate offerings.

The objective of this session is for you to understand the secret sauce of coworking. You will understand what it takes to build community. You will learn why you need to invest in things like events, services and training that will activate the space, community and eventually your bottom line.

Mod Five : Hiring and staffing

Your team is your most valuable asset in a human centric business but humans are messy. Community manager rolls are known for high churn and burn out rates. In addition, you should consider what the career trajectory and growth potential is for those that do stick around for the long haul. Where do you find the good ones and how do you keep them engaged, growing, thriving and sticking around. We have some ideas.

Last but not least… Ask us anything:

Get your questions answered. After drinking from the fire hose all day we are sure you are going to have some burning questions that we didn’t address in the sessions throughout the day.

We will get you the answers you need before sending you out to meet the rest of the community at happy hour.

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While this content is an intensive one day course, it is designed to be a truly immersive experience in the industry. Along with the training led by industry experts all attendees of the Fundamentals of Flexspace course will also receive access to the online GCUC COmmunity so that you can stay tapped into the industry (and expert advice) even after the event come to a close .

To secure your seat, purchase a ticket to GCUC Chicago and select the “Fundamentals of Flex” track for your day one content choice when prompted.

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If there is someone you know that could benefit from this course, we would appreciate a referral. Feel free to click the share links below and send it to them directly.