Some coworking operators close one space and swear they’ll never do it again.
Matt Irvin closed his first coworking space during COVID…packed up his family, drove from California to Chicago in the middle of the pandemic…and opened another one anyway.
Matt and I go way back to our CrossFit days in the Bay Area. We used to do Murph together, and I still remember him air squatting faster than everyone else while we talked about his idea to open a coworking space in Menlo Park.
At the time, he and his wife Meg were trying to solve a very real problem: how do you create beautiful, welcoming workspace for therapists and small businesses without the cold, corporate feel?
That idea became Cocial in Menlo Park.
Then came COVID.
This episode is packed with gems for operators:
- How Matt turned a massive curved-window flex space into an events business with 100+ events a year
- Why community matters more than ever in suburban coworking markets
- What operators miss when they focus only on desks and offices instead of creating a culture people want to belong to
- How he bootstrapped both spaces, negotiated free rent and TI, and built the first location himself with “burritos and beers” labor
One of my favorite parts of this conversation is how much heart Matt brings to the business. You can feel how deeply he cares about creating spaces where people feel comfortable, connected, and supported.
If you’re thinking about suburban coworking, events, hospitality, or simply what it takes to start over and build again, this one is worth your time.
Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:
Matt Irvin on LinkedIn
Cocial website
Everything Coworking Featured Resources:
Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space
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