266. The Post Workspaces Co-Founders on What’s Working - FaceBook Ads, Content Marketing, Part-Time Private Offices and More
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TRANSCRIPTION
266. The Post Workspaces Co-Founders on What’s Working - FaceBook Ads, Content Marketing, Part-Time Private Offices and More
00:00:03 Welcome to the Everything Coworking podcast, where every week I keep you updated on the latest trends and how-tos in Coworking. I owned and operated coworking spaces for eight years, and then served as the executive director of the global workspace association for five years. And today I work with hundreds of operators and community managers every month, allowing me to bring you thought-provoking operator,
00:00:29 case studies and inspirational interviews with industry thought leaders to help you confidently stay on top of what's important and what you can apply to your own role in the Coworking industry. Welcome to the Everything Coworking podcast. This is your host. Jamie Russo. Thank you for being here with me. Speaking of I haven't mentioned this in a few episodes, we launched a second podcast.
00:00:58 I'm co-hosting with Giovanni Palavicini. We are having a lot of fun. We've gotten some great feedback on the podcast. Speaking of if you are a listener of that podcast, we could use some reviews, iTunes, you know, the algorithm it's like Google reviews and it tells me that we have reviews, but it won't show them to me. So either those reviews are not real or we don't have enough of them.
00:01:18 So if you're a new listener and you like what you're hearing, we would love for you to leave us a review on iTunes. And if you haven't listened to yet head over, we have 10 or 11 episodes that are alive and you can binge watch them and catch up. We have some great interviews. Speaking of interviews, my guests today are Dan Wesson and Chelle Peterson co-founders of The Post Workspaces in Northwest Tucson.
00:01:44 And I have now known them for a long time. They spent a couple of years working on their plan. They might have been in my first, if not my second cohort of the Coworking Startup School. And you can tell that they followed a framework, took their time, did things right, waited until they got answers and avoided a lot of mistakes.
00:02:08 I asked them what would they do differently on their next space? And they kind of said nothing, which is super unusual. If you were listening, you probably have a long list of things you would do differently on your next space. I've been to their space. I got to visit Tucson last summer. It's gorgeous. And it is not a space that you would walk into and immediately say,
00:02:28 of course, this is going to be beautiful. It's on, I think it's a little bit below grade. They just did. It's in a class, a building though. And they did a stunning design job and really got their product mix, right? They were, they'd sold all of their pre-sold all of their offices before they opened. And then the pandemic hit and they had to start over.
00:02:49 So they have not been without setbacks. I should say that, but they were very, very intentional about their mix, their relationship with their landlord, their furniture, their pricing, all of the things that they do have been very well thought out. And it's going really well for them. They just celebrated two years. Again, the pandemic was at the beginning of that.
00:03:12 So, you know, two years, but they went through our startup school. They've been a member of our Flight Group program, which is now the Coworking academy program. And their community managers have been in our Community Manager University program since we opened it. So they are deep into Everything Coworking and I love getting to spend time with them and I love sharing their story.
00:03:33 So I think they have a great story. They have a unique arrangement with their landlord. So they talk a little bit about that. They're not right downtown, but they're in a class, a building and they do really well with Facebook ads. So we're running this interview one it's well overdue, Dan and Chelle’s story, you know, should definitely be shared and we're running it in our online presence sort of theme.
00:03:56 You'll notice if you've been listening along, we're doing a theme on your online presence and they do this really well. So they spend time on organic social. It's really highlighting the other three, working in concert with their other channels, their newsletter, their blog posts, they were on Facebook ads and do really well with those. And we talk about that during the interview,
00:04:18 they recently hired a new Community Manager from the hospitality industry. They mentioned that side note. I was just looking at my notes, but they work with Taylor Mason on their content marketing. And so they're super, super consistent with that blog posts, which helped with SEO, but also give them content for their organic social and their newsletters. They're really consistent with their newsletters,
00:04:36 which are awesome. And they kind of are firing on all cylinders in terms of marketing. So they made a great case study during our marketing topics. So without further ado, let's jump into our conversation with Dan and Chelle welcome. I have, if you're watching on YouTube, you can see them. They're not even on two separate screens. They're sitting in their conference room with their fancy.
00:05:01 You'll have to tell us what your technology is. But Dan Wesson and Chelle Peterson, they are the co-founders of the post workspace in Northwest Tucson, Dan and Chelle. I feel like this is a long time coming. Thank you for doing this today. I'm so excited to have a conversation with you too. So Dan, I feel like we just celebrated your two-year anniversary,
00:05:27 which I feel like I interview a lot of people who are like, well, so we opened in March of 2020, and you guys just about fall into that camp, but you worked, you were working on your space for a while. So I can still remember when you, when we had the phone call and you said, this is what we're working on.
00:05:45 Yeah. I think that I finally found you, I bet you, it was almost two years before we, oh, I think it might. That's what I was like is a possible, that's why I feel like I'll go, we go way back because you know, we almost do. So we were just doing And took our time. Yeah. We really took our time kind of going,
00:06:07 you know, talking to you, you know, a lot and going around the country, visiting different spaces and really getting to know the industry out of the wow. Yeah. So, and I had the pleasure of visiting your space last summer. I'm not sure I recommend a visit to Tucson in, at the end, It was a huge treat to get,
00:06:32 to see your space. It's gorgeous. And we were talking about your, your coffee bar earlier, their community managers in our Community Manager program. Chelle's enjoying the coffee from her coffee bar on the table. If you're a on Tucson. So two years, right. You went through the startup school program in like one of our first cohorts. And I feel like I will always hold a special place in my heart for those early days.
00:06:59 And then you've been in the Flight Group program for ages and the Community Manager University. So I want to share your story. So let's talk about, you have a little bit of a different story than some of the folks that, you know, just want to get into co-worker. You have a real estate background and Dan, we appreciate you'll often lend your perspective and expertise kind of on the,
00:07:21 on the real estate side, which is awesome. So yeah. Tell your story. You had a kind of a problem that you wanted to solve in a building that you were involved with and Right. So I have been in a commercial real estate for over 20 years. Actually, it was quite a bit longer than 20 years, but 20 plus. So I started back again many years ago with Pinellas.
00:07:47 I also had a stint at CVRE and I started off as an office leasing broker, and then moved to investments. But I took this building on marketing it very early on in my career. And over the years, just these guys that own, the building really turned into more friends than clients. And so, yeah, I probably did more around here than a typical agent would do.
00:08:17 And so to answer your question, how it all started, I came down to, we had executive suites on this first floor, but nothing that you would ever want to office out of. I mean, they were bad and I can, I can easily say this, even with the owner's listing, it was by far the worst space in the building.
00:08:39 I mean, people call it the dungeon. I mean, it was bad at low ceilings and it was the traditional executive suites, you know, just a ton of offices, more mazes. They don't look more like a maze. And so how it started, I came in F I, you know what, I need to live in this up and open it up.
00:08:58 So I was going to knock a wall down and put a flat screen TV in the reception area. And then I started doing some research and some more research. And I think at that time I was with Seabury. And I think, I remember telling you this, they have their office 360 program, which is incredible. And I just started researching it.
00:09:19 And the deep for I got the more interesting it became. And then of course we found you and the ball started rolling. And then by the time we went to the GWA concert conference conference and we started meeting the people and they were just so open and friendly and, and I don't know how much you know about commercial rules. I know right now I was going to say,
00:09:46 not like your friends and A little elbow, but yeah, we fell in love with it, the speakers at the GWA conference. And you know, where you talk about, you know, some of the mistakes that we made, but honestly, if it weren't for you and we'll plug here for a JV, we would've made, we avoided so many mistakes just by working with you.
00:10:13 And it's true. I don't know, you know, all the things that we avoid it, but it shows in the space. It definitely shows in this Well, you guys came with your own vision and, you know, super engaged. You're asking all the right questions, doing all the work. I mean, you talked about all the due diligence that you did on the project before you got into it.
00:10:34 So that's why, you know, I love telling your story and you're in a class, a building, Right? That's a 90,000 square foot class, a office building or Northwest Tucson just right at the border of or valley. Hey, we'll be right back. I just want to share a couple of opportunities from our show sponsors as a co-working space owner,
00:11:04 you are always looking to provide more resources and programming for your members, right? How about access to financial education and even investment opportunities? Well, noumena is the number one community for freelancers and founders looking to grow their businesses. So noumena and coworking spaces go together like, you know, butter and jelly. We found that over 75% of our community already work in or are seeking out a coworking space.
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00:12:40 just staggering numbers. Now you've probably seen success magazine it's hugely popular and focuses on professional development, personal development and business coaching. Well, they're branching out with their own franchised Coworking business called success space. It's actually a brilliant franchise model with the three revenue streams recurring and on-demand revenue from Coworking memberships, a full service cafe and success certified business coaching for small business owners to executives to learn more about this exciting new Coworking business opportunity.
00:13:20 Check it out at success. Co-work dot space. That's success, co-work dot space. We will link that up in the show notes as well. So yeah. Talk about the, then what, so then you, you told the building management or owners that you wanted to knock out a wall and the plan. So I went home, I presented it,
00:13:48 you know, of course you helped us with the proforma, you know, went through the whole thing. And it's kind of a big deal now in commercial real estate, at least in office leasing that it's hard to make a deal with pencil when you're, well, first of all, you got to find a tenant. That's willing to do a five-year lease,
00:14:08 but to do those TIS and then, and then have to do another round of<inaudible> possibly, if you don't renew them in five years. And you know, when I started in the business really date myself, but you could do really nice ice for 20 bucks a foot. I mean, it's way more than that, you know, triple, quadruple that number now.
00:14:30 So that was one thing that appealed to the owners was that we're going to build this base once there might be some refreshes down the road, but we're going to build it once and that's it. So that makes a huge, that was a huge selling point to the owners of the building. And we started doing a few plans talking about, yeah, well,
00:14:55 it's funny, we've been, the architect really didn't want to draw them, but we were looking at, I can, I can remember you getting in a column. You're like, well, so he's got this lounge. It looks like a doctor's office lounge. I like, you've just not get getting it, not listening, Like the micro offices. He did.
00:15:14 He, he was like,<inaudible> no, one's going to go, no, one's going to go on there. And what's funny is those are our most popular offices. I mean, those filled up immediately and they're always full people love those losses. Yeah, that's true. So how did, how did you get past the challenge with the architect? I don't even remember.
00:15:36 Did Chelle took on design? Yeah, I, I said, no, he just drove it. Eventually. He just drew it. You know, I don't know how much of a believer he was in the project that he drew it. And, you know, we moved on from there. We were Chelle and I were very involved in the build out process.
00:15:57 Can we talk about your viral video, Dan, Again, going back to, we said, you know, what, if we're going to do this, we want to do it right. So we scraped the entire space and started from scratch. And so my viral video that you mentioned, so I go over what we, what went into our walls.
00:16:22 And so I don't want to go into the detail, but, you know, as the, we use quiet rock and then we use the green glue and then another layer, the quiet rock, and we put potty on all the outlets and penetrated the grass. I mean, we did anything that you could do. None of my sound transfer, we did that and it paid off,
00:16:46 it paid off. And, you know, a lot of other things that we did, you know, and, and a lot of people say that to us when they come in, it's the little details that we got, right. As far as like all the outlets, USB charging was just all the little things that we did that really make a big difference.
00:17:08 And it helps you to pre-sell the space because Chelle was taking videos of Dan talking about grouping, but you got some crazy number of views on that video. I know. I don't know what that was, but yeah, we weren't expecting, we weren't expecting that, but yes, we can Chelle. I mean, going through this process, I mean,
00:17:30 the detail, as you know, this involves all the things that have to be done in order to make it all work. I mean, that was all Chelle and we're just talking to them before we started. I mean, I'm weaving in like, But Chelle, I mean, she got down and did all the detail stuff, but in fact, a lot of this stuff,
00:17:54 like we look around in the space, the things that really set us apart and really like, you know, when you look at something and go, that makes the room that makes the space, some of that stuff we weren't going to do, just because it had a million details to it and still said, no, we're doing it. You know,
00:18:13 if you can't see it on the video, but there's a really cool Bonko over here that she did like the iPads on the conference rooms. And there's a lot of little details stuff that she ran with. It really made the space. I thought I was going to say you two are a great team because also Dan, like your perspective. That's why I love listening to you talk about your real estate perspective,
00:18:39 because unless you've been in the seat that you were in and understanding that context, you know, around TIS and the value to the landlord and figuring out how do you present a case? You know, the project wouldn't have come to be, but it's like, you, you saw it. You're like, I see this opportunity, right. To take a space that may never have been occupied.
00:18:59 Well, I can tell you the space. Yeah. This space never worked. The 30 or 25, 30 years of this building has been here. This particular space has never really worked. And it was really neglected and really the key with, with making it all work. You have to have a real partnership. And that's really what we did. And we can talk about how we structured the deal,
00:19:24 but we're just not a third party disinterested in the overall leasing of the building. And we're true partners there. So if we have someone here that outgrows us, we know we're going to put them in the other space, the direct landlord tenant space. But I can't tell you, I mean, we've had a number of times where we've done<inaudible> in the space and while we're doing TIS,
00:19:48 they're working out of post, we've had a couple where we're doing the, you know, the new tenants coming in and w what do we do with them? Well, it's super easy. Now we just put it on the folks. So it's a true partnership and the support set up And a true amenity in the building. You mentioned. Yeah. Before we talk.
00:20:08 So yeah. Talk about kind of the partnership, whatever you're willing to share about how you approach that, you know, from a structure, but also just kind of right. The relationship and thinking about, you know, kind of the building as a whole. Yeah. It was pretty easy. We, so there were some drawbacks on different business models.
00:20:26 What we decided on was we just did an LLC. It was a partnership between us and the building owners, and then that entity signed the lease. And so we pay rent and we get paid a management fee, but it all goes through the LLC that way you get both sides, right. You'd benefit. But also if there's a little bit of pain itself shared,
00:20:51 so everybody has a vested interest and making it all work. So how did the build-out get funded? So the buildup part we treated, so we treated the least just like the regular deal, the landlord paid for the TEI. Typically again, you know, the building superintendent does the TIS and we have no involvement as, you know, as a leasing agent,
00:21:18 you know, we just get the lease signed and we split. So Chelle and I were very, very involved with it. And the improvements, we got a lot of our own people over that worked at some of our other properties, did a lot of the work in here. And in the end, we were able to build this space out with the glass,
00:21:36 with all the, you know, upgraded flooring and, you know, the water walls in our quiet walls. We did all of that or the exact same price that they build a standard built up for. Right. But I mean, we're in there working. I mean, we, There's a lot of sweat equity in that deal. Well, yeah,
00:21:58 just a little that's for sure. Yeah. And then, so then the building ownership had a lease for the bank because the LLC signed the lease and was That's right. Yep. We treated it just like a regular deal except their partners and the LLC for the post workspaces Northwest. So speaking of Northwest, this was all pre COVID. You had no idea COVID was coming when you were planning the business part in more of a suburban area of Tucson.
00:22:32 Although certainly not desolate. There's like a whole foods down the street and it's a pretty, pretty active area. Did you have any concerns about the building being the right location? Black? No. And a lot of that had to do with the fact that I had, you know, 20 years of involvement. So I knew like when we talked about,
00:22:52 you know, what's our ideal member profile, I knew it because of all the leases that I've done. I knew what type of people would be interested in being here. And, you know, of course I had experienced of downtown, so I knew what people didn't want to drive all the way down there. So that was pretty easy. That was great.
00:23:14 And it worked out right. I mean, all those kinds of things, people are here just in a little bit different format. And since we've been here, it's kind of strange. It's like now all these businesses are popping up. It's well established businesses that are located in Scottsdale or like a restaurant. And I mean, now there's, it's almost like they're building around us down that that made a difference as far as,
00:23:39 as being here, but it's good for our members. That's for sure. So Talk about your, your membership base. Like when people come in, like sort of mindset or what they do for work, or, you know, how do you know when somebody, and you probably you've been brand new, a fairly new Community Manager who came from the hospitality industry.
00:23:59 So she probably does a lot of the tours, but I know in the early days you guys filled up the space. Yeah. Just give us a flavor. I would say for sure if they are, if they live in the vicinity and they're remote remote worker freelance, or I'm just a solo professional, I would say that they would fit perfectly as a member here.
00:24:22 And as far as their offerings, I mean, we, our offerings go from virtual office to our dedicated desk, to our part-time private office, to our full-time private office, meaning our membership plus, you know, just drop in coworking day passes or even our, our offices, they can come in and drop in. So with that said, we've been able to fill any type of need.
00:24:45 It could be a startup, it could be just someone that just needs a place to work for a day, but, but for sure, the location and solid professionals or small teams. So we definitely, And it's really scary. I mean, we have attorneys, doctors, we have a mining company software. I mean, it's all over the board.
00:25:10 And one of the things that really gets you going and this, when you see people from other disciplines in other offices, and they're now they're doing business together, it's like, that's why we did this. That's what we Wanted. And it was tough in the beginning. I mean, we had our, we were a hundred percent free leads or pre member or what I want to call it.
00:25:35 And the very next day is when our governor came out with the stay at home order. So we had to wait without a way a few months, but, you know, we filled it back up and you know, it was fine. I mean, some people just couldn't hang in there because, you know, COVID wiped them out. So, but we just dealt with it and moved on.
00:25:54 Yeah. I love how you're just like, yeah, whatever it was, no big deal now Yeah. You know, it's just like the part, that's how the part-time private kind of showed up. I remember we're standing on here. We're going to do, we can't have people not in the open area. So our policy and we were very careful.
00:26:19 So we went and bought air purifiers. We had very strict protocol. And if you had an office, kind of, the rule was wear a mask and the open area, when you get to your office, take it off and, you know, whatever. And so that's kind of how we started with the part-time private. It's like, well, we get them in here,
00:26:38 but don't go there and set it here. And it really worked out. I mean, it really, I would say it kind of saved us. I mean, it, for the revenue that comes down off those offices being part-time private, I think it's been a home run. It's still one of our biggest sellers, so. Okay. So I love that product.
00:26:57 And also, yeah, Dan, this is a side tangent, but at some point maybe part of that idea came from the, the 365 concept, right. Where you're like, well, why can't someone just have a membership and then just come in and use what they need to use. And I was like, yeah, why isn't it that way?
00:27:16 That means A hundred percent ideal. Yeah. And I kind of wonder if we'll get there at some point, like you got to figure out the business model and you know, all the things, but That would be the ultimate. That would be the ultimate. Okay. So you have 7,000 feet. How many offices? 8500 8500. And then when, you know,
00:27:41 we started doing the service office on the third floor. So I guess you have that, I mean, we're about 12, five or something like that, but so not counting the service office. We have 25 off private offices. So we there's a few things we intentionally did. So we didn't do any big team offices just because we were limited on the square footage and thought,
00:28:04 okay, we'll just start more with offices. So we have that. We have 14 dedicated desks. And then of course our open area, we have our large flex space. You always call the flex space is like an anything space training room offsite. Yep. How is the utilization on that space? It's increasingly going as far as people booking it. So yeah,
00:28:39 I mean, we we've had larger companies come in to do like, you know, their team leadership meetings, or we have Greystar, which is a, they they're building a, what's it called one of those assisted living facilities here. So they're hosting their, like a coffee chat for their new new tenants. So We have an open house, but instead of being onsite,
00:29:03 it's here. Yeah. It's worked out very different, different than venues. Are you doing anything specific to market that space Specifically? Now I'm doing Instagram. Facebook. We have some Google, but not, not too many, but we do plus it's on our website. So I mean, they can you're there. Yeah. Yeah. And you know,
00:29:32 they can book it directly from our website. I'm always trying to uncover the mystery of when do those spaces work and when do they, don't yours is beautiful. I see it on social all the time. Right. Location, right time. It's hard to know. Sometimes you have easy parking. You're in a class, a building it's clearly a professional space.
00:29:55 Yeah. Kind of checks a lot of boxes. Hey, I just wanted to jump in really quickly before we continue with our discussion. If you're working on opening a coworking space, I want to invite you to join me for my free masterclass three behind the scenes secrets to opening a coworking space. If you're working on opening a coworking space, I want to share the three decisions that I've seen successful operators make when they're creating their Coworking business.
00:30:23 The masterclass is totally free. It's about an hour and includes some Q and a. If you'd like to join me, you can register at Everything. Coworking dot com forward slash masterclass. If you already have a coworking space, I want to make sure you know, about Community Manager, University, Community Manager, University is a training and development platform for community managers.
00:30:45 And it can be for owner operators. It has content training resources, templates from day one to general manager. The platform includes many courses that cover the major buckets of the Community Manager role from community management, operations, sales, and marketing, finance, and leadership. The content is laid out in a graduated learning path. So the Community Manager can identify what content is most relevant to them,
00:31:12 depending on their experience and kind of jump in from there. We provide a live brand new training every single month for the Community Manager group. We also host a live Q and a call every single month so that the community managers can work through any challenges that they're having or opportunities get ideas from other community managers build their own peer network. We also have a private slack group for the group.
00:31:39 So if you're interested in learning more, you can go to Everything. Coworking dot com forward slash Community Manager. So Dan, I also want to cover, when you say micro office, what size are those? And they have the door ends, a sliding glass door. So the thing the entire entrance is seven feet called glass. I'm telling you people love,
00:32:09 Oh, I seen them and I love, I love them. Yeah, they're perfect. All of our offices have sit, stand desks, so they love that. So how many do you have dedicated to the part-time office? We have now four or four. If you look at it, I think we're averaging what five or six members per, oh gosh,
00:32:36 I can't even tell you how many. Yeah. It's like three times. And so I think we're like at three times of what we would get for office, so Yeah. Yeah. And it's, what's interesting too, is that now it's kind of like a common, we'll have a combination membership where it, they want the part-time private office, but they also want Coworking and they want access during the business hours as well.
00:33:05 Not just during the time that they have that office. So, and those offices are treated just like a meeting room booking as well. So they can, they just here, they book it and then they're like, okay, I'm done. And they go out into the open area and, and that's, that's actually increased in membership sales too recently. So yeah,
00:33:25 it's been interesting. The other operators try that and it doesn't work. And I always wonder why, because I think it's yeah. You know, I think honestly, part as do, we didn't know any better, we just put it out there and And so we sold it and it worked, it worked pretty early on for us. And so we just to pushing it and I know I've talked to several other folks that have tried and I tried helping them with a part-time private,
00:33:58 but it just hasn't caught on and Right. It's interesting how things can be. Yeah. That's what I'm always looking for. Like the what's the recipe that, you know, that makes something work kind of like your, your flex space, because the flex space, that's a big investment in real estate. If you can't get that occupied, right. It can be high margin.
00:34:17 Yeah. Or we're too much of a commitment, so. Right. And you have to save too with the part-time private offices, just having, like being able to totally equipment, you know, with the dual monitors, you have the adapters in there, your mouth, the cords, you have everything that you possibly can think of. And all you have to do is just go in there and work and give him,
00:34:38 give him a trial date. And it's like, they're the Total Radius I've ever seen. That's true. It's like, you just give him a trout that every single person that we'd given a trial date, they have signed up. And it's just pretty interesting. Yeah. That's good. So as you think about another location, is there anything significant that you would do differently on the next location?
00:35:05 And we would like to do another location we're talking about that we've actually looked at some spaces, but again, it comes down to partnering with the right landlord. They've got to have the right frame of mind and do a true partnership. But to answer your question again, You really thought about it. We don't know what we would do differently. Or,
00:35:28 And like I said, we really, honestly, we did not make very many mistakes. Yeah. I wouldn't say I would do more micros. I would do more. Yeah. I mean, we've thought about it. It's like, so really it was from just all the support with that. It was just all the resources that we took advantage of and Flight Group,
00:35:54 all This, It takes a village. You guys are also really well equipped. I always say like, it's part art, part science, right. And like Chelle, you've got that, that artistic piece of, I know what it's going to take to make this work. I mean, your space is beautiful and it's unique. And maybe you could make a post in Burlingame,
00:36:14 California. I've been asked to open up a space that here, or I can tell you the one common thing that everyone says when they walk into this space is by the, it has the right guy and we're not selling to space. It's the certain here. And again, that is all Chelle, as all Chelle is from the right music at the right volume.
00:36:45 It's the sense that we have our own sense that Chelle came up with. I mean, it's everything, it's everything together. And it has the right vibe and not to mention, we have awesome members. And I know everyone always says that, but we really do have the, it's funny how it's worked out. Like it just has worked out. So Yeah.
00:37:10 You created the space that attracted the people that you wanted to spend time with. So can you talk about the suite project that you did upstairs? Yeah. So what we're doing up there, so they're direct some landlord leases, but they have access to the posts. So yeah. And for sure they would not have come to this building. Well, they were already coming to the post,
00:37:42 What the meeting remember With the meeting being remember stuff. And they were actually will, the one company was going to build a facility and they were like, you know, you guys are already created what we wanted to bake. So let's why Would we do it? Right. But we did a part, so they have access to the posts. And so the landlord is paying for that.
00:38:05 So I don't want to get into rates, but they were able to get a substantial rent bump, like substantial ramp up because the tenants have access to both. So again, it's kind of a, win-win, everybody's happy. So we're just, we're doing more and more of that now There with like a plug and play. So you, you need it,
00:38:30 the post for them, they move in and have access post. And so they don't need to build out at the same meeting rooms and all the things. Right. All right. So for example, one of the tenants is a property management company that specializes in high end residential housing. So they'll do all their HOA in board meetings down here and, you know,
00:39:01 they'll work up there. So, yeah. So it was really a perfect, Yeah. And it's perfect for the building because over time the landlord could sell more efficiently. Right. And have more time because they're sharing your space and they don't all need their own meeting rooms. And yeah. So we have a program for the new tenants that we call service office,
00:39:23 but we're also bringing in the rest of the tenants into the space. So, and we're just starting that, but you know, so every time for example, we have a Chelle created the, our food truck. Is it a food truck? What does it, Wednesdays, Wednesdays. So we make sure we go around to all the tenants in the building,
00:39:44 let them know we email them, you know, today food trucks going to be here. So we're starting to bring them in. And so we'll have a corporate plan or the other test I'm going to have access to the folks. Right? Yeah. That's pretty, forward-thinking, you know, there, people talk about that, but they, it's not being done that often.
00:40:07 It makes a lot of sense. It Doesn't make a lot of sense, but your basic, your like your community building for the building and making it right. And making people feel connected, which is going to make them want to stay or even show up. Right. Yeah. That's the plan Like how many times do you have, like, that you can think of are most people they weren't going to,
00:40:30 you know, in a building and you really don't talk to, you know, the person next door or whatever. And now it's like, you know, everyone's so, you know, they all congregate the front of their food yet. It's very needed to stay. I mean, like Chelle said, there's a lot of times where, you know, there'll be a,
00:40:49 whatever, a thousand, 1500 square foot tenant, they go to their office, you know, they don't seem to interact with anybody, but now, you know, they have the whole building. Yeah. And I think people, at least from what we've seen so far, people love it. Yeah. And then the other thing it's like, it's so easy for them to be able to say,
00:41:12 oh, it's okay. Now we'll go down there and get their lunch or whatever. Yeah. It's been nice. A nice, So Chelle, you knew this was going to make it to my list of questions. Can you talk about Facebook ads? And because they don't, and again, you guys do a lot of things that don't necessarily work for everyone.
00:41:30 So Facebook ads you use to fill the space, you guys had a family member that helped you with them. So you can email Dan and Chelle. Their family member will not do ads for other spaces. We've already talked about how you, how you use them a little bit and the connection to pipe drive and, you know, sort of the funnel.
00:41:53 I mean, he does most of it. And actually we do have the sales funnel going into, we use pipe drive. We have been, but at this point we want to switch just because I know like with Office RnD, you know, it works integrates with so many other CRMs. And so I kinda got the, the scoop on HubSpot. And so I know,
00:42:18 I think maybe we're going To switch. Yeah. Yeah. But in any case, I mean, either, it doesn't really matter what CRM you have, but I mean, Instagram and Facebook has really worked for us. And more so than, I'd say Google ads, we really don't run them. And we have maybe just one or two ads out there that like are just a standard ad,
00:42:41 but we don't spend much, many dollars on it. So, but as far as like the actual cell phone, I wouldn't be able to tell you that trade does it. Cause That was very intentional. So my son, Trey, who does all the forests, it just so happened that that's what he does. His day job is his company teaches other companies how to market on the internet.
00:43:06 So we really kind of have turned everything over to him now. I mean, as far as I know, it was very intentional to let KU grow organically. And now maybe this is going to be, it'll be very different at a bigger market, but at least for our market and what tier we let, who grow organically really focused on Facebook and whatever he's done that he's done.
00:43:30 Right. Because that's really, I would say that's for almost all of our leads come from, right? Yeah. It does. It pretty much does. Cause I haven't seen anything really come through Google unless it's just they'll walk in. But as far as the sales funnel goes, I mean, yeah, those are the ads that work. So I'm surprised.
00:43:49 And I've heard that as well that the Facebook and Facebook, but you know, as it used that much time surprise. So my theory and anybody listening can tell me it's not right. But I think what probably happens is that, you know, there's a lot of people out there who run Facebook ads or people do them themselves. And th you know,
00:44:10 there's a lot that goes into making those work. You have to have the right image and the right text and the right landing page, you know, there's a lot of stuff and probably he's tested and change things optimized. So I think it has a lot to do with like working with someone who's really good or it's hard know, you know, if someone can really get results and,
00:44:35 you know, and being willing to test and let them run and figure out, you know, what works and doesn't work. So Exactly. Thank you. Right. And also too, I think it could be a market. It could be a market If you're in LA or San Francisco is probably totally different, I think. Right. It may be that you're sort of in that mid market size where it works well.
00:44:58 Yeah. But I always think it's worth testing and I like to make sure that people know, you know, there are success stories out there, so worth checking out. And while we're talking about marketing, you mentioned you want to talk about your work with Taylor, talk about your content marketing approach. So we actually partnered with telemeter and, And you guys,
00:45:24 I think, or how I found him, because I think I was like, who are you working with? Or maybe Early on. Yeah. He helped write our content for website initially launched it, which was back in like 2000, 19, 18, 19, somewhere in there. And we actually hosted that help us. Right. We had someone else that helped great too.
00:45:50 So, but now it's like, I can't remember who it was, but as far as Taylor Mason, he's been doing all our content ratings since the way beginning. And so he helps, you know, write our blogs and, and I work in collaboration with them. So, I mean, whatever goes out, we work on it together. And let me just have a process now,
00:46:12 every month it's been nice are like photos and images and anything that we upload. So, I mean, he, it's almost like he's here. Yeah, we do. And I feel like that has helped with our Google ranking. It's like, Yeah, It's definitely starting to pay off. And I cannot stress that enough to make sure that anyone that has a coworking space is just launching it.
00:46:40 I mean, you've got to get that out there. You get to get that out there. Just establish yourself, especially if you're trying to compete with other spaces, it's imperative. And what's great about Caitlin and I don't, that's all Chelle. I mean, that's her thing. She loves the whole writing process, but he, from my understanding, he does specialize in Coworking.
00:47:01 Right. So he knows it backwards and forwards. You don't have to worry that he doesn't really know The Industry. He really gets it and goes with it. Exactly. And it's like, edit it. Right. So that's always helpful because I'll have like my newsletter and he'll go in there and he'll change up the wording without even saying anything to me.
00:47:25 Cause he knows that, you know, he needs to edit it before we can sit it out there. So you just does it, but just a great partnership. I definitely highly recommend these two services. So it's very helpful. But without that, you know, I mean the marketing may not be so easy. Maybe the Instagram and Facebook group will be working as well.
00:47:47 So I feel like, you know, that's another thing you did, right. Is just committing to that because when you don't commit and even commit to outsourcing it, because I'm sure you do so do you, right? Like you have a lot of content, you write it or is it Taylor's team? That's writing that up. It's both. It's both.
00:48:05 But he, I mean, he does most of it. Like if the majority of it, he does, Every time I get your newsletter, I'm like, wow. It's like, incredible. So let me the newsletter, like I do everything in there except for the, the, that one portion. And I'm just like what you need to know now,
00:48:24 which is, you know, just all the blog content we put out from the prior month or this month, just things you need to know. And, and he makes it very easy for the reader to access that, that content. So, but yeah, I mean, it's very spot on. We have like an agenda every month, as far as like what we're going to work on.
00:48:44 We have like best of Tucson that he works on. So it's like a thing we send out every single month and you know, it's been consistent. So, which is nice. It makes me be, you know, makes it look like I'm more consistent or on the ball, but I'm not, it's only because of him. So Yeah. I was like,
00:49:04 he's great at what he does. And he just provides that consistency and accountability. Like sometimes that's even enough of a reason outsource something. Right. It really gets done. Yeah. And that's one thing I don't have to worry about that there'll be put out there. So that's very helpful. That's awesome. Okay. And you have a new Community Manager from the hospitality industry.
00:49:27 We talked about this in a little pre-chat, but yeah. How are you seeing the value? I think this is one of the questions people are asking like Wilson. So many, there's a lot of hospitality, talent that's out there sort of, you know, what's next for them. How do you see the, the value kind of coming through if someone with that background?
00:49:44 Well, I know that Dan would agree with me in this instance, but we it's about not just half providing this space. It's providing that upskill, hospitality, service and experience for our members. And I think that's what helps us to grow our membership and for the members when they come in here, they that's why they're here. I mean, I definitely think that it's definitely not the,
00:50:12 not just the space that's it's about that. Being able to provide that. And so she, Chelsea she's, she has that, that background experience working at a Ritz Carlton. So she's, it's just an innate part of her character that she provides that hospitality experience for the members, as soon as they walked through the door and it helps us sell our membership.
00:50:36 So, you know, I, it's definitely a plus and I would highly suggest doing that as well. It's not, you know, you don't mean someone just as a property manager means, cause really that's not, we're Really In the hospitality business, that's what we're in. And She, she really gets It. She gets it for sure. And,
00:50:54 and she, she just is very excited about taking on projects that I have no idea how to do. I mean like events and I mean, I, that's probably my biggest number one struggle is coming up with events and night about it. So that's a plus for me and the community. Cause if you want to agree, your community, want to make sure that they're all connected and it does.
00:51:17 It takes, it takes those small events, you know, to do a lot just, you know, one a month or, you know, just something to get everyone, to get excited and come in and do things. So, and, and I have to say it in the members that aren't really engaging, that they don't participate in our events.
00:51:35 They love the fact that those events are scheduled, but they don't come, but they love the fact that they are the conceived them The option. So that's a plus. So yeah, and now it's nice because what's not that COVID is over, but you know, append them. It's a little bit behind us. Not too far. It's been nice to see people actually gather.
00:52:02 So I mean, like we're gonna be working on a, on a, I guess it's a fundraiser. I would say it's a fundraiser and it's for breast cancer survivors. And so Chelsea's going to be heading that up and we're going to do like a secret to raffle type thing. So people can do at a fundraiser and we can raise money for the organization.
00:52:24 And She, she was John Brighton, she just jumped right down. She's awesome. It has a lot of energy for the community and for the business. And that's important, you know, you mentioned for attracting members, like when they come in and they talk to her and maybe they tour with her, like they get it, but also retention, you know?
00:52:49 Yes, Yeah. To your point, like has been challenging to sort of cultivate, but now that we're getting to that point and it sounds like you see that, like, you know, when people are doing business together, you know, things to help people get to know each other goes along. Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Because I mean,
00:53:09 if you don't have a Community Manager, I mean, it's not, I mean, you definitely can't retain those members for sure. I mean, there's really efficient. She wasn't here. If we like, literally we didn't have between manager here. I don't think any of the members wouldn't be here. I mean, you just have to add one And you,
00:53:31 I always forget to ask this, but I know people love to know you run on officer and D Yes, I do. What's one other piece of technology that you use that you couldn't live without, That we couldn't live without. I would say definitely well through Office RnD, you can get your own app. So it works based app, which I'm branded,
00:53:56 which is nice. That has been a seller. If you're going to do it Office RnD to get the app. Yeah. And they're just adding on so many different components of their software, which I love just yeah. From the hospitality and the food and beverage. And now the members can, when they book an event, I mean, just you're providing more of an upskill and Mindy to,
00:54:26 to your venues. So it's, it's been a plus, but I'd say slack, what else? Trello, what else should we use? I'm telling you, like it integrates with everything. So it's just being able to, to have that ability to integrate has been helpful. Awesome. Okay. Last question. If you had to give one piece of advice to someone starting a coworking space,
00:54:56 what would it be? Everything Coworking Flight Group. I know two gels gels, like I'll slip you the check later. I wouldn't say that. I really would. I wouldn't say that. I would agree with that. I mean, We've avoided so many mistakes and plus we had the fun doing it. I mean, I don't want to oversell you here,
00:55:27 but you remember in Austin and we all went to the, that’s right! The barbecue place. Was it Michael? Michael? Oh I’m sure it was Michael. Yeah. I forgot about that. I mean, it's been fun. I mean, it really has been fun. I mean, not just Jamie, the operators, it's like, all the students, all the different people. You can get little bits and pieces from all the different people.
00:56:02 And you know, you're really there to hear what they have to say, oh, I can do this, very beneficial. Well, it's been an honor to get to know you guys. I forgot about the barbecue and hopefully we'll yeah. Have some of those, I wonder if Frisco has scooters. Yeah. It'll be super fun to see in September you a plug for,
00:56:30 we'll be at the GWA conference in Frisco, Texas, the week of September 20th. So anybody listening, we'd love to see you there, Dan and Chelle. Well, I know I can't wait either. Thank you for taking the time to share your story and your insights and awesome to be on this journey with you. And I'm glad other people have gotten to know you.
00:56:51 If you're in Tucson, make sure you stop by and say hello to Dan and Chelle and see their gorgeous space. So thanks, guys. Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you like, what you heard, tell a friend, hit that subscribe button and leave us a rating and review. It makes a huge difference in helping others. Like you find us.
00:57:15 If you'd like to learn more about our education and coaching programs, head over to Everything. Coworking dot com. We'll see you next week.
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