394. Lead Sources 101: What Coworking Operators Need to Know About Brokers, Marketplaces, and More
Release Date: 08/06/2025
420. Dan Wesson and Chelle Peterson on Competing with Big Operators Using Better Systems
Everything Coworking
What happens when a coworking operator gets completely fed up with their tech stack… and decides to build their own solution? That’s exactly what Dan Wesson and Chelle Peterson did. Dan and Chelle are the co-founders of The Post Workspace and CoLevel, and I’ve known them since they went through Coworking Startup School back in 2018. It has been so fun to watch their journey from launching their space in Tucson to building a platform that’s now helping operators all over the world. They didn’t set out to create software. They just wanted to run a better coworking space. But after...
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419. How Courtney Schwartz at FireWorks Coworking Uses AI to Get Time Back for What Matters
Everything Coworking
What if AI didn’t replace your community manager… but actually made them better at their job? That’s exactly what Courtney Schwartz is doing at FireWorks Coworking—and it’s such a refreshing take on a topic that can feel overwhelming (or even a little threatening) in our industry. Courtney is deeply passionate about people, community, and creating meaningful connections. And instead of letting AI take over, she’s using it to take admin work off her plate so she can spend more time doing what actually matters inside her space. In this episode, we cover: How Courtney uses AI to...
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418. Yardi's Peter Kolaczynski shares Coworking Growth Data Drivers
Everything Coworking
Most people don’t spend 13 years quietly building one of the most comprehensive datasets in commercial real estate. But that’s exactly what Peter Kolaczynski has been doing at Yardi. In this episode, Jamie sits down with Peter Kolaczynski, Associate Director of Yardi, to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of the coworking and office markets. And this one gets… data-heavy in the best way. We get into: Why coworking is still only ~2.3% of total office space—and why that number could 5x How Yardi tracks over 80,000 office buildings and what that unlocks for the industry...
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417. How Glen Hicks Built a Self-Serve Coworking Space (and Runs It From 3 Hours Away)
Everything Coworking
What if you built a coworking space… designed so you barely had to be there? That’s exactly what Glen Hicks did. After 27 years in IT leadership and a life-changing heart attack at 34, Glen completely rethought how he worked. Instead of jumping into another executive role, he became what he calls a “digital independent.” But he couldn’t find a workspace that actually fit the way he wanted to work. So he built USTATION — a beautifully designed, mostly self-serve workspace in New Brunswick that runs with almost no staff (and Glen lives three hours away). In this episode we talk...
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416. Flexibility with Boundaries: Nicole Antolino on the Real Role of a Community Manager
Everything Coworking
What if the secret to running a thriving coworking space isn’t fancy software or a massive team… but one incredibly grounded, genuinely caring community manager? I finally got to sit down with Nicole Antolino, Community Manager at Fireworks Coworking in Marietta, Georgia and this conversation was long overdue. Nicole has been part of our Community Manager University program since 2022 and I’ve watched her grow into one of those rare unicorn operators who can truly do it all. She talked about the real balancing act of this role. When to extend flexibility and when to hold the line....
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415. 6 Things Coworking Space Owners Are Underspending On
Everything Coworking
What's worse than overspending on things that don't deliver ROI? Underinvesting in the areas that actually make or break your business. This week, Jamie flips last week's episode on its head and tackles the critical areas where coworking operators consistently underspend—and pay the price in lost revenue, lower margins, and frustrated members. From soundproofing decisions during construction to the size of your private offices, Jamie breaks down the build-out choices that seem expensive upfront but deliver massive ROI over time. She explains why an 80-square-foot office will always...
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414. 4 Things Coworking Space Owners Are Overspending On
Everything Coworking
What happens when good intentions meet bad ROI? This week, Jamie tackles the spending decisions that quietly drain coworking operators' margins—and shares what to do instead. Fresh from working with clients who are making these exact mistakes, Jamie breaks down the four most common areas where operators overspend: marketing agencies that don't understand local business, IT retainers that sit unused, social media managers in markets where Instagram doesn't drive leads, and $20,000 custom websites that look beautiful but don't convert. This episode is direct, practical, and yes—a little...
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413. Is "Community Manager" the Right Title for the Person Running Your Coworking Space?
Everything Coworking
This week, Jamie Russo tackles a slightly uncomfortable question—especially for someone who runs a program called Community Manager University. But if you're struggling to find quality candidates when you post that job title, this episode might change how you think about recruiting. Here's the problem: the community manager title anchors candidates on member interaction and engagement. But the actual job? It's pipeline management, CRM updates, billing follow-up, vendor coordination, office turnovers, social media, sales tours, and—oh yeah—also community building. When you hire someone...
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412. Should You Answer When IWG Calls? What Landlords Need to Know About Regus Partnership Deals
Everything Coworking
IWG (the parent company of Regus) just cold called you about turning your office building into a coworking space—and you have no idea how to evaluate their offer. This week, Jamie Russo breaks down exactly what landlords and building owners need to know before signing a management agreement with IWG, Regus, or any other operator offering a partnership model. Spoiler: they're not calling because your building is special. They're calling because you own a building. And that distinction matters—a lot. Jamie walks through the IWG partnership model, why they're pursuing landlords so...
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411. The "Why Not?" Approach: Sue Reardon on Experimenting Her Way to Success at Suite Spotte
Everything Coworking
What happens when a small business coach realizes her clients need more than advice—they need a place to actually work? She converts the loft she's been living in with her family into a coworking space. This week, Jamie Russo sits down with Sue Reardon, co-founder and community connector at Suite Spotte in Forest Park and La Grange, Illinois, for one of the most fascinating origin stories we've heard on this podcast. In this episode, we talk about: How Sue went from coaching micropreneurs to realizing coworking was the missing piece Why it took two years to get the Forest Park...
info_outlineYour sales funnel can only work if you know where your leads are coming from — and how to make the most of each source.
But for many operators, coworking marketplaces, lead gen partners, and even Google Business Profiles feel like a confusing alphabet soup of options. In this episode, I break down the four core lead source categories, demystify the biggest marketplace players, and help you prioritize what’s worth your time (and what isn’t).
We cover:
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The four main types of coworking lead sources: organic traffic, member referrals, brokers, and marketplaces
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What platforms like Deskpass, LiquidSpace, Gable, and Peerspace actually do — and who they’re best for
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Why your Google Business Profile may be your most valuable (and underutilized) lead source
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The truth about Flexspace.ai, how it works, and how it’s not a lead gen platform
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How to track your lead sources effectively and decide which platforms deserve your attention
If you’ve ever wondered whether marketplaces are worth it or how to build a lead strategy that actually converts — this episode is your roadmap.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Everything Coworking Featured Resources:
Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space