415. 6 Things Coworking Space Owners Are Underspending On
Release Date: 02/25/2026
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...
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410. The Day Pass Experience: A Checklist for Turning Drop-Ins into Long-Term Members
Everything Coworking
What happens when a coworking expert walks into a national coworking brand as a day pass user—and the experience falls flat? This week, Jamie shares her recent day pass experience and turns it into a practical checklist for operators who want to treat every day passer like a potential long-term member (because they might be). It's the holiday season, which means travelers are staying with family, needing to get work done, and looking for a place to escape for the day. Day passers might be transient—or they might become your next member, referral source, or meeting room regular. But if...
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409. The Invisible Flex Model: How Andrea Pirrotti Helps Landlords Activate Space Without the Friction
Everything Coworking
What happens when a flex workspace veteran with decades of global experience decides the future isn't about branded coworking takeovers—but about making flex invisible so the building itself can thrive? In this episode, Andrea Pirrotti, Head of Real Estate at infinitSpace, shares her unconventional approach to helping landlords activate underutilized space without heavy CapEx, long lease-up timelines, or the friction that comes with traditional flex operators. Andrea's background is extensive—she ran global marketing for IWG across 65 countries, led operations at Office Evolution, and...
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408. The Power of Fractional Offices: How Vena Boddy Built The Foundry Workspaces
Everything Coworking
What happens when a lifelong hairstylist-turned-life-coach steps away from the salon and builds one of the most flexible, hyper-local coworking models I’ve ever seen? You get The Foundry Workspaces, created and operated by Vena Boddy, who brings an action-oriented, community-centered approach to coworking that works beautifully in her Michigan suburb. In this episode, Vena shares her unexpected journey into coworking, how her husband’s early entrepreneurial experiences inspired their model, and why she leaned fully into fractional private offices instead of the typical dedicated office or...
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407. Building Coworking Where It Doesn’t Exist Yet: Jodie Gallant's Story
Everything Coworking
What happens when a lifelong marketer and multi-business entrepreneur realizes she’s tired of working alone — and decides to build the space she wishes existed? In this episode, Jodie Gallant, CEO of WORK Lakes Region, shares the remarkable story behind launching the first coworking space of its kind in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region — and why the idea lived in her for nearly a decade before becoming real. Jodie’s journey is full of surprising turns, smart marketing insights, and honest lessons about opening a coworking space in a smaller market. We cover: How growing up inside a...
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406. Planning for 2026: Themes Every Operator Should Be Thinking About
Everything Coworking
In this episode, Jamie shares the key themes she’s taking into her 2026 planning — and why now is the moment to shift from working in your business to working on it. She also walks through what to expect in this year’s Q1 planning workshop and pop-up community. In this episode you'll learn: • Why “radical responsiveness” is becoming a major differentiator • How to plan for outcomes instead of tactics • What owners should keep close instead of delegating • Why carving out R&D time (especially around AI) matters • How to think realistically about projects, KPIs, and...
info_outlineWhat'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 outperform a 120-square-foot one when you're trying to hit $70 per square foot in revenue, and why phone booths aren't optional—they're essential to selling flex memberships.
This episode is packed with specific, actionable advice on where to invest, how to evaluate ROI, and what trade-offs to consider based on your market, lease term, and access to capital.
We talk about:
- Why soundproofing should be built into construction from day one (and what to do if you're already open)
- How small private offices (80 sq ft vs 120 sq ft) dramatically impact your revenue per square foot
- Why phone booths are essential for selling flex memberships—and how to finance them if budget is tight
- The critical importance of professional photography for meeting rooms and day offices (users buy visually online)
- Why SEO is a must-have investment alongside paid ads—and how AI search is changing the game
- How to use a CRM to track every lead and achieve "radical responsiveness" in 2026
- The three audits every operator should run quarterly: customer journey, sales funnel, and competitive market
- Why investing in your team's training and your own professional development always delivers ROI
If you're trying to figure out where to allocate budget, what's worth the investment, and how to avoid the costly mistake of underspending in critical areas—this episode is essential listening.
Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:
Everything Coworking Featured Resources:
Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space