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 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:

CoLevel (CRM platform)

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

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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. How to juggle task lists with real human connection. What it's like to be a working mom running a space. And why she believes customer service experience matters more than industry background when hiring.

We also dig into:

• Why 30 percent meeting room utilization might actually be normal
• How she and her teammate divide and conquer to grow the business
• The evolution of Fireworks' ideal customer profile
• What it really takes to stay energized in this role year after year
  
  

If you're an owner wondering what makes a great community manager, or you are a community manager trying to figure out how to build longevity in this career, this one is for you.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Fireworks Coworking website
Nicole Antolino on LinkedIn

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

Follow Us on YouTube

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 expecting to spend their day chatting with members and they end up spending three hours in HubSpot, you've got a mismatch. And that mismatch starts with the title.

We talk about:

• Why "Location Manager" might attract better candidates (and who's testing it successfully)
• How to prioritize the five hats: operations, community building, sales & marketing, finance, and leadership
• The front-of-house vs back-of-house split when you have two people on site
• Why the biggest gap is CRM use—and how the title sets the wrong expectations
• How to design a daily schedule based on what actually matters most in your business right now
• When community manager IS the right title (and when it's not)
• The downloadable template to help you prioritize hats and write a job description that matches reality

This conversation is for operators who are tired of hiring people who don't fit the role—or who lose great team members because the job wasn't what they expected.

If you're about to post a job or wondering why your last hire didn't work out, this episode will help you rethink your approach.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Profit Accelerator Program

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

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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 bit of a rant. But if you've ever wondered whether you should hire an agency, pay for an IT retainer, or invest in a custom site, you need to hear this.

We talk about:

• Why most marketing agencies can't deliver ROI for single-location operators (and the one exception)
• How to set up your IT infrastructure once and stop paying monthly retainers
• The truth about social media for coworking spaces—and when it actually works
• What makes a website convert versus just look pretty
• Why studying marketing as a business owner will save you tens of thousands of dollars

If you're a new operator trying to figure out where to invest—or an experienced one wondering why your margins feel tight—this episode will help you make smarter decisions with your budget.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

SpaceFully

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

Follow Us on YouTube

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 aggressively right now, and the 13 critical questions you need to ask before even considering their offer. Because while IWG is incredibly good at sales, marketing, and designing efficient spaces, their incentives are not the same as yours.

We talk about:

• Why IWG wants dots on the map—and what that means for your building
• How management fees work (and why they get paid even if you don't make profit)
• Why smaller spaces (under 15,000 sq ft) rarely work under a management agreement
• What happens if the space loses money—and who covers operating expenses
• The termination clause question you absolutely must ask
• How to evaluate demand assumptions, pricing, and occupancy ramp in their proforma
• Why you need to validate their numbers with a third party (and how to do that)
• When an IWG partnership might actually make sense
• What other options exist beyond IWG—and why you should explore them

This episode is essential listening if you're a building owner considering flex, an operator who's been approached about a partnership, or anyone trying to understand how management agreements actually work in the coworking industry.


Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Revenue Playbook Membership
Profit Accelerator Program

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

Follow Us on YouTube

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 location rezoned
• Her "test and invest" mindset—constantly experimenting with flexible memberships
• Why she stopped doing evening events and started showing up with soup and wine instead
• The "Team Mashup" concept—bringing remote and in-office teams together

This conversation is proof that coworking works best when you stay curious, listen to your members, and aren't afraid to test unconventional ideas.

If you're an operator wondering how to create authentic community without forcing it, or navigating flexible memberships, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Sue Reardon on LinkedIn

Suite Spotte Coworking website

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

Follow Us on YouTube

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 your onboarding process is clunky, your team isn't asking questions, and nobody offers a tour, you're leaving money (and relationships) on the table.

Jamie walks through exactly what went wrong in her experience and what should have happened instead—from the moment she walked in the door to the moment she left without anyone noticing.

We talk about:

• Why signage, parking info, and wifi instructions should be crystal clear on your website
• The Shop app effect: why consumers expect frictionless checkout (and how Flexspace.ai makes this possible)
• Why your day pass booking process should never require 20 minutes and multiple steps
• The power of a simple tour—even if someone's rushing to a call
• How to read the room and offer help without being pushy
• Why introducing day passers to members creates instant belonging
• The one question your team should always ask: "Has this person been here before?"
• How to use your CRM to track referral potential and pain points
• Why seasonal offers and meeting room packages are perfect day pass conversion tools
• The Enneagram lens: why some people want to be seen and others want to be left alone
• Designing your space so people have to pass the front desk (and why that matters)

If you've been treating day passes as transient revenue instead of relationship opportunities, this episode will shift how you think about every single person who walks through your door.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

The Revenue Playbook (Operator Membership)

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

Follow Us on YouTube

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 open coworking setup. If you've ever wondered whether part-time private offices can actually work, Vena is proof that they can—not only functionally, but profitably.

We talk about:

• How her background as a hairstylist and certified life coach shaped her philosophy as an operator
• How she runs a mostly unstaffed space while still delivering a boutique, high-touch experience
• Why her day passes and conference room rentals have become an unexpectedly strong revenue driver
• The power of being embedded in the local community—especially in smaller markets
• Why her 24 five-star Google reviews in year one are no accident
• The Foundry Workspaces' next chapter: a new workshop space coming in 2026

Vena's story is such a refreshing reminder that coworking doesn't have to look one certain way. You can take the space you already have, design around the needs of the people in your community, and create something that is profitable, personal, and sustainable.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Vena Boddy on LI

The Foundry Workspaces' website

Everything Coworking Featured Resources:

Masterclass: 3 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Opening a Coworking Space

Coworking Startup School

Community Manager University

Follow Us on YouTube