CwSC presentation: 10 amazing things you do as a manager of a coworking community (and you don't realize until you close)

Miguel Ángel Calero, passionate about knowing how things work and then try, change, improve, #hacerhacerhacer ... Partner in PLANEM, project focused on the design and creation of urban habitats with criteria of economic, energy and sustainability. Catalyst in the sphere during the last years.

Goodbye to COsfera

Amazing things you do as a manager of a coworking community and you don't realize until you close.

COsfera was one of the coworking centers that emerged close to the ideals of collaboration and freedom that are part of the most genuine idiosyncrasy of the sector. Although the news of its closure saddened us, the trip made by its founders was extraordinarily enriching. Miguel Ángel Calero, one of its founders, reviewed his career with this project at Coworking Spain Conference 2018. During his emotional presentation, he reviewed some of the unforgettable moments he lived during the 6 years at the helm of COsfera, to highlight the challenges and tasks that Managers come to face in their day to day without realizing just how incredible their achievements, something that emerges in moments of serenity and already with a certain perspective, as it has been, where appropriate, after the closure.

Is the end of a project in which so much energy has been put tragic? No: at least this was the main message that Miguel Ángel Calero transmitted when recounting his experience. Apart from the collection of anecdotes, and the emotions aroused by undertaking a personal project, in the case of coworking, other experiences of incalculable value are added, such as the opportunity to get in touch with all types of companies and professionals, access other forms to understand work and personal relationships, and keep abreast of trends that may be of interest to the created community, such as those related to technology and the digital world. In fact, Michelangelo commented how his experience at the helm of COsfera had decisively helped him undergo a profound personal transformation, especially with regard to the digital world and new technologies.

Know when to say goodbye: and how to do it

But when does a manager wonder whether or not to continue with a project in which he has put energy and enthusiasm? What led him and the COsfera partners to make this decision? Were they personal or economic reasons? Well, profitability is always a factor to consider, but not the only one, as explained by Michelangelo.

Certainly, coworking is an exciting sector that demands commitment and provides great moments of personal satisfaction, but it is also undeniable that the amount of energy required by the management of a space is not usually financially compensated; and that was the case of COsfera. The overexertion and sacrifice of its creators did not translate into a consistent profitability, although it did affect its vital enrichment. Over the years, although the motivation for its opening was not solely on economic grounds, the "adjusted" profitability of the project did have some weight. However, this was not the decisive factor in the decision to close, and other aspects of a personal nature influenced. In the case of Michelangelo, his tendency to develop his activity in cycles of 4 or 5 years was a key aspect: after 6 years sailing in one direction, simply, it was time to change course.

So, when the decision was made to close, one of the most complicated moments came: communicate it to the community. For this, there are no effective protocols, nor are there any magic formulas. Nor is it in all cases something that is see coming. In fact, in the case of COsfera, the coworkers received the announcement with some surprise: “They did not think we were going to communicate that decision to them: nor that we had taken it,” says Miguel Ángel. “It was traumatic in a way, but also very exciting and inspiring to feel people's affection and see their personal involvement,” he recalls. Yes: they had created a community. And now you can say with complete emptiness that the 6 years at the helm of the project, without a doubt, were worth it.

And, after having spent 6 years of his life in coworking, he felt he needed to get involved in other projects: teaching (in EOI), the commitment to social causes (he collaborates in Doctors without Borders) and his Kakfian technology company are just some of them. A restless spirit? It seems. And it is not surprising: after all, coworking is a mentality, a way of understanding human and labor relations, which enables synergies and is seductive for those who value diversity and professional and personal growth, although this demand to move from time to time and live outside the comfort zone.