Cat Johnson: new year, new name, but same mission

For years now, Coworks has partnered with Cat Johnson as a sponsor, collaborator, and friend for one simple reason: she is as committed to coworking opertors success as we are.

We even offer our customers a free month of access. ➡️

Now, Cat is rebranding her service and community. So we wanted to learn more. 

The following is our Q&A.

First, what is the updated name?

We’re relaunching The Lab as the Coworking Creators Lab. My intention is to be the hub for community-focused coworking spaces.

What inspired the brand direction and refresh?

The Coworking Creators Summit we hosted in October was an incredible event and a clear reminder that the true coworking leaders are the people creating community and impact in their neighborhoods, extended communities, and regions. Relaunching and repositioning The Lab as the Coworking Creators Lab is a recommitment to all the community-focused spaces who are shaping the future of coworking.

I think of these coworking creators as: Creating content; creating community; creating impact.

How will the experience be different or unique?

We already do a lot of things really well in The Lab. We have weekly workshops and discussions and a true peer support community in our Lab Slack. The Coworking Creators Lab has everything we already love about The Lab, with some new offerings, including a weekly Content Studio to see what’s working, workshop ideas, stay up on trends, and learn from each other.

We’re also hosting member hotseats for focused group attention on one member at a time. And, as with all our projects, the Lab community is involved in every decision and change we make, so we’ll continue to evolve along with our members.

What are some misconceptions around The Coworking Creators Lab that are dispelled once a person joins?

One of the challenges with The Lab has been that it feels like a nice-to-have rather than the incredible resource it is. With the relaunch and repositioning, we really focused on establishing the Coworking Creators Lab as the hub and source for community-focused spaces.

I want it to be clear that we are all-in on community-focused coworking, that we’re deeply committed to our members, and that we have an incredible opportunity to reframe the conversation about what coworking is … and isn’t. The goal is to lead this movement together.

Who is ideal for the community?

The simple answer is: community-focused coworking spaces. The more nuanced answer is: anyone committed to being a community-focused space. We have some members who are leading the way as community-focused spaces and have been doing so since the early days.

We also have members who are working on creating more community in their spaces because they recognize that desks and wifi aren’t getting it done. The future of coworking is connection, collaboration, and community. That’s what made coworking the gamechanger it was, and it’s what empowers coworking to be part of a vibrant, connected future.

What did you learn from The Lab 1.0 that you are putting into practice in the Coworking Creators Lab?

That the wisdom of all of us is infinitely greater than the wisdom of one of us. We have 200+ years of coworking experience in The Lab so every day is like a masterclass. This will continue to be the driving force for The Coworking Creators Lab and all my work.

Coworking folks are notoriously pulled in a million directions. What kind of commitment is membership?

Like a good coworking space, there are a number of ways to participate and you can cancel anytime. Wednesday’s are Lab Days, where we have the Content Studio and Lab Events. We also put recordings of Lab Workshops into our Lab Library, so if you miss a workshop, you can catch it when your schedule allows.

What industry shifts have really helped shape the Coworking Creators Lab’s evolution?

Community-focused coworking spaces have always been the pioneers of this movement. There is nothing interesting or revolutionary about office rental facilities. But as we’ve grown from a movement to an industry, the people doing the actual work of creating impact and community are being drowned out by the “flex” conversation.

This is, in part, because community-focused spaces aren’t making enough noise about how they offer an infinitely better experience (I’m working to change that).

But it’s also because the real estate world got a hold of coworking and decided that as long as a space looked nice and had some nice hospitality touches, that they were coworking. However, having been a member of numerous spaces, I can tell you that a nice space and hospitality touches are just the first steps in creating a coworking space.

The real work comes when you open the doors and now have a bunch of people in the space. That’s where coworking begins.

So my vision for the Coworking Creators Lab is to reposition community-focused coworking as the industry standard and support all the coworking spaces and brands who understand that coworking is about what happens IN the space.

And just to be super clear: Community-focused coworking isn’t limited to brands with one or two spaces. Community-focused coworking is the future and every brand would be wise to prioritize their community building efforts.

Event

The Coworking Creators Summit - Recap

Get the highlights and takeaways from this day of coworking expertise.

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