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Qingping idea

Update March 2007

I (GregorRothfuss) don't have a personal need for coworking at this time. Someone else will have to carry the torch forward.

Hi, this is Gregor with the work-in-progress page for Coworking Boston. You can see the state of my current thinking (a lot of which was written prior to finding out about Coworking, and needs to be integrated better with this site) below.

Next Steps / Help needed

start frequenting qinping (week of april 1)
spread the word, get more interested people
work out house rules
work out financial details

Rationale

We believe that the traditional coffee house is on a renaissance. Several factors contribute to this: Global brands like Starbucks have marketed the concept and made coffee consumption a major part in the daily routine of the average American. Advances in technology allow people to work and play from almost anywhere, and many do. In fact, quite a lot of cafes have installed wireless Internet connectivity in recent years and are now faced with 'campers', customers that clog up their seats for hours, while generating very little revenue.

At the same time, many of us are looking for a third place, a place besides home and the office, or for an office in the first place. We want to have a social space that allows us to meet friends, expand our social network, and generally be in the thick of things. Traditionally, we might have used a bar for this purpose, but our ever more flexible schedules call for a third place that is available to us throughout the day. In other words, it calls for a coffee house.

From the perspective of the independent cafe, new ways of setting themselves apart from the mega chains are important. As an independent, you'd do well to tap into this need for a space that is not as rushed as the big chains, which are more interested to get you out of the door quickly. In fact, Starbucks was recently observed playing loud music in a probable bid to make patrons shorten their stay.

While cafes are in the business of beverage consumption, that is hardly all they can and should be, given that those same beverages are now often available to the interested consumer at the other two places, home and the office, in almost the same quality. In order to thrive, coffeehouses will have to work hard to increase the intrinsic qualities of their experience, in essence good conversation and the cultivation of serendipity.

We believe that these ends can be met by specifically catering to independent professionals, and creating a third space for them that doubles as their office.

Portrait of the ideal coffeehouse customer

A coffeehouse culture is a fragile thing and needs the right kind of nourishment to thrive, to wit, the ideal customer. The ideal customer is in a profession that allows him to have flexible work hours and to bring his work with him wherever he may go. The ideal customer is also in a line of work that does not require loud activities that might distract other customers. A sales person is not the ideal customer. The ideal customer is further a person whose job requires a combination of deep thought and environmental stimulation. These two phases of his work help to maintain the coffeehouse culture: The deep concentration, suitably indicated to his environment (through a "do not disturb" sign or, more subtly, via his online presence status indicator), brings a focus to the coffeehouse that is lacking from a bar, for instance; the need for stimulation, on the other hand, means that the ideal customer is willing and able to interact with other customers to get new ideas. It is hoped that these interactions with peers, but also customers from entirely different walks of life, will provide the customer with fresh insight, and will make him willing to credit the unique culture of the coffeehouse for it. And make him willing to put down money upfront to get more of it.

Finances

To run a coffeehouse profitably requires a mix of regulars and walk-in customers, maybe in a bar-style part of the coffeehouse. There is a lot of scope for experimentation with different splits of monthly fees and consumption charges (maybe with an open tab for regulars). This split has to not only meet the financial objectives, but also informs the nature of the coffeehouse: From private club to all-access cafe. Somewhere in between is the zone where a coffeehouse can thrive.

Since this model is a new thing in the world, as far as we know, there might be resistance initially to pony up monthly fees for an unproven concept. In order to reach the break even point, it might be necessary to start out with a core group of customers bound by a honor code to consume a certain amount per day.

Many other riffs on the core concept are possible, like a virtual chain of independent cafes that honor each others members (to provide for variety, as over time one would expect different coffeehouses to cater to different micro cultures).

It might also be advisable to establish yield management, either by an online reservation system, or other mechanisms. A balance between reserved seats (too much office like), and frustrated regulars as they do not find a seat would have to be found.

Promotion

To get this concept off the ground, word of mouth publicity will be a key factor. A group of people has to be found who are willing to take a bet on the concept, and are willing to act as promoters. It might be a good idea to solicit their ideas and feedback in the test period, and make them true stakeholders in the process. This does not have to take the form of a coop, but can include significant transparency about unresolved issues (yield management etc).

The time is right for this concept; recently a lot of people have expressed similar thoughts in online discussions. This likely means that more than one entrepreneur will pick up the concept, and help to figure out what works, and what does not. A suitable balance between competitive secrecy and cooperation with other such entrepreneurs will help to identify the sticking points quickly. It is also believed that having different implementations of this concept increases the likelihood that one of them will get the ingredients right.

Holding events in the evening targeted at groups composed of the desired type of customer will help to publicize the venue and allow interested parties to check it out and have conversations with people who made the leap and work there during the day.

Infrastructure

The third place needs some infrastructure. The overarching objective is to make the infrastructure as ephemeral and invisible as possible. Too much traditional infrastructure would impose a 'cubicle' grid on the coffeehouse and would suffocate it's unique atmosphere. Wireless networking is in, cables all over the place are out. Discreet power plugs are a necessity, but should not be dorkily obvious. It might be an idea to have some trappings of a traditional office in a back room (fax machine, etc). On top of the physical infrastructure, there will also be online infrastructure: software that connects the customers at one location, provides them with online white boards, status indicators and other ingredients. The necessary infrastructure can be procured inexpensively and will not be a major factor in the overall budget.