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Starting a Team Company around CoWorking

We have started a ThinkTank project about a year ago, LockSchuppen, which now has evolved into a second one, which focuses more on CoWorking.

We are looking forward to a workshop using the Business Model Generation to bring CoOrpheum on track.

Just imagine six people with different education and business background stumble together over the course of a year on bringing up a CoWorking Space as they are dedicated on knowledgesharing, collaboration and visions to be brought into business life.

Everyone has his/her own project in addition, and they focus on making the difference (together).

Anybody with similar starting point?

What has been your biggest challenge in the beginning? What is mostly needed to make the feedback cycle on earnings make the leap?

Has anybody worked with SystemDynamics as a supporting tool?

Tags: SystemDynamics, leanstartup, startup

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Permalink Reply by Ty Patillo on May 18, 2010 at 5:02am

Hello Ralf:

Your ThinkTank Project sounds quite interesting. Curious to know how the project is evolving and what your goals are up to this point? Has BMG assisted you in the modeling of endeavor? I myself started a similar project, but currently face the challenge of finding the right location that offers visibility. What are some of the obstacles to your goals?

Look forward to your insight.

Regards
Ty

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Permalink Reply by Ralf Lippold on May 24, 2010 at 3:04pm

Hi Ty,

Thanks for your comment and curiousity on the forthcoming of the project. Actually there are already two projects: LockSchuppen & CoOrpheum.

The latter is the one that is currently being built in a prototyping state. BMG and the ideas on LeanStartup by EricRies have a constant impact. My passion is about collective learning and lean thinking (I am leading one of the few intercultural and multilingual groups on lean thinking at XING).

The obstacles that are coming up (after some time) are:

1. you need a small team of dedicated people (five at the most) to get the whole thing started
2. once the "engine" is running more people can step in (however you need a diversity of team roles, people are seeing the world with very different eyes)
3. build the container for holding the intergroupal personal fights (which will surely arise as soon as the project becomes tangible)
4. Keep your investment as low as possible - instead build up the forces of pull by future clients and users of your service

Concerning your question about the right location. Get one that has history and where you can feel the energy when standing in there. Some examples you can see here.

One of our main tools to expand the possible visions of the future (that can be achieved) is the WikiWall. A sort of "story-telling" canvas to get deeper into people's knowledge collectively. We would love to convene a workshop in connection with BMG in the coming weeks. That would be great.

What do you think? Would be great if you could participate.

Best regards, Ralf