Back in the time before the coronavirus (I know: there was such a thing!!!???), my boyfriend, Justin, and I were traveling in Australia.

And we suddenly found ourselves needing a job. Travel happens to cost money…apparently. 😉

I loved seeing all those entrepreneurs working together, building a network, and finding other like-minded online business people! The space was luxurious, but still chill and most importantly, a great place to be productive.

Up until then, running my online business had been a bit lonely — and I hadn’t even realized it! When we came back to Belgium, I felt the absence of the coworking space. I felt the need to reconnect with other entrepreneurs, to be around other people who were in the exact same boat. But at the time, there really weren’t any coworking space options. Everyone was just off on their own, working from home.

So I decided to build my own.

And now I’m here to share the process with you: because it’s a lot like starting any small business! If you’re worried about where to start with your own biz, check out these steps and you’ll get a feel for how the process works.

Step One: Research A LOT

The first thing we did was research aaaallll about coworking spaces. We looked at every possibility for what it could look like, run like, and feel like.

That was the most important part for me: what it would FEEL like. I wanted people to get a feeling when they entered the space. I wanted them to leave feeling a certain way, too. My favorite coworking spaces were always the ones that made me feel both at home, and like I could be productive!!

Step Two: Build a Brand Workshop

The next thing to do was create a brand for our coworking space. Something that expressed the vision that I wanted to create and encapsulated our mission.

We created a logo, colors, fonts, and a brand kit. Basically: the works! We needed an extremely clear idea of the brand so that everything would look and feel like it was part of the same business.

Step Three: Get Social!

Next up was building our social media platforms. Yes — BEFORE we even opened our doors! Crazy? Nah. More like GENIUS.

This allowed us to find our target audience (turns out, LinkedIn is a big one for us!) and get them interested in the space before we were even opened. We provided value to our audience through social media and blogging, and began to build a following! This way, we would know we had customers lined up when we finally flung open the doors for business.

Step Four: Create our own, cozy little spot on the internet

Finally, I built a website for the space so that if someone found us on social media they could learn more about what we do on the site. I also added a blog so we could continue to add value and connect with our audience.

This also had the extra-useful benefit of helping with SEO and becoming familiar to Google — we’re not just a random empty website. We are a living, breathing thing! Okay…breathing maybe not so much. 😉

…

And now? Our coworking space has 46 spots already claimed, and we’ve hired 16 people!!! Crazy what a year of building and marketing a business can do.

So if you’re stuck wondering what the process for creating your own biz looks like? If you’re wondering what steps to take to start the process before you even begin? Well, now you know where to start…

XO Laurence