Coworking has a bit of a catfishing problem.
The overpriced pay per click Google ads make each one look like it could be The One. Then you show up, and… it feels like a sad airport lounge with scoliosis inducing stools where proper desk chairs should be. We encourage you to skip the paid ads and scroll mid-page on google results for the most awesome indie coworking in Fort Collins.
Example of an empty coworking space used to advertise corporate “coworking.” Don’t fall for the paid search results!
To help you avoid getting duped, here are 20 questions to keep in your back pocket next time you tour a space downtown. Think of it like speed dating: the answers tell you everything you need to know about whether you’re looking at a true coworking community—or just a fake Tinder profile made by a corporate bot.
20 Questions to Ask on Your Fort Collins Coworking Tour
- How long do most of your members stick around? (Cohere’s average member retention is 36 months! Unheard of in the corporate coworking sphere).
- What’s the longest someone has been here? (Some of our members are coming up on their 13th anniversary with us!)
- Do members ever hang out outside of work? (Nod to the bike packing trip they just planned)
- When’s the last time members organized something together without staff planning it? (See above)
- What’s in the fridge right now? (Yes, really.) (3 questionable tupperwares, an apple, 4 kinds of creamer and a community snack drawer)
- Do you celebrate birthdays here? (only when people love public celebration)
- What do people say they love most about this place? (the people!)
- What do they complain about? (Not having decaf on drip)
- Who’s the person everyone knows by name? (Mark)
- If I came in on a random Tuesday, what would I overhear? (That would be our Lunch Buddies event so anything from cults to cobbler recipes)
- Do people share food, tools, random office supplies? (Yes, yes, and yes! We have any dongle, connector or charger in case you forget yours)
- How do new members usually get introduced to the group? (in person, in slack and everywhere in between)
- What’s the weirdest or funniest thing that’s ever happened here? (The time Angel found her own gum in the coffee maker. It’s a story to put any true crime enthusiast’s skills to the test)
- Can I talk to a member who’s been around for a while? (Of course!)
- What kinds of events do you host—and who actually shows up? (Cohere Events and our Remote Worker Meetup Group)
- How many people work here on an average day? (Not “how many memberships you’ve sold.”)
- Do you oversell memberships like airlines oversell seats? (All coworking spaces oversell seats but if they share a number over 200% it means they’d prefer you stay home instead of coming in to use your membership LOL)
- What happens if I leave my stuff here overnight? (The answer should be “nothing happens, it’ll just be where you left it tomorrow”)
- If the Wi-Fi went down for a day, what would people do? (Group walk to the coffee shop, anyone?)
- What makes your space different from every other “coworking” ad out there? (The people, the people, the people NOT the amenities even though we do offer dual monitors at our sit/stand workstations #brag)
If you get blank stares, buzzwords, or answers that sound like they were ripped straight from a corporate sales training—congrats, you’ve found a CRE catfish. Swipe left.
But if you hear stories, laughter, and maybe even a fridge tale involving LaCroix and leftover cake—you’ve found the real thing. Book your 15 minute Cohere tour today!
