May 12, 2023 16 min read Digital 52: Global Coworking Stories

Digital 52 3️⃣3️⃣ - On growing steadily, the ‘art’ of choosing new locations and building a coworking brand with partners: the story of Workshop17.

Today's story will transport you to South Africa, where you'll be introduced to Workshop17, a coworking brand that has experienced steady growth over the last decade. But as you're about to discover, their growth hasn't just resulted in more locations but has instead translated to more impact.

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Their Tags in the book
Business Models - How to start - Made with People

You can read the story of Workshop17 on page 48 of “Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces”.

Growth is a topic we've explored in various Digital52 articles since our inception. However, every coworking space's growth journey is unique. Each space goes through a growth phase, from the day it opens to the day it reaches its golden number, that is, a good occupancy rate. However, for some spaces, growth entails expanding to new locations to expand their reach and impact. In our conversations with colleagues, we are frequently asked how other spaces' growth occurs: whether they plan for it from the beginning or if it arises from a “what now?” type of inquiry. This article will discuss it all. In this story, we introduce you to Workshop17, a coworking brand based in South Africa. While they began with a single location in one city, they have gradually grown, driven by a well-defined vision and purpose.

➡️ A little refresher

Who’s behind the featured space?

Meet Paul Keursten and Mark Seftel.

The duo met in 2010, in Maboneng a Johannesburg inner city redevelopment, where they opened their first location back in 2012, which was then called 'OPEN, collaborative city workspaces'.