When a professional joins a coworking space in Los Angeles, they typically encounter a polished environment: a desk, a meeting room, and coffee ready to go. What they rarely see is the extensive daily work required to keep that environment running smoothly for people from many different companies. Jerome Chang, founder of BLANKSPACES, one of the oldest coworking brands in America, explains that the biggest difference between a coworking operator and a traditional landlord is when the work happens.
Onboarding at a coworking space involves more than a signature. For a monthly membership, the operator must confirm the member's identity, issue keys (digital, physical, or both), and arrange parking. Some members request specific setups for their first day. For teams, the operator confirms one authorized point of contact to prevent unauthorized changes to the company's plan. Members are also asked, though not required, to share emergency contact information and details such as allergies. Chang noted that when members do not provide this, the team is “running blind” in an emergency.
The financial and legal setup for each membership also differs from traditional leasing. A landlord typically completes most work before move-in: financial due diligence, approving who signs the lease, and handing over the keys. After that, the landlord usually has no idea how many people use the space or their hours. “Once the membership starts, we actually get much more involved,” Chang said.
Daily operations include restocking coffee beans, toilet paper, napkins, and other small supplies. But the harder layer is handling the unexpected. “Five percent of the community is the highest maintenance. They take up 95 percent of our time,” Chang said. He shared an example from a BLANKSPACES location with a gym: someone kept taking shampoo, conditioner, and soap bottles from the men's showers every week. The team installed wall-mounted dispensers, but the person untwisted the bottles and took them anyway. The cost is only part of the problem; staff now check that shower daily. When supplies run out, other members assume operations failed, when one person was the cause. “It just takes that one person,” Chang said.
Managing a coworking space means serving people from many companies under one roof, each with their own schedules and expectations. Chang says there is no formula. “You just learn and you just evolve your ops to handle that,” he said. The challenge grows with size: “The bigger the space, the bigger the variety. And the tougher the ops are.” He compares it to running a hotel, where different guest types require quick adjustments. Structure also matters. Chang says bringing on a director of operations changed how he runs the company, following the advice to work on the business rather than in it. She now handles HR and staff management, giving Chang more time for new locations and financial matters.
Members can improve their experience by naming one point of contact for their team, sharing emergency contact information during onboarding, and asking for specific setup needs upfront. When something runs out or breaks, telling staff rather than assuming they know is important, as the shower example shows. Reading the house rules before the first day also helps; BLANKSPACES posts its space rules online so members know what to expect in a shared environment.
A coworking membership includes much more ongoing service than a traditional lease, and that is a large part of its value. Understanding what goes into it can help the space run smoother for everyone.
