6 steps for a stellar coliving experience
Emmanuel Guisset arrived in Silicon Valley from Europe 6 years ago, without knowing much about the tech ecosystem. He was put into corporate housing by his company, and collaborated with his team via a virtual office in San Jose. He felt he city was not representative of California, and wanted to be more connected. He then got transferred to Santa Cruz for a few years, but was still not meeting like-minded people.
The magic started happening when he moved to San Francisco. It was there that he discovered places like hacker houses and WeWork. He thought, what if he could combine co-working and co-living. He went ahead and rented a huge villa in Santa Cruz, and that's when his company Outiste was born.
Ever since, the company has hosted dozens of coliving experiences. He's built a well-rounded team of event coordinators, designers, engineers, and advisors to help Outsite bring the shared living experience to any professional. We got a chance to speak to Emmanuel about some of the things he did to create this success. Here's what he had to say:
1) Pick a vision you can work towards
From the very beginning, Emmanuel wanted to create a worldwide network of coliving and coworking spaces so people have a place to stay, a place to work, and a community they can relate to. Living the life of a digital nomad, he dreamt a new concept where he could combine work and his passion for beaing near the ocean. That's why he loves doing business development for Outsite, taking it to beautiful spots around the world.
2) Verify your business idea before building anything
One of the first things he did before renting his first villa was putting up an ad on Craigslist and AirBnB. This was a feeler to see if people even wanted to do an "offsite" experience. After a few a/b tests, the response was very healthy. It ended up making a huge stride toward his realization that there was a real business to be made out of this.
3) Figure out the "ah-ha" moment in your service
With Outsite, members really get a feel for the brand when they roll up to the villa for the first time. They get excited whem they arrive and suddenly are surrounded by cool, like-minded people. These are the same people who usually don't imagine sharing a house with strangers but it all comes together when they arrive.
4) Host enticing events
Recently they hosted a "coworking day" in San Diego. They sent out a bunch of curated invites, got a DJ, and enjoyed a boisterous BBQ. The occasion was a new Outsite house that was brought online to meet the growing demand for retreats and off-sites. They're also currently in a startup accelerator with other businesses. The team invited the entire batch of companies for a one-day/one-night getaway at one of their villas.
5) Build excitement using social media
The team can often be seen posting photos and videos on their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds. They also regularly post in their blog, which recently featured a co-living services "roundup" which drove a lot of traffic to their site.
6) Have a call to action
Anyone can just fill out a form on their website to apply for a stay. Bonus: They offer an exclusive 15% discount for Croissant members. for any stay this fall. Just enter "croissant" as promo code in their booking form to get away and get focused!
