H10

Co-working in wiesbaden
A Kaospilot businessplan
Made by:
Adrian adler
Lisa Beck
Lui Rosenkrantz
Troels Jensen
Troels Vejby

Client:
The community at hallgarder strasse 10
&
Grameen Creative lab
with daniel Nowack as our contact person

april/may 2011
Table of content
Executive summary..........................................................................................................................................................1
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................2-4
Our client and how we ended up in Wiesbaden............................................................................................2
Background for H10.............................................................................................................................................3
the location............................................................................................................................................................4
H10 the concept...............................................................................................................................................................5-11
The vision...................................................................................................................................................................5
Social business.......................................................................................................................................................5
Open Café & membership co-working area....................................................................................................5
Self service..............................................................................................................................................................5
Community based.....................................................................................................................................................6
Shared services......................................................................................................................................................6
Platform for sharing...........................................................................................................................................7
Facilities....................................................................................................................................................................7-10
Value propositions of h10.................................................................................................................................11
Market analysis...............................................................................................................................................................12-24
Competition..............................................................................................................................................................12
Partners...................................................................................................................................................................12
swot analysis.........................................................................................................................................................13
Global co-working...............................................................................................................................................15
Community ................................................................................................................................................................15
Co-workers needs................................................................................................................................................16
working routine.....................................................................................................................................................16
physical needs.......................................................................................................................................................17
needed in space......................................................................................................................................................17
Soft needs...............................................................................................................................................................17
Important to users...............................................................................................................................................17
External research Wiesbaden..........................................................................................................................12-20
facts..........................................................................................................................................................................17
The creative industry in Wiesbaden...............................................................................................................18
Different fields.....................................................................................................................................................18
Clustering................................................................................................................................................................19
 Attractiveness of the region for creatives...........................................................................................20
Needs of target groups...................................................................................................................................21-24
The creative student.........................................................................................................................................21
The aspiring entrepreneur..............................................................................................................................22
The Freelancer....................................................................................................................................................22
Conclusion on market Analysis...................................................................................................................23
Budgets............................................................................................................................................................................25
The Business canvas...................................................................................................................................................26
How to set up the organizational structure.................................................................................................27
Marketing........................................................................................................................................................................27
Implementation plan....................................................................................................................................................28-32
renovation phase...............................................................................................................................................28
finishing off phase............................................................................................................................................28
testing phase......................................................................................................................................................28
operating the co-working space................................................................................................................29
Some important points to keep in mind......................................................................................................31
Description of risk factors.........................................................................................................................32
Conclusion of implementation phase.........................................................................................................33
overall conclusion....................................................................................................................................................33
final words.....................................................................................................................................................................34
idoarrt..............................................................................................................................................................................35
Working process...........................................................................................................................................................36

Executive summary
The past six weeks of our lifes have been revolving around a little
backyard in Wiesbaden, co-working spaces, tools charts and busi-
ness canvasses.
Wiesbaden a more dynamic, innovative and creative city.
This concept has been designed based on thoroughly research-
ing other co-working spaces, co-workers needs, the market in Wi-
esbaden, local needs, the communities desire and the stakeholder
needs. The boundaries of our concept have been set by the physical
frames.

We have been working on a business plan for a community in Wies-
baden that is preparing to open the cities’ first co-working space.
In collaboration with Grameen Creative Lab and the community we
have come up with a concept we call H10. The name refers to the ad-
dress of the place Hallgarterstrasse 10.
The essence of the concept is a mixture between a co-working space,
self-service café, a music studio and a workshop for creative entre-
preneurs, musicians, freelancers and students in Wiesbaden.
By using a wide range of ideation, project management and busi-
ness tools we got a clearer understanding of the steps that need to be
taken and how and how to get there.
We have tried to come up with a simple, yet very coherent and imple-
mentable concept that will be explained and proved in the following 34
pages.

Based on our research these are some keypoints we will recommend

our client to integrate.

-Make a membership-structure that allows the users to switch be-

tween a part time membership and a full time membership

-To make a work café that is semi-open for public

-To establish a recreational green area in the backyard

It will run as a social business, meaning that it exists to address a

social need and that all profits are reinvested into the business.
The social need is a space that can connect creative people in Wies-
baden, and empower them to follow through on their dream and bring
it into reality. By implemting those dreams and visions, they will make
1
Introduction
Lisa Beck from our team at the Kaos Pilots became aware of the
social business incubator Grameen Creative Lab situated in Wies-
baden a few years ago.
Lisa, having never thought of her hometown Wiesbaden as being
very progressive, was very interested in exploring if there was some-
thing emerging in Wiesbaden as well as the concept of social busi-
ness itself. She contacted Grameen Creative Lab and the connection
resulted in a group of Kaos Pilot students consisting of Troels Vejby,
Lisa Beck, Troels Jensen, Lui Rosenkrantz and Adrian Adler going
to Wiesbaden to make a business plan for a co-working space two
months later.
The groups attraction towards the project was exploring new ways of
working together in a collaborative way, an interest in building value-
based communities and to tap into the phenomenon of social busi-
ness.
What has also motivated individuals of the group is the believe that
business is not only a mechanism of generating profits, but can be
viewed as an artistic form of expression, a lifestyle, a platform for ac-
tivism and generally a tool to solve problems in society.
This is the lens with which we went into this project.
Our client and how we ended up in
Wiesbaden
Lisa had initially contacted Grameen Creative Lab to become our
client. Grameen Creative Lab (GCL) is a global implementation and
communication consultancy founded by the Nobel Peace Prize laure-
ate Muhammad Yunus and the German serial entrepreneur Hans
Reitz. 
Though operating world wide GCL itself is based in Wiesbaden,
Germany. It aims to serve society's most pressing needs by increas-
ing the awareness for social business and by incubating social busi-
nesses through creative workshops and academic research. It also
consults on setting up social business joint ventures worldwide and
takes a more active role though being part of the operation of some
of some of them.
A social business is defined by the following characteristics:
It addresses a social need, the profits stay within the company
and are reinvested into the project, no dividend is given in ad-
dtion to the investment money while the business is economi-
cally sustainable.
Social Business City Wiesbaden is one of the projects that GCL has
initiated. It aims to create a framework for social business in Wies-
baden and to support social business flagship projects.
2
In the scope of this project GCL set us in contact with a community
that has plans to open a co-working space operated as a social busi-
ness.
This community consists of about 15 friends that met through free
church meetings. Most of its members are in their mid- and late twen-
ties and have strong community ties. They frequently host events like
concerts, flea markets and public football screenings for their neigh-
borhood. Their aim with hosting the events is to contribute to building
a diverse and cohesive local community in their neighborhood while
nourishing their own.
Background for H10
The core team has found the house in the backyard of Hallgarter Str
10, which is a former music studio. They are currently renting four
floors in the backyard and one apartment to the front. The 5 of them
have renovated the house and are currently living there, while the
ground floor remains empty for what this business plan will be about.
The initial idea for this place developed out of the vision of the com-
munity.
In June 2010 the community formulated a short essay about their vi-
sion.

Five of the community members have rented a house on Hallgarter What they aimed to bring to being with their vision when it first arose
Str. 10. Those five, with Dominik Hoffman and Albrecht von Schnur- was a place where people could meet, could share - their dreams, de-
bein as primus motors, will operate the co-working space. We will be sires, strengths and weaknesses, be creative and create. Those that
referring to the five as the core team from now on. would not see their full potential they would help to find it. All this shall
be set in a café atmosphere. All this shall happen without a formal
In the contract GCL was initially listed as our client. Furthermore the hierarchy, to leave room for the individual and the initiative.
traveling expenses have been covered by GCL. When coming to Wi-
esbaden and over the course of the project however, they turned out
to be more of a mentor, external consultant and key stakeholder, while
it became apparent to us that Dominik and Albrecht are the project
leaders with the support of the rest of the house.

And then there are we. We are five students from The Kaos Pilots,
an alternative institution of higher education in the fields of business
design, process design and project leadership. Our role in the project
has been a hybrid between volunteer students and consultants.
Therfore the project has mainly served our learning. Yet we hope to
deliver something of value to our client and partners.

3
the location
The location is situated in the backyard of an old brick building  in a
young dynamic residential area of Wiesbaden called Rheingauviertel.
It has broad cobblestone streets lined with trees, old art nouveau style
houses and little cafes and grocery stores. The quarter is not only
easily accessible in 15 minutes by the Bus 8 from the city center - or
in 5 minutes from the train station, but has also become very popular
among young creatives in Wiesbaden.

The premises are on the 1st floor in the backyard of Hallgarter Str. 10
and are about 120sqm. The backyard itself measures around another
150sqm. Attached to the two main rooms are a music studio with re-
cording facilities as well as a little workshop.

4
 H10 the concept
The vision
Our vision is to establish a co-creation 1space in the backyard of Hall-
garter Str. 10. It will be set up as a social business and become a hub
for social entrepreneurs and change makers, freelancers, students,
artists and purpose driven individuals. H10 strives to become a physi-
cal platform in a stimulating and inspiring enviornment from where
these people cannot only work from, but also share knowledge, inter-
act with one another, innovate solutions for the future and make ideas
grow.
Social business
The space itself will be run as a social business.  features. They can also put themselves on a waiting list for a desk.
The social objective H10 is addressing is to empower its users to see
and eventually use their full potential and competencies and through
that make Wiesbaden a more dynamic city.
Furthermore profits will be reinvested into H10 to constantly improve
it.
Last but not least there is the option of setting up a social business
fund. This means that around a year after the opening, if all goes well,
500€ will be put into this fund every month. Supervised by a board of
the community-members and employees of GCL it will serve the pur-
pose to spur social business in Wiesbaden.
1 Mostly through out the report we will use the term co-working. Co-creation has al-
most the same meaning, only taking the emphasis off the word “work” as in doing something
to earn money and replacing it with a more loose term. However in the context of H10 they
basically have the same meaning as working is seen in a broader context.
5
Open Café & membership co-working area
The café will be semi-open to public. This means that those that are
aware of the café can come and work from there. They are free to
use the café area as well as the backyard. This is especially attrac-
tive for students, people with a low budget and those that only want
to work from H10 irregularly.
The other room will only be open for members. They have the
choice between different membership deals – the full time member-
ship which includes access 6 days a week with 24 hours access and
costs 150 € pr. month, or 3 days a week membership with limited ac-
cess and a price of 80 € pr. month. These memberships have a lim-
ited number as H10 will make sure that they always provide a seat
for their members. The third form of membership2 enables those
that are not able to work from the space on regular basis (due to the
capacity or their job) to use the skills wall, the workshop and other
This form requires an application and a one-time donation (which
has not further been defined thoughout the business plan)
Self service
In order to keep the costs low, the café will be self-service. A profes-
sional espresso machine and a manual will guide the citizens on
how to make the perfect cappuccino. A limited number of soft drinks
as well as snacks will be offered. The prices are listed up and a cash
box will wait to be filled. Additionally users can bring their own cakes
and snacks and offer them at the counter.
2 Throughout this concept we will refer to everyone at H10 as users,
whereas paying members will be called members or citizens.
Community based
Since the idea came into existence through the community H10 itself
will be closely related to the community. 

With the core team living in the same building as well as all the other
apartments around are inhabited the space is in strong need for grow-
ing the community slowly and organically.

In spring 2012 it will be community members that invite people to join

the space through their extensive network. This ensures that the cli-
entele grows organically and that the core team knows who they are
having in their backyard.

The community will also use the space for events such as concerts,
workshops and lectures in the after hours. Users are encouraged to
play a part in it.

The members can be asked to take small responsibilities (gardening,

showing new users how to make coffee, looking after workshop ect).
This we call ministries using a metaphor of the space being a small
society where users are citizens and those taking extra responsibili-
ties are ministers. The structure will be put up somewhere so that
others are aware of whom to turn to.
Shared services
In order to support upcoming entrepreneurs and those that want to
become one, H10 has a network of business and social business
consultants, lawyers and financial advisors. Regularly, when enough
members have signed up, they will show up at H10 to give advice and
help the users. The citizens that are using this service will share the
cost.

6
Platform for sharing
Even more than a place to work from, creatives in Wiesbaden are
in need of a physical platform to interact and share knowledge on a
professional level.
H10 will encourage this as much as possible. First of all this is done
through the way the space is designed.
Moreover there are specific features that can support this. On the wall
in the co-working area will be a big citizen board with Polaroid photos
of the citizens. Around the pictures, there is room for users to put up
their competencies, what kind of support they could need, projects
they are currently working on, job offers and searches. Evenmore
members can also offer time swapping with others through the wall,
so a graphical designer can borrow some hours from a photographer
in exchange for doing graphical work him.
The citizen board is the formal space that ties the network together.
It is where you find out what people are working on and how you can
help. It’s where you find out whom to ask for what, and a part from
that, its also the channel that spreads the terminology and way of
thought of the H10 citizenship.
Next to it stands a little table with a desktop. On it not only can the us-
ers go online, but there is also a database with contacts, information
and references that members can add about them selves if they want
to.
On the other wall is a library with books. Those books range such as
„Project Management – a complete guide“ to „Design fundamentals“.
The library is either enhanced by H10 if the budgets allow it or by us-
ers bringing along relevant books. A little booklet reveal who borrowed
what book.
7
Facilities
The whole design of the space serves the purpose of underlining
and physically supporting interaction between its users, a comfort-
able place to work from, inspiration and innovation.
In order to do so here are some of the simple physical elements
that the place should integrate. Also take a look at the blueprints.
In generAL
A compfortable, non-sterile working enviornment is inviting though-
out the whole space. Long-tables in every room will enable 6-10
people at a time to work at each table. These tables encourage
interactions between the users sitting next to each other, but espe-
cially across from each other.
Outside
The backyard should be containing a lot of plants, flowers and
trees in big flowerpots. This will not only create a comfortable work-
ing atmosphere in the summer time, but can also serve as screen
towards the neighbors or other tables.
An awning over the two big tables outside enables users to also
work when the sun is shining bightly.
There is a little wall running on one side of the yard. Along this wall,
two big steps of wood create an ideal area for reclining.
Over the yard is a wide mashed net of wires spun. It can serve
different purposes. They can be used to have plants grow on and
green up the yard, to hang up an awning, to put up partition for
events or easily hook on decoration.
A green house hosts fresh vegetables in pots in the warmer sea-
sons, while in the spring and fall it can extend the possibility to
work from outside as there could also be a table put into it.
Appendix:3 + 5

8
Café area
In the café area there will also be long-tables to work from. On a long The studio
counter a professional coffee machine will make it possible for users the sound prove studio
to brew their own caffe latte. is fully equipped with
A little lounge area will enable users to relax and work at the same recording facilities. Cur-
time. rently it is rented out as a
rehearsal space for two
Working area bands and can be rented
Here more long tables with ergonomic chairs will provide citizens with for recording on a daily
woking space. basis. Members of the
The citizen wall will share users interests, needs and competencies. space will have a price
In the library users can borrow relevant literature as well as share it advantage.
Members also have the advantage of having a locker on the wall
where they can store some of their stuff.

The meeting room The workshop

To make the space more appealing on a professional level it will con- For members, use of
tain a meeting room that are accessible by the members. Externals the workshop is free of
can also rent the space for meetings if they strive to hold them in an charge. As a non-mem-
innovative environment. ber you can rent it. It has
prototyping facilities for
Expansion paper, wood and metal
As a co-working space H10 is meant as a transition space to build up and moreover it has a
a community and a network that will enable then to move to a much laser printer. The com-
larger space in the area. The community activities will remain in Hall- munity is considering
garter Str.10 investing in a 3D printer,
to optimize prototyping
opportunities.

There is the option of

only keeping the work-
shop open at certain
hours to make sure that
the coworkers aren’t
disturbed.
9
The VALUE PROPOSI-
TION OF H10
The core value that H10 offers its users is not the office facilities or
its cafe. It is the network and the possibilities around it. The following
values can also be seen as the USP (unique selling point) of H10.
Empowerment & creativity:
H10 encourages people to co-create on ideas and projects. Moreover
it strives to make its users see their full potential and use it, by both
setting a stimulating enviornemt as well as actively making people
interact. This could for example be done through workshops and talks
at H10 that ensure ongoing professional and personal development.
The diverse working methods and professional backgrounds of the
individual citizen can also serve as an inspiration.
In general we expect H10 to boost the creativity of its users and
maybe even the whole scene itself.
Network:
H10 offers connections to a large group of people through the com-
munity. The citizen will moreover get access to a large network of
different competencies.
The network can also enhance job opportunities.
With every new user this network will grow and flourish.
Sharing:
Different people mean different skills. Users will get a chance to take
advantage of that, and offer their own time in exchange of somebody
else’s time through time swapping on the skills wall.
Learning how to build up or grow your business and getting ideas
further, will be done through sparring with shared consultants and
accountants.
Moreover there is the possibility of improving your own skills through
working with others or getting qualified feedback from them. Users
can also dig into new areas of knowledge through this sparring.
Eventually citizens acquire skills in using the workshop tools and ma-
chines to gain advantages by doing your own prototyping.
Flexibility and price:
Working from H10 is way cheaper then working from any of the exist-
ing officespaces in the area, so users can start in their own pace and
will not have to generate huge profits in their start up phase.
Members can also easily switch between different memberships,
due to their economic situation.
Surroundings:
Users work in a creative and maybe even thought provoking environ-
ment that highlights and encourages all of the values named above.
The access to a green recreational area in the backyard also makes
it possible for users to leave some of their thought paths behind, and
challenge old ideas in the “mids of nature”.
10
11
Market analysis
The information gathered in the market analysis is based on research
made through interviews of different potential customer segments,
visiting other co-working spaces, research made through surveys and
interviews by the chamber of commerce and our background knowl-
edge from researching the web. Some of it has been made in col-
laboration with our client in order to get their perspectives on it and to
make sure we cover all essential areas.
Partners
In order to build up a valuable network around H10 – one of the
core qualities of the co-working space- partners need to be broad on
board. In the appendix you will find some potential partners that are
already related to the community and/or have shown interest in the
project.
Appendix 7

the co-working landscape

Who are the competitors? Who are the partners? Who will use the
space? And why?

Competition
At this point, there is no co-working space in Wiesbaden running.
However, in the past there have been inititives to start up a co-work-
ing space in the city. Due to complications -among other difficulties-
with finding other venues to scale the business and make profitable
the project initiators have discarded the idea.

When considering the area of Rhein-Main-Gebiet however, one will

find several co-working spaces. In Frankfurt and Darmstadt, both
beween 30-40km away from Wiesbaden, there are a few co-working
spaces running or starting up. In spite of this, there can be determined
a trend of branding more regular and old school office spaces as co-
working offices.

Appendix 10

12
 swot analysis

To determine the stengths and weeknesses of H10, we have asked

the community and GCL to do a SWOT on it. Moreover we have
done one ourselves.

All three are mentioning the excisting facilites as well as the network
as a strength. Additionally both GCL and we name the low invest-
ment and costs as a big plus. All parties see the chance of building
up a platform. Both the community and GCL moreover highlight the
fact that the concept has already gotten positive feedback. While
GCL talks about a general positive trend towards co-working, we
focus more on the need in Wiesbaden.

When it comes to weaknesses, all three of us are worried about the

desicion-making process. Whereas GCL is worried about the scal-
ing of the co-working space due to lack of comparable venues and
the strategic positioning by the city in general, the community´s
concerns focus more around competitors and the interactions with
the landlord. On the other hand we are concerned that the religous
background of the community could be concieved wrongly.

To conclude on these three SWOTS we can say that while the differ-
ent parties may have a different focus, we are all aware of the over-
all tendencies reagarding the advantages as well as disadvantages
of H10.

13
14
Global co-working Community
Just in the recent days the current number of co-working spaces world- Alex Hillman, cofounder of the famous co-working space Indepen-
wide has been estimated around 8201. While the majority of these new dents Hall in Philadelphia and consultant specialized in co-working,
collaborative workspaces are in North America, Europe lately caught states that one of the biggest mistakes often made when opening a
up with now officially having 341 co-working spaces listed. co-working space is the belief that once the physical space is build,
the users will come automatically.
Co-working spaces bring people, knowledge and skills together. Be-
sides the obvious synergy effect from working among other people, Just opening the space will rarely determine the success of a co-
co-workers tend to give each other casual critique of what they see in working space. According to Alex Hillman it is a community and the
each others work during the working process. This can have positive building of such that makes the space work.
influence on the work as well as the process.
“Without a community, a co-working space is just an office”.
The average age of coworkers are 34 years old. - Alex Hillman4
54 % are freelancers
20% are entrepreneurs that employ others
20% are permanently employed
(most in companies of less then 5 people)
2/3 are men
3/4 of the coworkers work a radius of 10km of where they live2

Co-working spaces are in general the cheaper alternative to renting a

private office and enable freelancers that would otherwise work from
home to have a more formal working space. A Survey3 has shown how
start-ups are able to lower their rent by more than 50% by joining a co-
working space instead of renting an ordinary office.

1 http://www.deskmag.com/en/820-coworking-spaces-worldwide-statistics
2 http://www.deskmag.com/en/the-coworkers-global-coworking-survey-168
3 http://www.deskmag.com/en/coworking-spaces-half-the-cost-of-traditional- 4 http://www.deskmag.com/en/a-coworking-space-without-com-
office-157 munity-is-just-an-office
15

Co-workers needs
This pyramid is based on Maslow’s hyrachy of needs1. In order to be
able to satisfy the needs higher up in the pyramid, the needs at the
base of it must be satisfied first.
While the basic needs determined cover the physiological issues of
the average co-worker, the safety factor deals with issues most inde-
pendent workers have. By having variable income and the unpredict-
ability of how business the next month will end up, the users need
flexible work facilities so they can adjust their expenses according to
their income. This counts especially in times of financial crisis, where
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
external advice is cherished. Additionally to this, the users need to be
able to trust the other co-workers in order to feel safe.
The next need that co-workers have is called “love and belonging”.
They want to belong to a community and be part of a network. Most
co-workers value common events and collective projects between
members.
This also feeds into the next need, esteem. In order to feel part of the
community, the co-worker would like to be acknowledged for his or
her skills, both hard as well as soft skills. Moreover they enjoy being
an active part of the community and therefore having an audience for
their projects.
The topmost need of the pyramid is Self-actualization. This can be a
very personal need to the individual, however it is a good co-working
space that can help him or her realize it. On one hand a stimulating
environment can bring out the best of its users. On the other, it is the
fellow co-workers that, through their feedback and skills, can help the
individual to improve in whatever they are doing. Co-workers share
knowledge with each other and in the perfect co-working space – they
can work according to their values.2
working routine:
40% daily
19% 3-4x a week
16% once or twice a week
15% a few times a month
54% have 24 hr access
31% traditional office hours
1% use half day or evening use
The majority use their workspace to carry out short-term projects. 
1/4 projects does not go beyond a period of one week. 
2/3 of all projects take no more than a month.
2 http://www.deskmag.com/en/what-coworking-spaces-coworkers-want-165
16

physical needs
Most co-workers (54%) prefer to share a workspace with less than
twenty people, while 21% say they work well in a space with up to 50
coworkers. Less than 4% say that they favor a workspace with more
than 50 users, whereas the remaining 21% don’t care.
Small co-working space might provide greater comforts, where a larg-
er space provides more opportunities because of the greater network.
The propensity to work in teams or enjoy better interactions with other
people become less as the size of the space increases.3
43% of all co-workers rent a fixed desk which they use exclusively.
The remaining 57% are either enjoying or don’t mind using a flexible
desk which can be shared with other coworkers.
For the majority, an ideal co-working space would have a mixture of
open shared working areas, as well as smaller closed rooms for pri-
vate conversations.
Wanted in space:
99% internet
80% printer and copier
76% meeting room
61% cafe  External research Wiesbaden:
50% kitchen
26% libraries
29% parking spaces4
3 http://www.deskmag.com/en/the-strength-of-small-and-big-coworking-spac-
es-205
4 http://www.deskmag.com/en/what-coworking-spaces-coworkers-want-165
17
Soft needs
Another survey5 on co-working spaces in Berlin, carried out by a
Berlin university student, Lukas de Pellegrin, shows that what the
members are looking for and appreciate most in the co-working space
is the opportunity to interact with other self- employed people. What
is more, according to the same source, the mix of different profiles
seems to be one of the most important added value.
The survey also indicates that in 87% of the co-working spaces at
least one project was started in collaboration between co-workers
who met in the co-working space. Another survey done by deskmag
indicades that 43% of the respondents reported meeting one to three
helpful acquaintances, while another  43% have found four or more
such connections.
Important to users:
86% flexible worktime
86% interactions with people
82% share knowledge
79% value on the random
opportunities and discoveries made through interaction
72% price
42% secluded and quite place
Facts
Wiesbaden is the capital of the federal state Hessen, one of Ger-
many’s 16 federal states. With its 275.000 inhabitants, it is the sec-
ond largest city of the six major cities in the Rhein-Main-Region,
with Frankfurt a.M. being the biggest. Rhein-Main-Gebiet itself is the
second largest metropolitan area in Germany. The area is well-estab-
lished through banking, trade and logistics. It’s infrastructure is one
5 http://www.entrepriseglobale.biz/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/CoworkingEU-
ropeSurveyFinal.pdf
of the best developed of Germany – with Frankfurt Airport being the
biggest in the country as well as the motorway system and the high Different fields
speed rail line running through Frankfurt.
The distance between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt is 40 km, while
Mainz, capital of the federal state Rheinland-Pfalz, and Wiesbaden
are basically touching each other, only separated by the Rhein river.

The historic spa city is known for gambling, its beautiful architecture
and its landscape. Though it holds annual theater and film festival it is
not in particular known for its culutral scene.

The creative industry in Wiesbaden

Due to the target groups our client has presented as well a little pre
research we did in Wiesbaden we have decided to focus on the cre-
ative industry in Wiesbaden as the supergroup of our customer seg-
ment. Therefore we have focused on this sector in both our online and
literature research as well as the field study.

In the year 2009 around 6000 people were employed in the creative
industry in Wiesbaden. This makes up around 4% of the 150.000 Wi-
esbadeners in total. 4 % of all businesses that are liable for VAT (that the other markets that are included in the creative industry, listed after
have a turnover higher than 17.500 € per year) in Wiesbaden are from their size, biggest to smallest:
the creative industry – which makes up 1600 companies.6
These numbers do not include freelancers. We have no specific num- Book
bers on them, however indirectly we are able to draw conclusions. Press
9,6% of all creative industries in Rhein-Main-Gebiet are situated in Architecture
Wiesbaden, while only 7% of all industries of the Rhein-Main area are Film
set in Wiesbaden. This is in contrast to the fact that there is a relative- Music
ly low proportion of employees in Wiesbaden. Therefore, these num- Art
bers could be interpreted in the way that there are a disproportionally Performing Arts
high number of freelancers working in the city. Broadcasting
6 Kreativcluster in Wiesbaden und der Rhein-Main-Region, market analysis written by Visual Arts
order and account of the state capital Wiesbaden, carried out by the center for cluster and
competitiveness, (supply chain management institute SMI & European Business School EBS)

18

Advertisement makes the highest turnover in the creative sector in
Wiesbaden with 4,18 million € per company, followed by the design
market with 1,7 million € and the press with 1,3 million €.
30% of all organizations interviewed for the survey are having trou-
bles finding partners from the creative industry.
Hessen and Wiesbaden support the cluster tendency and believe that
it spurs the growth of the industry on a local level and could enable
the creative industries get a national impact.

Appendix 13

Clustering
There is already a tendency for some of the industries to merge into
so-called clusters. A cluster is a regional concentration of organiza-
tions and institutions that are directly or indirectly linked to one an-
other and operate in similar economic domains. New competitors,
constantly challenge organizations that are already part of a cluster.
This prevents consolidation, and therefore boosts innovation and new
creative concepts. Apart from that, clustering has a positive influence
on the regional distribution value chain and makes companies more
productive. Even though clusters seem to appear here and there,
19
Attractiveness of the region for creatives
90% of the interviewees of the online survey review the Rhein-Main-
Gebiet as attractive or even very attractive. This is 5% more than
Hamburg or Munich and makes the area the most attractive German
area for creatives. This is due to the areas unique infrastructure (the
region is one of the most reachable in the country), the quality of life
in the area, the high spending capacity and the positive employment
trend.

When asking into different qualities of Wiesbaden however, only 50%

believe that the cultural scene in Wiesbaden is appealing. When
asked about the attractiveness of the innovative milieu of the city, only
30% report to be content with it.
These figures are problematic as they determine the picture of the
creative industry in Wiesbaden – especially to the outside. The cham-
ber of commerce is aware of this image problem Wiesbaden has and
is therefore interested in solutions that could have a positive influence

62% of the respondents would like to have a communication platform

for exchange, interaction and support of cooperation between creative
agencies in Wiesbaden.
This also confirms the fact that while 75% of the respondents say they
cooperate often to very often with other companies within their own
fields, there is very little multidisciplinary interaction between the dif-
ferent creative fields in Wiesbaden.

20

Needs of target groups
Dominik Hoffman identified three target groups that H10 wants to at-
tract. Addionally to the defintions below he highlighted that the tar-
geted users should also have a tendency of being purpose driven or
even searching for a higher purpose.
1. Students of creative schools
A student at the FH design school in Wiesbaden.
2. The aspiring entrepreneur:
A young entrepreneur that has recently started up a business. We
also considered people that are currently employed, but are planning
to start their own business within the near future.
3. The freelancer
A freelancer in the creative industries or a consultant.
After identifying these three segments we tracked down around 40
people who fitted the description. The students and the entrepreneurs
we took through a questionnaire and for the freelancer we made qual-
itative interviews with individuals to maximize our learning experince.
The creative student:
-Our findings refer to the appendix 10
The majority of the creative students expect to leave Wiesbaden after
ending their studies, and move to bigger creative hot spots like Berlin,
Hamburg and other European metropolises.
Networking
On average students rate themselves around 5 out of 10 on their abil-
ity to network professionally in Wiesbaden. Their main spots for net-
working are their school, on parties, groups, at the school library and
on the web through blogs and facebook.
21
A minority mentions a sound venue and alternative hang out called
Schlachthof as a good place for creative people to network. Non of
them was able to name a physical and more formal place in Wies-
baden to network at.
Almost all of the students respond that they are interested in new op-
portunities for networking.
Work habits
The majority of the students work on projects besides their school-
work. The projects vary from volunteer church summer camps to
graphical work for external bureaus. The range of the projects differs
from less than a week to several years, and vary a lot in workload.
They primarily work from school, at home or at friends places.
Around half of the students complain about bad working conditions at
their school.
Sharing workspace
All of the students responds that they are open to share workspace
with others
Many were worried about the noise level from musicians, but most
liked the idea of interacting with other creative people that have differ-
ent backgrounds.
Needs for a functional workspace:
Their core needs in a full membership model with fixed desks are big
displays, good printers, scanners, good light, silent zones and design
magazines. Apart from that, students would find it cool if the work-
space had a feeling of home, was full of plants, had a chill-out area
and regularly hosted parties.
Pricing
Most of the students are able to pay between 0 – 25 € during their
studies. However once they graduated and are working, they state to
be willing to pay 150 – 350 € depending on their earnings.
Sum Up
The students want a workspace with a nice atmosphere, but won’t be
able to pay much for subscriptions during their studies. However they
can contribute with engagement and cultural capital.
If H10 succeeds in integrating and merging the creative students in
Wiesbaden it might have the ability to make some students stay in
the city after ending their studies, thus contributing to the continuous
growth of Wiesbaden as a center for creativity in the region.
. vice consultants. Moreover low costs are appealing to them especially
The aspiring entrepreneur:
Networking
On average the aspiring entrepreneurs rate their ability to network in
Wiesbaden 6 out of 10. Their main channel for networking are online
through Xing and Facebook and through friends they went to universi-
ty with. All of them point out the need for better options of networking
on a professional level locally.
Workhabbits
Most of the interviewees had their own office. Others were still em-
ployed and worked from their companies’ office facilities. Many men-
tioned that they often worked from cafés or from home.
Sharing of workspace
All except one are open for shared workspace. They where particu-
larly interested in the doors it could open regarding networking with
other entrepreneurs.
Needs for a functional workspace
The interviewees did not have any needs out of the ordinary, but
many emphasized the importance of good coffee, snacks, light and
plants.
Pricing
On average an aspiring entrepreneur is willing to pay 150€ – 250 € for
a full time membership.
sum up
This target group is essential to H10. Entrepreneurial spirit is at the
core of what H10 stands for. As many of the respondents are in the
process of making their first start up it is essential to offer shared ser-
in the startup phase.
The Freelancer:
Through qualitative interviews with freelancers in Wiesbaden we dis-
covered that you can divide the freelancers in three groups based on
their work habits.
1. Works mostly from clients office
The freelancer that mainly works from his client has all the basic
necessities he needs to work covered from there, but often lacks the
sense of belonging to the organizational cultures he works in.
For many of these, a space where they can work a few hours a week
would be attractive.
2. Works from home
The person that works from home values the saved costs it gives her,
but often finds it hard to separate work and spare time. One described
the distance from her bed to her computer in the morning as a 10 km
trip uphill to work because it was so demotivating to work from where
she lived.
For this sub group a shared space to work from is extremely attrac-
tive, as long as their need for flexibility and the price is proportional to
22
the rent they are paying at home.
3. Shares an office
The freelancer that shares an office has his basic needs for working
covered. In cities like Wiesbaden they are often sharing office facilities
with one or two others. These independent workers are mostly shar-
ing the facilities, their is not much exchange going on when it come to
contacts.
Working in these small offices the need of diverse feedback on proj-
ects and expansion of their networks is rarely met.
NEEDS & pricing of freelancers
Freelancers are primarily very mobile and do not have any needs that
are out of the ordinary for an office space, but shared services such
as accountants and the opportunities for learning are valued.
They are ready to pay between 150 € and 250 € for full time access,
but wants to have the opportunity to have the option of downgrading
or upgrading their memberships.
In general the freelancers are a group that is very fragile towards
fluctuations in the market, so the main emphasis is on offering flexible
solution that enables them to adjust their expenses to their income.
Sum up of the target group research
To sum up the needs of H10s taget groups are a space that can con-
nect people in the creative industries, yet is still open for people from
other fields. The creatives in Wiesbaden are in general interested
in sharing a workspace with others. The common requirements are
basic office facilities, a green environment full of light and plants. They
are searching for a space that emphasizes networking and collabora-
tion, feedback with a calm yet energetic and stimulating atmosphere.
It should be informal yet functional and serve the best coffee in town.
23
Conclusion on market Analysis
H10 is no first mover but there is no real competition in Wiesbaden.
While there are some co-working spaces situated in the Rhein-Main-
Region, we don’t see them as a threat to H10 as 75% of the average
co-workers are living in a radius of 10 km to where they work from.
The library and Starbucks may offer a free place to work from with
internet access or even more features, however what they do not offer
is a network around it. This also goes for Startblock which just offers
the location for low rent.
As for partners the community already has a broad network build up,
both regarding users and supporters. Particularly the good relations
with GCL, which is very well connected in the city, and the approval
from representatives of the city are valuable.
A community is crucial to the success of a co-working space if you
believe Alex Hillman, and it is a need of co-workers in general. From
this perspective H10 is already starting on the right track.
When looking at the needs that the three determined target groups
have expressed, a functioning workspace is the first priority. Moreover
all three segments have mentioned light, plants and a comfortable
(café) atmosphere as essential. A meeting room that they can occupy
with a client has been mentioned as well and has been listed in the
world wide coworking survey as the 3rd most important physical facil-
ity. The flexibility of working hours becomes especially interesting to
freelancers.
What seems to be the USP of H10 is the network however. In the
worldwide study 86% of co-workers value interactions with other us-
ers, 82% enjoy sharing knowledge and 79% value especially those
random connections and discoveries they made through interactions.
Though they cooperate often to very often with other companies
within their own fields, there is very little interaction between the differ-
ent clusters in Wiesbaden.
When you then take into account that 86% of world wide coworkers
claim to have made at least one helpful connection and 87% have at
least collaborated on one project with a fellow co-worker, the impor-
tance the network aspect could play for H10 becomes clear.
A conclusion we can draw from this research is that even though Wi-
esbaden seems to be pretty attractive for creatives, the innovative en-
vironment of the city is definitely developable. With its high economic
performance in the creative sector and its solid number of creative
freelancers, Wiesbaden has all perquisites to have an international
standing. However it is lacking the innovative and creative milieu to do
so.
This is also supported by the fact that most respondents we have in-
terviewed in Wiesbaden rate themselves as average when it comes to
their ability to network professionally in Wiesbaden, the potential the
city has on this level is by far not exhausted.
It shows even more in the 62% of the interviewees (of the study co-
missioned by the chamber of commerce) that wish for a platform for
creatives to network on in Wiesbaden. That the city is aware of this
need and is also supporting it, we have not only found out through
the studies they have commissioned but also experiences first hand
through talks with representatives.
One of the highest, yet least pressing needs a co-worker has is to
bring out the best in him- or herself, to use his/her full potential. This is
also a goal that has been formulated by the community in their formu-
lated vision.
If this platform could be established and there could be a possibility to
integrate students in it, there is a chance that they, after their studies
will remain in Wiesbaden.
This would be of great value to the future development of Wiesbaden.

As for the price, we can see a difference in what the three target
groups are able or willing to pay. While both the entrepreneur as well
as the freelancer are willing to pay between 150€-250€, the average
student is without means. While they would like to use the facilities
and be part if the network, students are rarely able to pay for it. This
makes it apparent that if students are supposed to become part of
regular user of the space, there needs to be a different solution of
how to integrate them.

24
Budgets What is also worth taking notice of is the low variable cost. Since the
business structure is fairly simple we only considered the drinks are
variable. Though extensive use of H10 the electricity usage will rise,
Here are some word to the budget. however we believe that through sustainable handling, the costs can
Appendix 18-22 be kept on a resonable level.

Cash flow and establishment

Turnover and expenses
Our general income is primarily generated through two features: the
lease of desk space and the sale of drinks, supported by a few minor
posts.
What is remarkable is that our general income is way higher then our
expenses. This is mainly because of the low rent. The H10 community
is very privileged. Regarding this in case business doesn’t run as well
as expected the chance of an economical ruin is close to zero.
H10 can be a sustainable business with only 30% of the actual
estimated contribution from the café or without the four more
permanent desk leased. Therefore H10’s economics are in basic
healthy and very robust to external factors.
Due to various construction and establishment costs in the initial
phase H10 is in need of 20.000 €.
The community around H10 could be potential borrowers. This loan
will then not to be paid back with interest. Neither does it have to be
paid back within a tight time frame. Therefore the cash in the cash
flow budget appears to be in minus. The payback of the loan will
begin after the break even in September 2012.
All in all the economical situation seem good. In spite of a seemingly
continues minus on the cash flow due to the loan H10 in nowhere
near a economical bankruptcy in our budget.

Operational budget
As the H10 generate a relatively high surplus based on the primary
expenses and turnovers we have the possibility of introducing three
elements to improve the product (see concept for more details):
-Additional workspace in an empty apartment
-courses, workshop and lectures
- the social business fond
While some of these need a higher investment they would add value
to H10. They are all really cool contributions to the final concept but
not necessary.

25
 Business canvas
Services: Cleaning, accountants, marketing
Maintenance: Building, furniture,
Rent: Fascilities, printer,
Fixed cost: Insurence, gas, heating, internet.
The business canvas has been made in cooperation with Dominik
from H10, as a merge of our ideas, the market research as well as
background knowledge.
The main reason for using the business canvas was to create an
overview over their business.

What we got in an early stage of the project, was the three customer
segments determined by the community, and the key-resources,
which where already existing at H10.

Under key-partners, we have listed all the local partners needed to

cover the needs of our 3 customer segments, and apart from that, we

Exclusivity.
Magic
Empower people
Networking
Knowledge/ idea sharing.
have found a lot of possible knowledge- and network-suppliers who
will enable H10 to expand their network.
Hosting events/workshops.
Selling drinks and snacks from café.
Lease: desks, music-studio, machinery, "boxes" and café-space.

Regarding channels and customer relationships we have been aware

of the need for privacy for the community already living at H10.

The key-activities and key-resources are closely combined, as they

Small campains for events.
Invite of specific members.
Word of mouth.

Creativity.
Community feeling.

describe what activities H10 will focus on, and what resources/
facilities it will require to make them happen.

In general the business canvas has been used to check back on out
research and concept as well as a tool to easily talk from with out
client. This helped us to validate the concept.
However we have used it less during the process of coming up with
Creative business
Local neighboorhood
Community
alysis)
3 segments (see markedan-

the concept.

26
Marketing Channel
The only marketing channel that H10 will use is word of mouth. This is
due to two major reasons:
1. The community, especially the core team, is worried about having
too many strangers in the backyard
2.the capacity of the space is very limited
In the early phase people will be invited to come to the space. Those
that find out about the space are able to visit it and use the cafe. How-
ever only if they have been invited and applied for a membership can
they have a more permanent desk solution or use the citizen wall.
Moreover there will be no sign on the street promoting the space in
any way.
Though there may only be one marketing channel there are more
marketing activities going on. More and more people will find out
about it, perhaps because of the regular events such as concerts, flea
markets or lectures that are taking place and are being more actively
promoted. These events can therefore indirectly be seen as a market-
ing activity for H10.
Through this very limited marketing H10 builds up a very exclusive, al-
most underground atmosphere around itself. This vibe - maybe even
hype- can serve as a means of marketing itself.
Eventually, the kick-off party might be the biggest marketing activity. If
set up in the right way, it will not only draw the customers to the party
itself but will be talked about for a while.
27
How to set up the organizational structure
Based on the research, especially the SWOT analysis done by the dif-
ferent parties, we have figured out that the organizational structure is
very essential in order to make the whole project work.
While the community has been a major part of the vision and will re-
main very essential to H10, it is the core team that should be making
the decisions. The community can be integrated in ideation phases
and be part of finding the right solutions, however we strongly advice
the core team to have the last word when it comes to making a deci-
sion. This is not only because it makes things easier, especially when
quick decisions are needed, but also because we had the impression
that at least some of the community members are not that interested
in making these decisions and being responsible for them.
Moreover Abi and Dominik should be seen as the project leaders. The
organization could be set up in away that they are (legal) representa-
tives. They would then represent the community and especially the
core team as good as possible where ever necessary.
H10 should be set up in a way that the co-working space will rent the
facilities from the community. In that way the community can have a
say in what will happen to the location, however they are not directly
engaged into the business itself.
Overall it becomes very difficult to put up any kind of formal organi-
zational structure around H10 as the ties between friendship, free
church, business and extended network are very fluid. Additionally we
have noticed that there is a tendency in the community to disapprove
any form of hierarchy.
Therefore we have tried to paint the picture of the core team, with
Dominik and Abi as representatives, are setting the frames, whereas
the community is acting within them.

Implementation plan
One thing is to come up with a coherent concept. In order to put it
into practice however, it needs milestones and a more concrete plan
of how and when to tackle and implement it. Therefore we have put
together a rough sketch of how the next month may look. We have
divided the time into 4 phases:
Renovation Phase:
June 2011 – August 2011
As of today, we are entering a phase in which the ground floor of
H10 will undergo quite some changes. A design team closely related
to the community will plan out how to set up the whole interior as
well as exterior. Eventually the community will renovate the entire
interior of the space up to a point where it is ready to be furnished.
The renovation may drag a bit into the next phase, however the major
works should be done by September.
Renovating the place themselves, the community will draw of its
network wherever it is possible. Not only to save money but also
to start the space in the right culture, they will co-create what will
become a co-creation space.
Finishing off phase:
September 2011 -December 2011
In this period most construction-work should be done. While there
is still some minor building to be done, the space can slowly be
reopened for evening gatherings. It is continuously brought to life
while the rooms are slowly being refurnitured with finding from the flea
market, second hand stores and self made furniture.
Responsibilities can be divided in the core team. Who will look into
the legal stuff? How should the internet access be handled? Ground
rules and opening times can be discussed.
How will the social business fund be set up? Who will be part of the
board? How shall it be operated? These are questions that could be
tackled with the help of GCL.
Further expanding of the network, partners, supplies and resources
could additionally be a good focus point of this phase.
Testing Phase:
January 2012- March 2012
Now that the space is renovated and furnished, it is time for the
community to actively start using it. What works? What doesn’t? How
should the furniture be rearranged? What could be changed? How
does the citizen wall work?
This phase should be seen as a testing and experimenting phase for
the community in an informal setting. It can be done through working
from the space and just using it frequently.
Weekly gathering of the community, but especially the core team
could be used as a forum to evaluate and reflect upon these
questions and the present events. Both failures and success’ should
be recorded in an early phase and there should be a way to evaluate
in a later stage if learnings have been implemented. It is a good idea
to build up a methodology around this that will not only make it easier
for the community members to communicate from, but also set a
certain tone for the culture that will be imbedded in H10.
Moreover this phase should be used to actively start thinking about
who to invite as initial citizens. Consciously building up a bigger
network, the kick-off can be promoted towards individuals. This can
also be done through a series of regular events such as concerts or
workshop in the location.
28
When leaving this phase the community already has a detailed
plan for what to do and when to do it. This plan includes a schedule
covering all repetitive and all major events.
And then at some point in late March, early April it is time to finally
kick it off properly. The party has been carefully planned in the
previous weeks by a party committee. What is it H10 wants to
communicate with the event? Who do you want to communicate it to?
And how? The right people have been invited, all preperations have
been made, and the weather shows itself form its best side, then it’s
time to celebrate big time!
And then after a year or two the co-working is running so well that
the space gets limited. Now there is the possibility to expand the
co-working to a bigger location. This will be done by Dominik and
Albrecht. They will search for a new location, possibly with the help of
the municipality. They will revise their existing co-working space and
set up a new business plan to fit the needs.
In this case the community will remain in Hallgarter Str.10.

We recommend the community to schedule it so that the Kaos Pilots

can join the party of the year before they leave for Bogotá ;)

Operating the co-working Space:

April 2012 and on
The fundament is set, things have been prototyped, tried over and
over again. Now it is time to get into business. With its member base
constantly growing, the core team can slowly estimate the turnover
after a couple of month. Are there too few users? Do they need to
make more promotion? Or is it actually too full? Opening hours and
rules can be adjusted.

The core members should still use a weekly meeting for reflections
and decisions. But as time goes by this could be made into a monthly
routine.

After some months the core team will review the budgets together
with GCL. How much profit is the place making? What is needed to be
reinvested into the space and is it realistc to put 500€ into the social
business fund every month? If all goes well, after about a year the first
social businesses can be supported.

29
30
 Some important points to keep in mind This applies to the working method, as well as working language,
First of all it is of crucial importance that the community will use the efficiency and energy. It will define the culture of H10. Also the initial
existing positive energy as a momentum to get things done. steps for creating formal an informal structure can be created here.

A key element of making the working process as positive as possible
is communication. Easily said, but very difficultly implemented it is
worth trying to build up a common language around H10. This should
from the beginning be supported by visualizations such as a well-
designed Gantt diagram placed in the hallway to have a very clear
and visual plan of the construction process. Defining very clear ends
and beginnings and further responsibilities and required resources
could ease up the communication within the group.
We are emphazising this as an unclear communication at the
beginning of long-term processes often leads to confusion and
disagreements within groups. Due to all the new implementations
things will propably still be very messy. Therefore, everything that
ease up the communication within the community and towards
potential users, neighbours and residents would be positive.
Preparations to protect the privacy, both for neighbours and residents,
must be executed as the first priority. The whole rennovation of the
workspaces and the use of the yard should be done regarding this
priority.
Besides the actual renewal, an important element is to have a more
or less continues flow of events after the renovation is done. This will
first of all keep the place running and maintain or even expand the
network.
Before the actual launch of the co-working space very detailed
preparations for daily business must be made. Responsibilities,
timeplaning and formal roles must be obvious for everybody already
involved in the project. All learning’s and experiences gathered from
this and the previous phase should be taken into consideration for the
preparations of the coming phase.
The reason why we recommend postponing the official opening until
the spring, is to be able to use the exterior space for events during
the start up phase as well as the chance of using the months prior to
prototype.

Sharpening up of the physical frames and hosting the events should

be seen in a team building perspective. Using a DIY (do it yourself)
approach to this phase can both be cheap and also establish
ownership for future users.

The trial and error process should be highly valued. The community
can test things off and see what they approve as elements of success.

According to Stein1 it is in this primal stage that cultures are created.

What later will have an important role in the further life of the project.

1 Stein: ”Organizational Culture and Leadership”chapter 3

31

Description of risk factors
While we are painting an ideal picture in the implementation plan we
are aware of the fact that things can and mostlikely will go wrong. To
reduce the cosequences we have tried to reduce the risk factors in
the concept. These are the remaining risk factors we have determined
throughout the different phases:
1. Privacy of residents and neighbors is not protected
2.Not being able to maintain a positive energy level
3.Not implementing learnings
4.Unclear agreements on organisational structure
5.Not enough users
6.Budgets are not adding up once running
7.Mixing up community events with co-working
In the following graph you can see a risk map of how likely we see
the risks to happen and how consequential we rate them. The rating
is based on all the research and work we have done.
Not having enough users and the risk that the budgets are not
working out is quite low, both in probability based on the research
we have done and consequence, since the running costs are quite
low and there are already community members who want to use the
space.
Though we rate the chance that the energy level will drop is low, the
consequences would be high as it is the community and the soft skills
that keep the whole project together. Therefore this is a risk to be
aware of but not worry too much about.
A factor to keep an eye on already during the early renovation
phase is how to maintain the privacy for both neighbors and core
members. What rules should be put up? How should violations be
handled? How to integrate the direct neighbors and how to deal with
complains? An openness is required towards the residents – both in
the communication as well as towards critique.
3 and 4 are both more or less addressing the organisational structure.
It is important to be concious of how the decision-making process is
put up. Who is in charge of putting things into practice? How to handle
disagreements within the community, and within the core team?2
The last important point is to make sure that the community activities,
especially the church activities but also concerts and potential political
gatherings, are not mixed up with the daily co-working business. This
doesn’t mean that the community should hide their faith to anyone.
But in order to display a professional image there must be drawn
some kind of line. This can be important to citizens working from the
space as they professionally cannot take a stand – be it religiously
or politically- if this could alienate clients and partners. That said, the
community can of course host gatherings and events in H10 after
hours as long as they are able to send a clear signal that this is not
directly connected to the daily co-working business.
2 this also refers to “how to set up the oragizational structure, page 27
32
Conclusion of the implementation plan
Due to the limited time we had on this project we have not been able
to go into detail about the steps that have to be done until spring
2012. However with this rough sketch of the steps we see as neces-
sary and additional points as well as the concept we hope it brings the
community a step closer to realizing H10. By mapping out the risks in
the concept we have developed, we hope to reduce the likeliness of
them to actually occure.
We will recommend the core team to sit down as a first thing and map
out in detail what needs to be done in the different phases.
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Overall conclusion
This is our Business plan for H10. Based on our market research we
see a strong need in Wiesbaden for a co-working space. This need
goes even beyond the target groups that have been defined.
The way we have designed the concept is based on both the original
plan to start a co-woking business, as well as the needs and wishes
of the community around it. A certain openness as well as the aware-
ness of the fine line between professional and private is required in
order to make this work.
Moreover we see the community that is already existing as a big
asset for creating such as space. Strong community ties do not only
drive this project forward but are also a great foundation for the cul-
ture of this place. Due to the fact that we define the network and its
soft values as the USP of H10, the cultural aspect becomes even
more important. As we see it is the right culture and an awareness of
that will make H10 successful – or not.
Expanding the co-working space at a later point on a more profes-
sional level we see as a big chance for both the core team as well as
for the city itself. The learning that has by then been done in H10 will
then add an even greater value to it.
Building up H10 on a very high trust level, both regarding the pay-
ment system as well as other issues, has been a decision we have
made due to wishes the community has brought forward as well as
the fact that at least in the beginning there will not have to be anyone
employed full time. We are aware that there is also a risk involved but
due to the organic growth of the memberbase through the community
we are not too concerned about it. However if this turns out not to be
working successfully, adjustments of course have to be made.
We are aware that our business plan by far does not cover all aspects
and doesn’t go into detail. Nor have we been able to cover all the im-
portant points as we would have liked to. It is also clear that the bud-
gets are not very detailed for various reasons. Even more, you might
have suspected something more “crazy”. So did we.
This might indicate that we have tried to make a business plan that
serves the given needs and is implementable.
There is points in the contract like a CO2 neutral which we have to-
tally disregarded in the business plan. This is due to the fact that once
we came to Wiesbaden we realized that this was unrealistic in the
scope of the project.
We would like to repeat at this point that though we stepped into the
project as consultants we are mainly students in the process of learn-
ing how to set up a business and a business plan with it.
Any feedback that can move us - as a group or individually- forward is
highly valued.
Eventually we hope that we brought the project forward with it and
that in one way or another this business plan can be helpful to all par-
ties involved.
final words
The world is changing in a faster pace than ever. Nowadays jobs are
not that easily explained as more and more people make their own
jobs. As part of the self-realization, more people do their own thing
as freelancers or entrepreneurs and offer their competencies to indi-
viduals or organizations. This segment has the same social needs as
people who work within organizations but they don’t want the hierar-
chical structures and bureaucracy that comes with a day job.
Moreover the past three years economic turmoil have changed many
things. They have among other things challenged the way we work
together. We have moved closer together to use our resources more
efficiently. Both the physical resources and the ones we see in each
other.
Those two elements are partly the reason why we see a growth rate
of more than 100 percent a year in co-working spaces. They offer a
new generation a way of working that is consistent with the lifestyle
they want. Connectedness, niche community, individuality and self-
realization are some of the factors that determine this lifestyle.
In general there can be determined a trend from a reductionist1, com-
petive world view towards a more integrative, holistic and cooperative
one.
In some way it is paradoxical that a generation that has been defined
by it’s strong sense of individualism is gathering in professional collec-
tives.
Maybe all this is an indication of a shift in values and eventually a
paradigm shift? We will see.
1 Fritja Capra, The web of life
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We did this IDOARRT with the community and GCL in our intital
IDoARRT
meeting in Hallgarter Str. It is up to the individual to judge how far Intention: Building community of value focused
we have succeed with our business plan. entrepreneurs
Additional man & brainpower
Kick off for 100m development
Bring together arts, creativity & business
Create new ideas for Wiesbaden
Learning

Desired Outcome: a sustainable and innovative business plan

A platform for social business
A holistic, creative and realistic concept for
the rooms
Documentation

Agenda: collaboration
Research
Business forecast
BBQ

Roles: Kaospilots= students + consultants

GCL= key stakeholders + mentors
Community = client

Rules: stay light

Be honest
Be aware
Have fun !

Time: KP departure from Wi. around 25.05

Business plan delivered first week
into June

35
Working process
Quite early in the process we got aware of our very different person-
alities and the clashes this was leading to. Based upon this and with
the wish of a good process we made a team contract which was to
become the fundament for our groupwork. Some of the head points in
the contract are: Think ahead. Act now!, Don’t show it tell it and if you
need it eat it! and Be aware why!.
The contract was an attempt to start a common understanding of
work methods and group culture, and the way this worked out in pra-
cise was by use of instant feedback and evaluations along the way.
These are some tools we have used throughout the process:
Team contract – to build a common platform for the work and group
culture
Roles defined by ministries – to divide the roles and delegate respon-
sibilities
Active calendar – to keep track of ‘’to do’s’’ and have a productive
workflow
IdoARRT – as a kickstart for the project when we arrived to make
sure the three parts where on the same page
Game Plan – to keep track of the desired outcome and seperate the
goal into smaller tasks
SWOT – to map out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
from both the community, GCL and us.
Business Canvas – to keep track of the subject of matter and desired
outcome for the community and GCL
Crazy Brainstorm – an ideation tool with the outcome of two concept
drafts to present for the client and afterward work on with
Risk map - to determine possible risks and how consequential they
could be to the project
Moreover we have used the following to make the process more
smooth as well as document it.
Dropbox – to share the work and keep track of files
Shared facebook group – for links and inspiration
Rotating facilitator – to keep meetings on the right track and get a flow
of different working methods
Visual documentation – the process and work has been documented
in pictures and uploaded in dropbox a long the way, as a reminder of
what we have been through and when we did it
Collaboration with client
In our preproject phase we have had a number of skype meetings
with Daniel from the community and with our contact person Daniel
from GCL to get closer to what they expected from us and what they
would be able to contribute with themselves. When we arrived we fa-
cilitated an IDoARRT with the community and GCL which showed that
our understanding of the project was very similar.
Throughout the project we have had meetings with GCL and Dominik
from the community to make sure we were on the right track. How-
ever, it was not until we presented our first concepts draft two weeks
after arrival that we got aware of the conflicts there were in the com-
munity concerning the desired outcome of the actual space.
Apparently an IDoARRT was not enough to bring us on the same
level or to get everybody to speak up, so it might have been a good
idea to make personal interviews with the different people in the com-
munity or would have presented a concept draft in an earlier stage of
the process.
36