When Kristin Hardwick went from a corporate environment with many friends to working as a photographer alone in a studio, she found that she often felt lonely. She tried to join a coworking space but couldn’t find one that met her needs in the area, so she founded her own.
Based in Milford, Coworking House, or CoHo for short, is membership-based, shared office space with a variety of options, such as private or open space, day or monthly passes and a 10-visit pass with no expiration. There is even an option where two household members, such as parents balancing work and childcare, can share a plan for the price of one.
“I was surprised by how many people joined for the Wi-Fi and stayed for business connections and friends,” says Hardwick, who has grown revenue 55% between 2020 and 2022. “We have everyone from tech founders to writers, to attorneys and therapists in our membership.”
The biggest challenge, says Hardwick, was finding the right building. “As a startup, we had very limited funds and we needed a building that had enough square footage that the business model would be viable but wasn’t so big that the rent would drown us.”
Hardwick points out that her model is designed for a small suburban market and differs from the options one might find in a large city. She says she wanted CoHo to be more than just desks and walls. “Unlike a large city or a coffee shop, we see the same people again and again and build relationships,” she says.
Hardwick says she doesn’t like the term franchising, but says she is looking at “packaging up the model” for other operators to use as she doesn’t have the bandwidth herself to launch new locations.
A second line of business that Hardwick says is growing is virtual mail where an out-of-state company can have a NH address with Hardwick processing their mail.
Current Issue - May 2024