What if the real KPI for your coworking space isn't occupancy… but connection?

I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Brandon Houston, and this conversation stuck with me long after we hit stop.

Brandon is quietly building something really special in a small town in Ontario. His space, The Foundry, is 7,000 square feet in a community of just 26,000 people… and it's thriving. Not because of private offices or fancy amenities, but because of something most operators still undervalue: community.

He's built a system that tracks how members interact, who they're building relationships with, and how connected they are to the community. Every member even has a "pulse score" based on their engagement.

Brandon also shares:

• Why small, rural coworking spaces can absolutely thrive
• How automation and AI can support operators without replacing the human touch
• The surprising demand for social events over traditional programming
• Why open space and "collisions" matter more than maximizing office count

And maybe my favorite part… hearing how deeply personal this work is for him. From friendships to business partnerships to even meeting his partner, so much of his life has come from the community he's built.

This is one of those conversations that reminds you why coworking matters.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Brandon Houston Huwart on LinkedIn
Collingwood Foundry website

Connect with your Hosts:

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast

The coworking industry didn't become global overnight.


People like Jean-Yves Huwart helped make it that way.


Jean-Yves is the founder of Coworking Europe and one of the few people who has had a front-row seat to how flex workspace has evolved across dozens of countries over the last 15+ years.


In this episode of Flex Uncensored, Liz Elam and I sit down with Jean-Yves to talk about what's happening across the European coworking market right now… and why the industry is hitting a new level of maturity.


We get into:


• Why office buildings are starting to see flex workspace as a necessity, not a "nice to have"
• How asset owners across Europe are building their own coworking brands
• The growing role of brokers and intermediaries in helping companies find the right workspace
• Which European markets are booming right now (Netherlands, France, Spain) and which ones are moving more slowly
• Why the evolution of flex workspace is tied so closely to how cities themselves are changing

  
  

If you're curious about where the flex workspace industry is headed globally, this conversation is a great one to listen to.

Resources Mentioned in this Podcast:

Jean-Yves Huwart on LinkedIn

Connect with your Hosts:

Connect with Giovanni on LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Find Jamie on the Everything Coworking Podcast