Let’s Build Bansko Together

A Cooperative Coworking Community in the Beautiful Ski Town of Bansko, Bulgaria

by Ryan Chatterton & Becky Gillespie

This article is quite long as it tells the story of how Coworking Bansko came to be, our growth, and why we decided to reorganize into a cooperative. I’ve outlined the major sections below

• A Home Base for Digital Nomads Like Us: Introduction
• If You Build It, They Will Come: Growth
• Better Together: Coop Formation
• Is Coop Bansko For You?: Why Join Coop Bansko
• One of Us, One of Us!: How to Join Coop Bansko

A Home Base for Digital Nomads Like Us

In December 2016, just as the ski season was getting about to kick off in the tiny ski town of Bansko, Bulgaria, Uwe Allgäuer and Matthias Zeitler were on the verge of realizing a dream: a dream to build a coworking space in Bulgaria’s most popular ski destination. We wanted to create a base for like-minded digital nomads and location-independent professionals who could work together, learn from one another, and play together on the ski slopes in winter and on the hiking trails in summer. Whatever interests, skills, or events that the members could contribute, all would be welcome.

If You Build It, They Will Come

And two years later, the dream has been more than realized. Coworking Bansko has already exceeded its capacity with 40+ regular members who contribute to the internal and external community in more ways than could have been imagined. Members host a wide variety of near-daily events on an array of interesting topics, from neuroscience to theater. They explore together, experience the incredible culture, food, and adventure that permeates not only Bulgaria, but the entire Balkan region. They share splendid wine, kayaking through breathtaking canyons, and relax in the healing waters of Banya’s hot springs.

Coworking Bansko is, so popular, in fact, that we’ve begun work on a second location, which is a mere five-minute walk from the ski gondola at the top of town. And while this will allow us to expand to 70+ members, we know the growth won’t stop there. With the increase in popularity of Bansko as a nomad and expat destination, including a massive increase in summer-season interest, we expect to welcome more than 120 members per month by this time next year.

Growth is good, but in order for it to grow, Coworking Bansko needs to be scalable. What’s more, we know that to grow responsibly, we need a massive amount of community input from the people who make Coworking Bansko what it is. We’re talking about the members themselves.

Better Together

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve decided to reform Coworking Bansko into a cooperative.

This will give members a chance to not only own part of the coworking space itself, but have ownership over the decision-making process. It is also our hope that coop members will hone their skills, expand their networks, and create a bigger impact by assisting with various coworking projects.

To kick off the coop, we hosted a Coop Formation Weekend starting on November 9th. Three discussion-filled days and nights turned into new friendships, working partnerships, and, of course, our initial outline of the coop’s bylaws.

And over the last few weeks, we’ve grown to 22 coop members, who have been hard at work, recruiting new members, organizing processes, outlining legal documents, setting up useful technology, and shadowing the Coworking Bansko team to document operational procedures. We estimate that more than 250 hours of collective work have gone into the coop so far, and it’s incredible to watch.

But we’re nowhere near done yet. Our aim is to reach 35 active coop members as quickly as possible. When we reach this number we will have the funds to officially purchase Coworking Bansko from its two original founders, Uwe Allgäuer and Matthias Zeitler, both of whom are also coop members.

And we’d like you to join us.

Is Coop Bansko For You?

At this point, you might be wondering why you should consider joining Coop Bansko. For the 22 current coop members, the reason is simple: we love Bansko! We love its beauty, its climate, its people, and the vast expanse of wilderness that allows as much adventure as it does tranquility. But there are other, more practical reasons, and I’ll list them here:

Impact:

• Impact key policy decisions shaping the future of Coworking Bansko’s operations and community.
• Use Coworking Bansko as a platform for your projects.
• Help grow Coworking Bansko and the Bansko ecosystem to a whole new level!

Financial/Professional:

• Take part in a business with a sustainable business model that invests wisely in growth.
• Coop members are considered first for business partnerships and services (e.g apartment rentals, marketing services, etc.).
• Optional distributions of annual dividends to Coop members.

Low Risk:

• The Coop Membership Fee is automatically and easily returned/refunded upon leaving the coop.
• Coworking Bansko is a mostly automated, fully-functioning, and profitable business, with cash in the bank.
• The Coworking Bansko brand is positively recognized throughout the digital nomad world and has put Bansko on the map as a nomad destination.
• We have 64 five-star reviews on Coworker.com.
• In other words, there’s no shortage of love for Coworking Bansko, so business growth is mostly assured.

Additional Perks:
In addition to owning Coworking Bansko, Coop members receive additional Coop member perks within Coworking Bansko. These perks will be decided by the Coop itself, so they are not finalized until its final formation. However, we have discussed the following:

• Free remote membership while you’re out traveling
• Discounts on monthly coworking memberships
• Profile and link to your website on Coworking Bansko website (big SEO value)
• Limited free guest passes for visitors

Certainly there are more reasons, and each coop member has their own, but these are the most common ones we’ve identified. But whatever the reason, coop members share a love of collective impact, cooperation, and an incredibly positive outlook on the future of Bansko.

Now that you understand what we’re in it for, and perhaps why you might be up for joining as well, you’re probably wondering what you have to do to be in our super-cool coop club!

One of Us, One of Us!

Joining Coop Bansko is dead-simple. If you’re interested in one of the 13 remaining coop member spots, here’s the process:

1. Read our initial outlines and documents for forming the cooperative.
2. Ensure you understand the expectations of a coop member.
3. Fill out the application.
4. Wait for confirmation and membership approval.
5. Pay your Initial Joining Fee of 450 € (non-refundable).
   *The Membership Fee of 2000 € (refundable) will be due in July, when we officially buy Coworking Bansko. Payment instructions will be sent upon approval.
6. You’re in! Let’s party!

I know it was a long story, but at least I hope it was a good one. And even more than that, I hope you become a part of the story yourself by joining us at Coop Bansko. We firmly believe that, together, we can make Bansko an even better place to live, work, and play in the beautiful Pirin Mountains.

If you have any questions whatsoever, please contact the coop using this form and we will get back to you shortly!

Happy coworking!
Coop Bansko