Never have I listened so much than in years when I fulfilled the Community Manager role. Although I have no trouble expressing ideas and thoughts in other aspects of my work (and sometimes consciously have to offer space to someone else), I take a step back every day with great pleasure. With curious ears, I listen to all the business and personal highlights, challenges, ideas and questions of our Dockers. Why am I doing this? Because I am intrinsically motivated to help these entrepreneurs further in their entrepreneurial journey. This is exactly why after 3.5 years I still feel at home at StartDock. First as Community Manager of the Westplein location and from 2022 in the role of Head of Community. In this role, together with the team of talented Community Managers, I can focus on our wonderful profession.

In my opinion, Community Management stands for the identity of StartDock. Feel free to ask any of my colleagues on the team why we believe in what we do and the answer will be; ''It takes a community to grow a company''. For more than six years we have believed in the power of coming together, exchanging knowledge and helping each other. As an entrepreneur, but certainly also as a person behind the entrepreneur. My experience at StartDock has taught me that every entrepreneur is better off within a community of like-minded people. How each StartDock community forms and what the focus is on is determined by the Dockers (that's what we call the members of our communities) themselves. That is why each community may also be different from each other and the Community Management job consists of a sum of focus points that are important for that location. Together we regularly reinvent the profession of Community Management and all this by listening a lot and carefully.

So what exactly is Community Management? That depends on who you ask. For some this means that you as a Docker are actively involved in the decision-making at your location, for others, Community Management consists of providing a sounding board if everything seems to be going against you. Others experience value in the connection that the Community Manager knows how to realise, which more than once turns out to be transcending the property. It makes the Community Management job a glueing function in which we offer help in various ways, facilitate growth and are a connecting factor to ensure that every Docker finds a working environment in which he/she can excel. As a Community Manager you are the face of StartDock and the Brand Promises.

The biggest advantages of good Community Management within StartDock? You will find this mainly in the energy that has arisen with the entrepreneur because StartDock feels like a second home. The Community Manager takes on the role of spider in the web in which individual needs are accurately responded to without abandoning the core values of StartDock. A Community Manager also unburdens her Dockers by working with the Associates for a nice guest reception, good tea and coffee and the daily community lunch where everyone comes together.

I really recommend every entrepreneur to experience a workplace (decorated by good Community Management) at a coworking space. Every StartDock door is always open. Maybe you feel the magic of the profession when you surround yourself with like-minded people. Because; 'It takes a community to grow a company'. We like to make time for this. Reserve a spot and let's connect!

"Satisfied, I let my colleague, Community Manager in Rotterdam, read my story. She nods and indicates that I think I have explained the profession well to her. Although, she indicates, of course it's not about us. Dockers are coming in for the other entrepreneurs.''