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Are some coworking spaces evolving into private clubs? This week NPR reported that NYC coworking space Grind is now accepting members by application, meaning that some freelancers may not make the cut to become “part of the family” - a Grindist.

Is this development a creative, financial, and social disconnect? Coworking is meant to be open and collaborative, building on the serendipity of different minds approaching the same problem. Is it possible to disrupt the system when all great minds are thinking on same wavelength?

There is always one person in any group who doesn’t play well with others, but suppose that dischord leads to greater harmony down the line? Limiting a space to the “cool kids” or the free radicals is counterproductive to innovation and random flashes of brilliance.

Second is the issue of financial viability. With only a small percentage of current coworking spaces operating in the black, and a great increase of freelancers worldwide, it’s important for coworking space owners to pursue all quality revenue streams.  Members and users equal customers, which equal revenue; and revenue is critical to sustainability.

It’s ironic that the very people who are most drawn to coworking, those sworn individuals, are gravitating beyond curation to exclusivity. With community manager guidance, coworking spaces find a level of their own. It’s an organic process that celebrates the role of chance and honors the ethic of being open and collaborative.

Also, check out this excellent infographic on freelancing.

All this talk of disruption. Every startup seeks to break something old, speed something slow, and create efficiency in the wake of the inefficient. Readyforce, for example, is working to dramatically change the landscape of hiring on a national scale. Reduce the cost. Get jobs filled faster.

With the old model, Readyforce clients like Couptessa and Reputation.com had to figure out who the best candidates were among hundreds of job seekers and thousands of resumes. The cost to fly the finalists to HQ could easily run into the tens of thousands and take months to complete.

OpenDesks customer Readyforce reduces the cost of hiring, getting jobs filled faster and far more efficiently. Their innovative application of video creates a time and space collapse. They provide 20 professionally screened candidates along with 20 to 30 minute video interviews for just $1500. The potential savings are vast, with traditional recruiting costs as steep as 25% of an employee’s first year salary. Collapse.

We work with Readyforce to secure offices for 2 – 4 weeks in cities across the US. So far we’ve helped them in six major markets: Philadelphia, Stamford, St. Louis, Miami, Las Vegas, and DC. We make it easy, paperless, and seamless. And we have saved them 33% off market price.

“The ability to secure remote office locations is key for a company like us that’s based in the virtual,” says Devin Banks of Readyforce. “OpenDesks saves us considerable time and money, and books us spaces that we would never find on our own.”

If collapse is the new expansion, what are you collapsing for your customers? We’d love to hear your thoughts.