Overview
What happens when you run a coworking company like a hotel?
In this episode of The Flexible Office Economy, Mark Gilbreath welcomes William Edmondson, COO of Office Evolution—the #1 coworking franchisor in the U.S. and a hospitality veteran who helped scale Hampton Inn from 200 to 1,300 locations.
Together, they explore how principles from the hotel world—brand consistency, experience delivery, and franchise scale—are now reshaping the flexible office industry. William shares how Office Evolution’s suburban-first, one-employee model defies the downtown land-grab narrative, and why being “asset-light” might be the key to resilience as market dynamics shift.
From margin discipline to landlord partnerships to navigating downturns, this is a playbook for building a flex business that lasts.
Episode Highlights
- Why franchising may be the flex industry’s secret growth engine
- How Office Evolution’s one-employee model works—and scales
- Lessons from hospitality: culture, consistency, and customer ownership
- Why a downturn could benefit flex operators with the right model
- The surprising resilience of solopreneurs in economic slowdowns
- Why landlords need operators—but not everyone’s built to serve
As headlines swirl and capital tightens, this episode delivers real-world clarity on what it takes to run a sustainable, scalable, and customer-centric flex office business.
Whether you’re a landlord, investor, aspiring franchisee, or operator looking to stay in the game, William Edmondson breaks down the operational truths, financial frameworks, and experience design lessons flex leaders can borrow from hospitality—without the fluff.
It’s franchising. It’s first principles. It’s what the flex industry needs to hear right now.
