Social Capital Explained
At Seats2meet we use a unique businessmodel where social and monetary capital are in balance with each other. That makes our business durable. We work this way by offering the oppurtunity for coworkers to 'pay' with their willingess to share knowledge. There is also still 'monetary capital' at the locations, as booking a meetingroom is simply paid for in euros.
Through the way of working and 'paying' by means of knowledge, in other words social capital, coworkers are intrinsically involved in Seats2meet. They are happy to share our story. And as a result, they are our ambassadors. That saves costs and effort for sales and marketing! Other benefits derived from social capital? Powered by Seats2meet locations work like a magnet. Visitors know that there is a chance to share knowledge and meet new people. Social capital ensures that your business is alive and flourishes
Why do we do this?
Creating value based on abundance instead of on scarcity.
According to traditional economic principles, in our world there is always scarcity. And consumers always have to make choices, because of course 'you can only spend your money once'. When you take a good look around, you see 'abundance' instead of scarcity. In a one-kilometer traffic jam, on average 1.2 people per car are seated. So there are more empty seats in traffic jams than occupied ones. Another thing: offices, schools and universities are closed during the weekends. Thousands of square meters are empty. Sports fields are hardly used during the week, theatres are usually closed during the day. Hotel and office lobbies are empty almost all day. In short: an abundance of unused space. Knowledge is a special form of abundance. When I share my knowledge, I also retain it.
What exactly are the benefits of using social capital?
Joe Pine, co-author of The Experience Economy, describes social capital as follows:
Where did this lead to at Seats2meet?
- The publication of over 100 books
- New, successful companies
- Innovative schools
- Partnerships between start-ups and large corporates
- Co-creation spaces such as Permanent Future Lab
- Hundreds of apps and games
- Thousands of assignments and hundreds of jobs
Publications
From owning scarcity to sharing abundance — how ‘abundanomics’ could transform our future
Nice2Meet: Video-interview with the Founders of Seats2meet
Seats2meet Network Makes Social Capital the New Currency of the Coworking Ecosystem
The Seats2meet Network is a business management tool that connects over 60,000 professionals in the Seats2meet coworking network, allowing our global user base to collaborate, ask and answer pertinent questions, gain social capital and boost professional growth.