What is Spaciously?

‍Spaciously is a place where small business owners can get corporate clients. Corporate clients come to Spaciously to book team-building events. Team-building events usually include a fun activity, a lunch at a restaurant, and a beautiful reception. The business owners from the Spaciously community come together to make an event like this happen: restaurateurs, artisans, event planners—people who work and source locally. When we are together on one platform, we make it easier for clients to book events, and we increase our chances of being hired.

‍Where is Spaciously available?
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‍Spaciously works in all U.S. cities. If you don’t see a lot of listings in your city, you’ll have less competition.

How do I sign up?
‍Sign up using the 3-question form here. It’s free! We will get back to you within a few business days and share a link to add experiences.

‍Who can sign up on Spaciously?
‍Are you a small business owner? We welcome anyone who can make a team-building event a success:
- Restaurant owners and managers
- Venue owners and managers
- Caterers
- Workshop and experience instructors
- Team-building facilitators
- Decorators and florists
- Musicians and DJs
- Event planners

How much is it?
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‍There’s no fee to list your business. We charge a 15% commission only when you get hired. So if you don’t get booked, we don’t get paid.

‍Why do you charge a 15% commission?
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‍The commission is how we keep the business going. We don’t believe in charging our small business community fixed fees. We want to earn only when the community earns. It keeps us on our toes! We will also use the 15% to experiment with dynamic prices for our clients. When there is less demand, we will pass some of the commission to clients to encourage them to book.

‍How do we work together?
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‍There are two ways to list your business on Spaciously:
- Direct listing: list your offerings and the price on Spaciously. When clients book through Spaciously, we take their payment, handle all coordination and send you the payment after the service is complete. The payment takes only a few business days.
- Affiliate listing: list your offerings and link to your own website (provide an affiliate link). Clients will follow the link and coordinate with you directly. At the end of each month, send us a report and a payment on services booked through Spaciously. Honor system!

‍Should I use the direct or the affiliate listing?
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‍We recommend the direct listing for several reasons:
- Direct listings appear first in our search results
- When a client books a service that isn’t available on their preferred day, we choose from direct listings to offer the client an alternative
- When a client needs multiple services, we will bundle direct listings together for them
- We coordinate and answer questions on your behalf
- Direct listings make your accounting easier

Is my business too small to join?
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‍No business is too small to join. We prefer small business owners who know their business inside and out, can make quick decisions, and care deeply about the client experience.

‍Why should I join Spaciously instead of other marketplaces?
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- Unlike other marketplaces, we don’t restrict you from posting your services elsewhere. It’s your business. You should be able to list wherever you want!
- We are also a small team, with a decade of technology experience and a dedication to support small business owners.

‍Who do I talk to if I have more questions?
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‍Message Hanna (one of the two founders) at hanna@spaciously.io. Hanna will get back to you personally. Your questions and feedback help us improve Spaciously for the entire community!

What makes a good listing?
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‍A good listing is easy to read and book.

- Make it short. Clients want to scan your listing quickly. If there’s too much to read, they give up and leave. Make your listings short.

- Package it. Show exactly what you are offering and how much it’ll cost. Too many clients were lost when they had to “fill out a form or talk to someone to request a quote.” Of course, when you are offering different services, it is hard to give a quote before talking to your client. The solution is to break down your services into smaller packages, go with one price for a while, and then adjust the price if needed.
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For example, you rent out different arcade machines. The price of your service will depend on the machine, the delivery distance and the date. Take the component with the most variable price (e.g., the machine), and create packages based on that. One package will be “Small machine (1-day rental + delivery in the Bay Area).”

- Set only one price for that package.
Some clients will underpay a bit (but you’re more likely to get customers that way, and you aren’t wasting time on a custom quote). Some clients will overpay a bit (but it’s worth the time they are saving). After trying with a few clients, you can adjust the price up or down.

- Not sure how to list? Email us at hello@spaciously.io

‍Why do you encourage simple packages?

- Clients are more likely to book when the services and prices are clear.
- Clients are more likely to book your package together with another small business owner’s package. 

For example, a client needs a restaurant and a fun activity for their team-building event. They’ve already found an easy-to-book restaurant on Spaciously. Now, the client is picking between two activities: 
- a candle-making workshop, which costs ~$50 per person, but has a “request a quote” button instead of a clearly indicated price
- a paint-and-sip workshop ($80 per person). 

The client knows that their team will enjoy both activities equally, and $80 is within their budget. They have no ideas how much the candle-making workshop will cost or how long they’ll have to wait for a quote. They will pick the paint-and-sip workshop simply because it’s less work to book.

‍What should a listing include?

- Description: Describe your service, your experience with similar services and the groups of people, to whom you recommend this service.

- Photos: The first photo should show a group of people enjoying the service you’re offering. The second and third photos can zoom in on the details. For example, for a “Love Letter Writing Workshop,” the first photo could be of several people writing love letters and the instructor helping them. The second and third photos can be of love letters and a beautiful stationery setup.

- Price per person: You’re in control of what you want to charge. We only ask that the price is not higher than elsewhere on the web. Please include all taxes and fees in the price.

- Group size: Make sure to set the minimum and the maximum group size. How do you set the minimum? Think about the minimum amount that makes it worth offering your service. Let’s say you own a restaurant, your menu is $100 (including taxes and fees)  and you need to make at least $3,000 (including all taxes and fees). Your minimum group size will be 30. This doesn’t mean, however, that you will only get bookings for groups 30+. It simply means that if a smaller group books, they will still pay you a minimum of $3,000.

- Do I need to keep my calendar synced? You don’t need to proactively update your calendar. When someone books, we will reach out to confirm your availability. If we don’t hear back from you within 24 hours or you aren’t available, we will reach out to other small business owners who offer a similar experience.

What happens when I get booked?
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‍When you get booked, we reach out to check if you’re available. We will wait 24 hours before moving on to the next small business owner. Once you confirm that you’re available, we charge the client and coordinate the details with you.

There are a few team-building staples that we ask you to have for every event:
- Name tags
- Water and cups
- The best phone number to reach you on the day of the event in case of an emergency

‍What if a client cancels?

‍The least generous cancellation policy we ask you to adopt is this:
- 7+ days before the event: free cancellation, excluding a deposit that covers what you’ve already spent (supplies, food)
- 6 or fewer days before the event: full payment is non-refundable but is transferable if the client moves the event to another date within a year

‍How do I get paid?

‍If you create a direct listing, the payment will arrive into your bank account a few business days after your event is completed.
If you create an affiliate listing, the client will pay you directly. At the end of the month, we will ask for a report of your sales and send you the commission invoice.

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‍How many clients should I expect?

‍We sincerely wish we had an answer to this question. As we keep developing Spaciously, we hope to publish stats about frequently booked events. We hope that, equipped with this data, more small businesses can become profitable with less risk.

In the meantime, our promise is that:
- Listing your business on Spaciously will forever be free
- We will make it as easy as possible to join
- We will be around to help you build good relationships with your customers

‍How do I improve my chances of getting booked?
‍If you want better chances of getting clients:
- Create a direct listing (instead of an affiliate listing)
- Get a Spaciously badge

‍What’s a Spaciously badge?
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‍A Spaciously badge is a stamp that appears on your profile. It shows that you’ve done group events before and come recommended by clients.
With the Spaciously badge:
- Clients see your profile on a listing and are more likely to book you
- Your services appear at the top of the search page
- You can download and feature the badge on your own website

‍How do I get a Spaciously badge?
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‍You get a Spaciously badge when at least one client recommends you. Verified hosts are listed here.

If you get booked on Spaciously, we will ask the client for a review.

If you are just joining Spaciously, you can connect us with a previous client of yours. Previous clients are usually happy to give recommendations, get curious about the Spaciously community and come to book again. When you refer a client and they book you again through Spaciously, we never charge you a commission for that client—no matter how many times they’ll book you. (It’s your client!)