Scalable Community Built on Ritual, vs Real Estate

Ben Schwartz is someone who lived through the loneliness of remote work, watched traditional coworking models collapse under their own weight, and decided to build something fundamentally different. As the founder of Tavern Community, he’s crafting what he calls “the world’s first scalable coworking business.” But his insights go far beyond office space—they’re about reengineering how people connect.

“Community organizing is really difficult. People think it’s going to be easy and warm and fuzzy. But if you’re going to do it, you have to know why you’re doing it.”

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The Coworking Myth: Why Proximity Doesn’t Equal Community

The data is damning. WeWork’s own 2017 internal study found that 69% of members had zero friends at their location—outside of coworkers they already knew.

“69% of people working from a WeWork didn’t have any friends at WeWork beyond their own team. That’s a damning indictment of the business model. And it comes down to one thing: it requires intention.”

Ben learned this the hard way after taking a remote consulting job right out of college. No teammates. No relationships. No structure.

Coffee shops offered vibes. Coworking spaces offered desk space. But neither offered real community.

“You can throw 100 people, 500 people in the same space. But unless you create the right rhythm—it just doesn’t happen.”

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The Ancient Formula That Still Works: Niche + Ritual

Tavern Community is built on two ideas that have worked for millennia:

1. Niche Groups with Shared Identity
   

Gen Z founders. Women in tech. LGBTQIA+ professionals. Community doesn’t scale by being everything to everyone—it grows by going deep in the right pockets.

2. Structured Daily Rituals
   

Coworking → Communal lunch → Happy hour → Panels. It’s not just about the content. It’s about the rhythm—just like in synagogues, universities, or mess halls.

“If you break bread with someone or grab a beer at the end of the day, it’s fundamentally different than just sitting next to them on your laptop.”

These aren’t product features—they’re relationship architecture.

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The University Model: Don’t Be the Star, Be the Platform

“I don’t want to be the Yankees or the Red Sox. I want to be the university that helps the clubs.”

That shift in mindset is key. Tavern doesn’t compete with local organizers—it helps them win. It offers:

• Affordable access to venues during underused hours

• Support with logistics, sponsors, and resources

• Autonomy to run culturally relevant events

And the payoff?

“An event that might cost $10,000 elsewhere can run with us for a tenth of the price—during weekday hours. Organizers win. We meet their people.”

Even though Ben did explement with various advertising approaches, Ben likes to partner with people already doing the work.

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Asset-Light Revolution: The Anti-WeWork Blueprint

WeWork’s failure wasn’t just financial—it was architectural. Long-term leases + short-term memberships = instability at scale.

Tavern flips that model by using hospitality spaces that already exist—hotels, bars, restaurants—empty during weekdays and perfect for coworking.

“I’m trying to do this without owning any space. A distributed network of underused venues. That’s what makes it scalable.”

It keeps overhead low, the aesthetic high, and the financial risk close to zero. Unlike Soho House, where furniture sits in warehouses, Tavern builds nothing it can’t walk away from.

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From Marketing to Momentum: Growth Through Value

“I’ve basically hacked traditional marketing by leading with value instead of ads.”

Ben offers organizers a real value proposition. They save money. He earns trust. And gains access to a room full of new potential members—50 or more at a time.

“They’re sharing their audience with me. I’m sharing significant cost savings with them. Everyone wins.”

This approach built a 4,000+ person community before launch—while focusing less on traditional advertising.

Beyond Events: Building Community Infrastructure

Ben’s not just reinventing coworking. He’s building community infrastructure—a scalable backbone for belonging in a fragmented world.

It blends:

• Ancient social design (rituals, shared meals, obligation)

• Asset-light business logic

• Tech-enabled coordination

• Partnership-based growth

“My focus is simple: create a place where people can belong.”

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Top Quotes from Ben Schwartz

• “We’re not building an app. We’re building a lived experience.”

• “Don’t get cynical. Assume the good in people—and build in ways that allow for human imperfection.”

• “Community doesn’t emerge from scale—it emerges from rituals.”

Philosophical Insights

• Belonging is engineered. Structure matters more than vibes.

• Ancient forms still work. Synagogues, kibbutzim, and mess halls all use meals + shared goals to bond people.

• Community tech should be invisible. Use it to support, not dictate, interaction.

Takeaways for Community Organizers

• Design rituals, not just events.
  Community is what happens between the programming.

• Grow through others’ networks.
  Support great organizers—they’ll bring their people.

• Recruit from within.
  Your next teammate might already be in your community.

• Be ready to go it alone.
  
  
  “If you depend on someone who leaves, your community dies. Build it like you’ll do it alone—even if you don’t have to.”
  

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What’s Next?

We’re fired up for what’s ahead and looking forward to seeing our Dot Connector community grow over the coming year. Our vision is to get sharper and closer to building something that truly works and transforms the work of community leaders/builders across the board. 

Create a Dot Connector profile with us to stay updated with our launches.

Even better, Schedule a Dot Connector Convo with our team;

we want to hear from you if you’re a community leader/organizer. 

Our content rollout is coming! Stay tuned for more in-depth content, including interviews, insights from our recent events, and upcoming opportunities to collaborate directly. Follow us, keep an eye on our newsletter, and join us at future events where we’ll continue these conversations. Your stories and involvement is what makes this all possible.

Onward and Upward,
The Pollen8 Team

Stay tuned on LinkedIn, X, & Instagram!

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