Alex Hillman answered question pertaining to his own decision to switch careers.

Why did you switch your career path?

If you are looking to leave your day job to start a coworking space, it would be very helpful to keep some consulting on the side.  This way you can make sure there is an ecosystem you can work in. You have the ability to be in control of your income while building the coworking space.  If the space is not breaking even right away, your money needs to be coming from somewhere. Do not put your stability at risk. It is all about taking calculated risks.

Being a freelancer gives a number of advantages.  Three is flexibility and freedom to make your own decisions while you are trying to get your space going.  However, the more time Alex invested in Indy Hall, the more he learned about developing community and culture.  Indy Hall ended up taking up more of his time causing him to fall behind in the technical field that he was freelancing in.  Staying current is very important in that industry. He had to make a decision on which career he wanted to prioritize. Alex knew he could make money in both so he had the ability to make a decision based on what he wanted to do.

Look for ways to not make it an “all or nothing” switch.  Alex’s transition to coworking was gradual. He took the advantages he had and looked for ways to apply them.  It was not an upfront decision, it was an experiment.