Essay
The Questions to Answer Before You Sign a Ten-Year Lease
The signature line is the easy part. The clauses that decide whether you thrive or bleed in year seven rarely get asked out loud.
ReadGrowth Advisory · Fractional COO · Commercial Real Estate
I evaluate the space and the business that has to succeed in it.
I work with owners and operators of space-based businesses on growth strategy, operations, and the real estate decisions that follow. Advisory nationwide. Commercial real estate across Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral.
Businesses where location, layout, and occupancy cost directly affect performance: coworking, retail, restaurant, office, wellness, sports and entertainment, and service concepts.
Advisory · Operations · Real Estate
The Problem
The lease gets signed. Then the real work starts.
A space decision is really a business decision wearing different clothes. Whether the layout supports the operating model. Whether the lease economics survive a slow quarter. Whether the revenue assumptions hold. Whether the team can execute what the deal assumed. Those questions decide whether the business performs for the next ten years, and they are the ones I work through with you before anything gets signed.
How I Evaluate the Decision
Six things,
not one.
Six areas I work through before recommending a move.
"Growth strategy, operations, and the real estate decisions that follow."
Start the Conversation- 01
The real estate.
The space itself, the location, the fit.
- 02
The lease economics.
The terms, the escalations, the exposure, what it costs you in year seven.
- 03
The market.
What is actually happening in Southwest Florida right now, at the street level.
- 04
The operating model.
How the business actually runs, and whether this space supports it or fights it.
- 05
The revenue potential.
What the location can realistically produce, not what the pro forma hopes.
- 06
What must happen after.
The execution, the systems, the people, the follow-through after the deal is signed.
How I Work
One perspective. Three ways to put it to work.
These are not three separate practices. They are the same lens applied at different points in a business's life.
Growth Strategy
Advisory
Feasibility, occupancy planning, growth strategy, franchise expansion, investment strategy, and exit planning for businesses that operate inside four walls. Nationwide.
Consulting through Colliding Clouds.
ExploreOperations Leadership
Fractional COO
Operations strategy and systems, technology and platform decisions, accountability, and implementation oversight for flexible workspace and coworking operations, independent, franchise, and corporate.
Consulting through Colliding Clouds.
ExploreBrokerage
Commercial Real Estate
Tenant and buyer representation, landlord representation and sales, lease strategy and negotiation, site selection, market analysis, and expansion planning across Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral.
Licensed commercial real estate services through KW Commercial | KW Elite.
ExploreOperator first
Coworking floors run.
Franchises launched.
Leases lived in.
Why This Is Different
I've run the business inside the space.
I have had to live inside decisions like the one you are making, and answer for how they performed.
Track record
- Coworking and flexible workspace operator since 2015
- Consulting through Colliding Clouds since 2018
- Commercial real estate brokerage since 2021
- Director of Commercial, KW Elite | KW Commercial
- South Florida Regional Ambassador, KW Commercial
- Leads Florida Commercial Thursdays
- Experience across independent, franchise, and corporate flexible workspace operators
- Working knowledge of the operating platforms these businesses run on, including Nexudus and OfficeRnD
Who I Work With
The people this is built for.
- 01
Coworking and flexible workspace operators experiencing growth or complexity.
- 02
Landlords launching flexible workspace.
- 03
Franchise owners who need stronger financial and operational clarity.
- 04
Operators preparing for expansion.
- 05
Business owners choosing or negotiating space in Southwest Florida.
- 06
Owners who want executive-level leadership without hiring full-time.
Engagement
How we'd work together.
This describes consulting engagements through Colliding Clouds. Brokerage representation is described separately on the Commercial Real Estate page.
01
Start
We scope the engagement around what the business actually needs.
02
Diagnose
Begin with a 90-day diagnostic and stabilization phase.
03
Lead
Move into ongoing strategic leadership.
04
Measure
Focus on measurable outcomes and sustainable growth.
Proof
In their words.
"With building a coworking space from the ground up, it can become stressful, and sometimes you find yourself lost. Jana saved the day on so many levels. She was available for long extensive trainings, helped with formatting the operations before the doors opened, and supported the team around the clock. Her expertise helped shape the success we have today."Taylor Ruiz · Offsite at Filter Club
"As a new small business just getting started, finding the right location for the right terms was essential. Jana walked us through every detail and step and negotiated terms we needed to better our chances of success. She delivered everything we needed and more."Greg Hainsworth · Barrel & Flask
"Jana is the absolute best to work with. Not only is she an expert in her field but she genuinely cares about her clients and goes the extra mile to make sure they're getting the best outcome. Highly recommend her!"Brittany Antonijevic · Haven 22
Geography
Southwest Florida, and wherever the operation is.
Commercial real estate advisory across Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral. Growth advisory and fractional COO work nationwide, with coworking, flexible workspace, franchise, and independent operators.
Southwest Florida Corridor
- Naples01
- Bonita Springs02
- Estero03
- Fort Myers04
- Cape Coral05
+ National operator advisory
Field Notes
From the desk.
Essay
Why Great Businesses Fail in the Wrong Space (and How to Spot It Before You Commit)
Location and layout are not neutral. They actively support your operating model or actively fight it. Here's how to read the difference.
ReadEssay
Lease Economics: What That Escalation Clause Actually Costs You in Year Seven
A 3% annual escalation sounds reasonable on paper. Modeled across a full term, it becomes the largest quiet expense in your P&L.
ReadEssay
What Landlords Get Wrong When They Launch Flexible Workspace
Owning the building does not prepare you to operate a service business inside it. The pitfalls repeat, and they are avoidable.
ReadCoworking Occupancy Is Not the Metric You Think It Is
A 90% occupied space can be losing money. The number that actually predicts survival is not on most operator dashboards.
When Does a Growing Operator Actually Need a Fractional COO?
There is a specific inflection point where founder-led execution stops scaling. Recognize it before it costs a year.
Site Selection in Southwest Florida: What Naples, Bonita, Estero, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral Each Reward
Five markets in a hundred-mile radius, each with its own customer, competition, and rent economics. A quick guide.
The 90-Day Diagnostic: What We Find in the First Three Months
Every engagement begins the same way, and every diagnostic surfaces a version of the same three findings.
Franchise vs. Independent Operators: Where the Operating Model Changes Everything
The franchise playbook and the independent playbook look similar. Where they diverge is exactly where money is made or lost.
What Has to Happen After the Deal Is Signed
The closing is a milestone, not a finish line. What comes next is where operating experience decides how the deal performs.
Next Step
