Brave Ideas Why Should We Repurpose Former Retail Space To Workspace?
Serving 95% Of The People Who Don’t Need A Traditional Office
Quote from Guest: “We are lowering the economic barriers to entry for people who are self-funding their own workspace” - Sneh
Summary: Sneh Kadakia, founder and CEO of ‘from HERE’, joins Bold founder Caleb for Episode 7 of Season 8. In this episode Sneh shares how she's repurposing small retail units into coworking spaces. Sneh shares her big vision for her coworking brand, how she got started and where the company is today.
You will hear how she’s providing commitment-free, close to home workspaces in neighbourhoods that people can use daily and even hourly.
Sneh discusses customer trends she has seen at her workspaces and how to create a brand when your customer base is so diverse. Sneh also shares the motivation behind creating a playbook for other co-working operators and the importance of not being competitive but supportive in the industry.
Connect with Sneh on Instagram
Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn
If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email podcast@workbold.co
Value Bombs:
A big part about our identity was that we wanted to make sure that every person and professional knew that they were welcome to do their best work from here - Sneh
We are serving the 95% of the people who don’t need a traditional offices -Sneh
We want to provide resources very locally to allow people to establish themselves within their home facilities, but have everything that they need to actually be successful - Sneh
We are lowering the economic barriers to entry for people who are self-funding their own workspace -Sneh
What we do as operators is we help other people succeed, we help them be successful, and we provide them with the tools they need to do that - Caleb
The variable revenue and our ability to charge much more for the ala carte offering and to be able to serve a larger customer base are the attractive part of our services and solution. -Sneh
Timestamps:
[6:16] How Caleb and Sneh first met.
[7:33] Sneh shares what her company ‘from HERE’ is about.
[9:58] Sneh shares the motivation behind launching ‘from HERE’.
[13:13] Sneh talks about ‘from HERE’s’ first location in Plainfield, New Jersey.
[15:44] The motivation behind opting for a traditional lease at ‘from HERE’s’ Plainfield location.
[17:28] Generating revenue on a small co-working space.
[19:00] The importance of a commitment-free workspace.
[20:49] How does your landlord partner feel about your commitment-free model?
[24:09] Workspace customer trends.
[26:35] How to create a brand when you have a diverse customer base.
[31:52] The opening of ‘from HERE’s’ second location in Princeton, New Jersey
[33:33] Sneh shares some of the biggest challenges ‘from HERE’ has faced and how they have been tackled.
[36:44] Facilitating last minute walk-in customers?
[41:30] Franchising and creating a network of neighbourhood workspaces.
[42:46] The launch of The Queen City Innovation Hub.
[48:29] Creating a playbook for co-working operators.
Shoutouts:
New Jersey Economic Development Agency
About Sneh Kadakia:
Sneh is a founder and CEO of ‘from HERE’, a network of commitment-free, on-demand workspaces conveniently located in your neighbourhood.
Sneh launched her first start-up in June 2019, Lokus, an enterprise technology solution and two-sided marketplace that facilitates coworking within hotels in New York City.
Prior to launching her own companies, she had an expansive career in human resources that revolved around curating the best employee experiences, developing people-centric technologies, and being a trusted business partner for leaders at all levels.
Sponsors:
Headline Sponsor: TSK
TSK creates inspiring workplaces for some of the world’s biggest brands across the UK and Ireland. They've been working for 25 years to deliver the best employee experiences and the vision of their clients. Not only do they create great places to work, TSK share workplace content every week from the latest data to inspiring spaces they’ve designed and built. You can read their latest insights at www.tskgroup.co.uk or check out their LinkedIn and Instagram pages to become a follower, fan and friend.
TSK publish weekly thought leadership, research and content featuring their team, clients and partners about workplace, commercial interiors, hybrid working and how others have prospered from investing in workplace. You can check their latest publications and video content in the show notes by signing up to their weekly ‘work made better’ newsletter or visit tskgroup.co.uk.
Fortune Favours the Bold
Bold merges property management & Space-as-a-Service to help office customers grow faster and drive asset value. Bold is a real estate brand owned and operated by NewFlex (www.workbold.co)
Future Proof Your Portfolio with NewFlex
NewFlex delivers and manages a range of branded solutions for every type of building, in every type of location, for every type of occupier. Including the flexibility to develop your own brand. All enabled by flexible management contracts where we are invested in making money for you. (www.newflex.com)
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