Brave Ideas

Networking with go getters.

Morgan Pierstorff Business Development Director at NewFlex

You may think the best networking opportunities are for once you arrive at MIPIM, but Morgan would disagree and tell you she had them during her 7 day, 870 mile cycle from London to Cannes. Despite the challenging weather, elevation and exhaustion she and the other 84 participants developed connections, furthered relationships and progressed projects during their time together.

Not only is this event a great physical and mental challenge, each cyclist raised £3,000 for youth charities across the UK. Who wants to join next year?

Connect with Morgan on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Resources:

Club Peloton Events

Caleb Parker, Founder of Bold, presents Season 9 of the #WorkBold podcast, sponsored by DeltaQ This season is called #BridgingTheGap.

In episode 1, Lisette van Dorn, Chief Exec for ULI Europe (that's Urban Land Institute), explains why there is a growing gap between supply and demand for office real estate…and what steps supply needs to make to prevent assets from losing value.

Over the next 10 episodes we'll drop a new episode from MIPIM with the leading experts in commercial real estate sharing their insights to help office investors, landlords and operators bridge this gap.

If you have any questions, feedback or topics you would like to hear covered, contact Caleb on Twitter or email [email protected] and be sure to join our LinkedIn newsletter for episode release notifications.

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

Resources:

Hotel valuation quote by Nathalie Charles, Deputy CEO and Global Head of Investment Management for BNP Paribas

Sponsors:

Headline Sponsor: DeltaQ

DeltaQ is a Top 3 European PropTech solution for reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment. Operating from the centre of Brussels, they have developed a solution that learns to predict the behaviour of a building (in context of comfort and energy use) and leverages these predictions to automatically steer the energy systems.

DeltaQ improves comfort while maximising energy and CO2 savings and allows operational teams to turn their attention to added value work instead of repetitive tasks and constant finetuning.

When deployed over a large volume of buildings, DeltaQ will deliver an important contribution to realising the world's ambition in the fight against climate change.

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

This is a special episode to celebrate the 1 Year Anniversary of the launch of our Bold Bauhaus community in Manchester, England.

In this episode, Bold Founder Caleb Parker, shares why brand values are important to success, gives a shout out to the team and shares why Manchester's innovators inspire him. We also share the clip of the Bold Bauhaus launch party speech, since you may not have been present to hear it.

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)

Reviewing the Trillion Dollar Hashtag with Antony Slumbers

Quote from Guest: "The difficulty with white labeling is you actually don't have, as you don't have enough of a brand" - Antony

Summary: Antony Slumbers, founder of '#SpaceasaService: The Trillion Dollar Hashtag', a course for those with ambitions to create great places and spaces. Antony was a guest on the first episode of the #WorkBold podcast and now joins Bold founder Caleb for the final episode of Season 8. In this episode, you will find out if his predictions and theories were true in our pre-pandemic episode.

Antony shares what questions he's being asked by the supply side of our industry, what questions aren't being asked that should be, and who is getting it right. Antony talks about some of the trends driving the future of office demand that he covers on his online course.

Antony and Caleb discuss a new phrase: brandlords, and they debate operator partnerships, management agreements, white labels and brands.

Connect with Antony on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Value Bombs:

The notion of requiring a human-centric real estate and service-led real estate industry as opposed to a product industry, I think is spot on and becoming more and more important each and every day - Antony

You'll never get to understand what is needed unless you dig quite deeply into the wants, needs and desires of individuals, teams, and the company - Antony

We need to be working to a situation where actually real estate is the output, not the input, the input is the human need - Antony

It's quite a scary thought for anyone in the real estate industry to look at their building and completely dispassionately ask the question, why would anyone come here? - Caleb

Real estate isn't gonna be all things for all people anymore. We need to really focus and target customers. -Caleb

Anyone running an office has to think about the things that you can do in an office better than anywhere else - Antony

Every landlord's gonna have to say, well, actually for this building, that's the right op operator for here in that building. - Antony

I think an owner of a building should be working very closely with their operator. -Antony

The difficulty with white labeling is you actually don't have, as you don't have enough of a brand - Antony

I think in 10 years you'll be picking from 40 different options. -Antony

Timestamps:

[7:00] Antony discusses whether his predictions in the previous episode he featured on were right.

[9:30] The drive behind the demand for Space-as-a-Service.

[18:26] What is this new way of working going to mean for the success of companies going forward?

[21:11] The questions being asked by the supply side of the industry and how to accommodate these nuances

[25:48] The characteristics of a good office.

[29:26] The Chicken and the Pig analogy.

[30:41] Antony's opinion on white labelling or selecting a specific brand to partner with to attract specific customer targets into buildings.

Resources:

What is the Trillion Dollar Hashtag? #WorkBold Podcast with Antony Slumbers

Why is CBRE Forward cofounder ALL IN on Space-as-a-Service? #WorkBold Podcast with David Cairns

How to finance the future of commercial real estate. #WorkBold Podcast with Dror Poleg

#SpaceAsAService: The Trillion Dollar Hashtag - Version 2, Antony Slumbers, March 2022

This isn't an acceleration, it's a revolution, Antony Slumbers, March 2021

Remote work: A series of best practices for a remote workplace, GitHub, April 2020

How should Landlords respond to Flexible Workspace Demand? Are you a Pig or a Chicken? — Antony Slumbers

The time is right for 'brandlords' to enter coworking/flexspace, Zoe Ellis-Moore, October 2022

Shoutouts:

David Cairns

Dror Poleg

GitHub

Leesman

Zoe Ellis-Moore

JLL

NewFlex

About Antony Slumbers:

Antony is a globally recognised speaker, advisor and writer on proptech and space-as-a-service. A serial entrepreneur, he has founded and exited several proptech software companies and now consults real estate boards on their transformation, technology and innovation strategies. In September 2022 he launched '#SpaceasaService: The Trillion Dollar Hashtag' course.

Antony speaks internationally on ''#SpaceasaService: The Trillion Dollar Hashtag', AI, Innovation, and the future of work and the workplace. He also sits on the Advisory Board of Tenant Engagement leader Equiem and is a member of the Leadership Board of CRETech.

Connect with Antony on Twitter

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

Quote from Guest: "Debt funds are happy to keep pushing this money, banks on the other hand, are looking at a changing profit margin that is affecting the way that they think about this."

Summary: Franco Faraudo, co-founder and editor of Propmodo, a media brand that focuses on technology and innovation in commercial real estate and the built environment, joins Bold founder Caleb for Episode 9 of Season 8. In this episode Franco tells us how the current economic volatility will affect office real estate and how the increasing cost of capital may shake up the capital stack for "the office".

You will hear why lenders may not have the same appetite for offices, how investor profiles may evolve and whether a valuation reset is imminent. Franco and Caleb discuss whether Space-as-a-Service could be the unsung hero for the office.

Connect with Franco on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Value Bombs:

I think rising interest rates are certainly going to have an impact, but I don't think that impact is going to be felt universally across the office real estate market - Franco

A lot of office owners and operators are already in a tough spot and adding fuel to that fire is the coming recession and the interest rates that might be dragging us there. So I think everyone is looking at this and everyone in the world is thinking about it - Franco

The robustness of the flexible space industry, in bad economic times, can be considered as our bumper - Franco

For a lot of companies going forward, if you have a flexible space in the same building as a company has their traditional lease space, that can give them a bit of peace of mind - Franco

There's not a lot of good data surrounding flex spaces which makes them less appealing for lenders - Franco

For your own social media and also for your business, if all you're doing is just shilling your expertise or your product, you're kind of doing social media wrong - Franco

Timestamps:

[6:21] Are rising interest rates going to negatively affect office real estate?

[6:58] Rising interest rates are one of the main issues facing the property industry today.

[8:18] Interest rates have been low for a long time, why are they causing an issue now?

[11:23] How the cost of debt impacts business plans in real estate.

[15:18] Is the capital out there capable of offsetting the cost of debt?

[16:52] The lenders appetite for loans in office buildings.

[19:57] How the capital stack of the real estate business is going to evolve.

[23:28] The effect of a long lease on the valuation of a building.

[26:15] Can the current financial climate benefit the office market?

Resources:

It Takes a Village to Create a Flexible Office, Propmodo 2021

What Will the Fed's Response to Inflation do to the Office Market? Propmodo 2022

Is it Time to Rethink How Commercial Real Estate is Valued? Sam Gamble

Shoutouts:

Melanie Jones

Scott Singer

Boston Properties

Sam Gamble

About Franco Faraudo:

Franco Faraudo has an MBA in entrepreneurship and has worked with a wide spectrum of technology and real estate organisations on their branding and content strategy. He has worked in real estate as an agent, manager, and investor. He writes about the intersection between the physical and digital world and is Co-founder and Editor of Propmodo.

Connect with Franco on Twitter

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

Subscribe to our newsletter on LinkedIn

How companies today are accommodating new ways of working

Quote from Guest: "Customers shouldn't feel that the environment owns them, but that the environment is theirs to do with as they will" - Dan

Summary: Dan Pilling, Workspace Strategy Consultant at TSK Group, joins Bold founder Caleb for Episode 8 of Season 8. In this episode Dan shares how physical workplaces can be strategic in supporting the purpose of our work, including how to think about the office as a "creative factory".

You will hear insights on delivering a strategy that creates an inclusive environment and whether 'brand' is just a sticker or does it in fact influence customer's decisions.

Dan and Caleb discuss some trends that are magnetising people to come back to the office and what's driving the cadence to come back into a physical space as a team.

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Value Bombs:

An office doesn't have to be an Instagram queen of an environment, it just has to deliver the facilities that people need to have that great day at work - Dan

One of the key trends to think about is what elements are going to magnetise people coming back to the office, rather than mandating it - Dan

When we think about that idea of community, the idea of common purpose, the shared values, that's the essence of a business - Dan

It's been great to see the evolution and to see that both customers and landlords are embracing Space-of-a-Service, co-working and flex - Caleb

Coworking is no longer just for startups - Dan

Timestamps:

[6:50] Dan shares what his role as Workspace Strategy Consultant entails.

[8:17] Delivering a strategy that creates an inclusive environment.

[10:07] Dan talks about being on the Workplace Geeks podcast.

[12:29} Seeing the office as a 'Creative Factory'.

[14:40] Dan elaborates on what a 'Creative Factory' looks like.

[16:46] The language of collaboration.

[18:10] The trends and themes surrounding how companies are reinventing their offices.

[21:40] The Space-as-a-Service footprint and flex.

[25:39] How community plays a role in the future of the office.

[27:25] The integration of community into designing a workspace.

[29:57] The change in Space-as-a-Service operators.

[32:09] Is a brand just a sticker or does it really influence customer's decisions?

Resources:

Workplace Geeks Podcast

Frog Virtual Tour

The 3 C's of CRE, Caleb Parker

Shoutouts:

Frog

Kelloggs

Sodexo

Eversheds Sutherland

About Dan Pilling:

With over 25 years experience in the design and build field, Dan helps organisations formulate workplace strategies which acknowledge the complex and uncertain times that we live in. Considering people before property, Dan's methodologies and evidence-based approach inform the case for change at large corporate organisations whose supply/demand equation for office accommodation has been forever impacted by hybrid work patterns.

He believes that the future of the office is still bright: a future that needs to consider experience ahead of cost cutting, supports diverse work activity ahead of desk-presenteeism and looks to create future reconfigurability ahead of space ownership and status.

Working at TSK Group as part of the consultancy team, he is currently working with a number of high profile organisations to support reshaping their office portfolios to best respond to the work landscape of the future.

Connect with Dan on Twitter

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

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 LinkedIn

Connect with Sneh on Instagram

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

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:

Scott Sussman

Cisco Meraki

Nexudus

New Jersey Economic Development Agency

Ikea

Poppin

Best Buy

Barco

Logitech

Hon

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.

Connect with Sneh on Twitter

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

Subscribe to our newsletter on LinkedIn

BE's Jonathan Weinbrenn Talks Alignment In Belfast

Summary: Jonathan Weinbrenn, managing director of BE.Spoke, a BE Offices company, joins Bold founder Caleb Parker for Episode 6 of Season 8 to discuss a PropCo/OpCo joint venture partnership BE has signed with Straidorn Properties to repurpose Custome House, a 58,000 SqFt iconic building dating back to 1857 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and relaunch it with a Space-as-a-Service led strategy.

See Custom House website here: https://www.beoffices.com/servicedoffice-locations/rest-of-uk/belfast

Jonathan previously featured as a guest in Season 2 where he spoke with Caleb about the impact the pandemic would have on Space-as-a-Service.

Jonathan believes the future of real estate lies in hospitality, technology and wellbeing.

In this episode they discuss the creation and management of the new flexible workspace at the iconic Custom House in Belfast. Jonathan shares his attraction to Belfast and their exciting plans for the WELL-certified space. Caleb and Jonathan also talk about the importance of hospitality for real estate and what it means for the future of flexible workspaces.

Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Value Bombs:

It's been a really difficult period for many of us, and to see activity and deals happening in the market, and customers flooding to this segment is really encouraging - Jonathan

Before we ever engage in a partnership, we want to make sure that we like each other first as that's the most important thing - Caleb

Flex gives you the ability to capture a wide segment of the market and deliver tailored solutions - Jonathan

For us service is at the heart of everything we do, and it's really important that we get this across when we show our spaces to people because you can't quantify that until you're a customer of a space - Jonathan

It's interesting to see the flight to quality in markets, which is an overused term, but one I'm afraid that is fairly accurate, where occupiers are much more sophisticated and more demanding about placing their staff in environments that are safe and where wellbeing is at the very centre - Jonathan

We have to embrace what customers want today, that's how we de-risk things and that's how we can drive value - Jonathan

Timestamps:

[6:11] BE.Spoke just signed a joint venture partnership with Straighthorn Properties to create and manage its new flexible workspace offering in Belfast, when do you open?

[7:45] What makes Belfast so attractive to you?

[8:50] Is it one hundred percent flex or will there be a traditional lease footprint in the building?

[12:58] Can you tell everybody about the BE.Spoke portfolio and the hospitality you have to offer?

[15:33] From what I understand, you're going to deliver Northern Ireland's first WELL-certified building?

[17:51] Did the WELL certification take up a big percentage of your budget? How are you guys managing that?

[20:22] How are you approaching the valuation topic? What are the lenders saying about this?

[21:50] Danske bank led the funding for this, can you talk about what they saw in it?

[23:36] Is this the first management agreement BE.Spoke has done?

[25:03] Can you elaborate on what Neil thought alignment with the propco looked like?

[28:14] Looking at this building and beyond, what does success look like? What's the plan?

[31:22] When creating a portfolio, do you think a sustainable approach would be partnering with the same capital partner, launching a number of assets together then exiting those assets once they're stable?

[35:53] What conferences or face to face events are you going to be attending between now and the end of the year?

Resources:

WELL Certification

GCUC Event

European Coworking Congress Event

Flexible space association conference

Shoutouts:

BE.Spoke

BE Offices

Custom House

Simon Rusk

David Saul

Straidorn Properties

Danske Bank

Worklife

Elliot Gold

Grosvenor

Brentwood

Workspace

About Jonathan Weinbrenn:

Jonathan is the managing director at BE.Spoke, a BE Offices company. He has nearly two decades of experience in the flex world and has spent his career advising companies on how their workspace can support the achievement of their business goals.

Jonathan believes that real estate is not just about bricks and mortar, but rather its future lies in hospitality, technology and wellbeing.

Connect with Jonathan on Twitter

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

Cat Johnson shares what community really means

Quote from Guest: "Community becomes the engine that powers your business" - Cat

Summary: Join us in episode 5 of season 8 of the #WorkBold podcast to hear Bold founder Caleb Parker interview Cat Johnson from Cat Johnson Co, a marketing hub and community that brings coworking space operators together to learn, share and connect.

Cat shares her advice on curating a community in a workspace and using content as a key marketing tool.

She talks about why it is important to have community in a workspace and how the community manager role plays a key part in this. In this episode Caleb and Cat delve into how community and content reinforce your brand and how this can affect customer's buying decisions.

Connect with Cat on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Value Bombs:

People have the sense that they can just open a flex space and that it's going to be an activated community, nothing could be further from the truth, it takes intention, it takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of emotional labour - Cat

I want to be around people that inspire me, that give me some energy, I want to feed off that energy, I don't necessarily need to be around it every day, but I do want to plug into it - Caleb

The community manager role is the best friend of our members - Caleb

It's a bit intimidating to join a new space so facilitating that and accelerating not just the onboarding, but the community integration piece is so important - Cat

I think that with communities themselves, there's a little bit of science and a little bit of art to it, but they don't just happen to pop up. You have to intentionally curate them - Caleb

We're not playing all the musical instruments, we're just conducting the orchestra, putting the right people together, getting the right partners in the ecosystem that will bring in the right content or events, and then sort of let it happen organically - Caleb

There are so many different flavours of co-working - Cat

If your vision of community only includes certain people, you've lost the thread completely, every single human wants to feel a sense of belonging, so creating a space where people can have that is gold - Cat

Good content is unique and specific to you and your community and your culture and your vibe - Cat

Social media is an opportunity to position, differentiate and attract your people - Cat

Community becomes the engine that powers your business - Cat

Trying to establish a coworking community and a coworking brand requires a lot of clarity around vision, values, people, service and mindset - Cat

Ultimately, the brand itself is not what you say it's what other people say and how they feel about you - Caleb

Timestamps:

[7:22] The importance of community in a workspace.

[9:00] The activation of a community in a workspace.

[10:55] Advice on hiring for a community manager role.

[15:50] Advice on curating a community in a co-working space.

[20:08] Community can't be built on BS.

[24:44] How does an entrepreneur stay part of a community as they scale?

[26:09] Content as a marketing tool.

[36:07] Advice on measuring ROI on social media.

[39:05] The importance of brand to a customer's buying decision.

[42:4] How does content and community reinforce your brand?

Resources:

Build Community in a Coworking Space: 22 Tips for Operators

The 22 Immutable Rules of Branding

Cat Johnson Co Newsletter

Shoutouts:

Iris Kavanagh

GCUC

Justin Harley

The Exchange, 22 Bishopsgate

Cat Johnson Co, Coworking and Marketing Shop

Hygge

Garrett Tichy

Alyssa Pressler

About Cat Johnson:

Cat Johnson is the founder of Cat Johnson Co, they bring coworking space operators together to learn, share and connect.

Cat Johnson Co is the marketing hub and community for the coworking world. Their team supports workspace operators around the world with marketing education, resources, tools, events, courses and more.

Cat helps community builders leverage the power of content to grow their brand and business. She runs Coworking Convos, a virtual event series for workspace operators and is the founder of The Lab, a private marketing club for coworking space operators. She has worked with hundreds of coworking space operators, forward thinking entrepreneurs, service providers, organisations and community builders.

Connect with Cat on Twitter

Connect with Cat on Instagram

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]

How the workplace can be an asset for fast growing companies

Quote from Guest: "To deliver a successful hybrid working model you need to sit down with your employees, see what works for them and craft a strategy around that" - Joe

Summary: Join us in episode 4 of season 8 of the #WorkBold podcast to hear Bold founder Caleb Parker interview Joe Averill from Level, a workspace advice and search platform for tenants. Joe shares his motivations behind starting Level at the beginning of this year and how it differs from traditional brokers. He talks about the importance of communicating with your employees and making sure your workspace represents your inclusive hiring strategy.

In this episode Caleb and Joe delve into why Manchester has become a popular destination for businesses, how the office space is changing and what companies need to do to accommodate this.

Joe shares his advice for fast growing companies in the real estate sector and how public speaking can open up endless opportunities.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn

Connect with Caleb on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email [email protected]

Value Bombs:

It's very important when advising these businesses to ensure that they have an element of flex in their lease terms, so that they don't frustrate the growth - Joe

A brand is very important and what is part of that brand is the ability for the landlord to deliver what they say they're going to deliver - Joe

It's important for leaders to provide an environment where people feel safe to fully express themselves and how they want to work - Joe

When you're creating a new business, the route to market strategy is imperative for you in terms of how are you going to attack the market - Joe

When you put yourself out there in positions where you're not so comfortable, you push limits, you push the boundaries of your own and that leads to opportunities - Caleb

If you don't have a clear strategy in mind as a leader then you can't communicate effectively to your team what the future of work is going to look like in your organisation - Joe

Landlords would be wise to consider flex as it provides a level of amenity to their buildings - Joe

You can get so much more from a workspace, and that's easier to communicate to those that see it as an asset and not just a business - Joe

Manchester is such a strong business community, everybody actually wants to help each other and that is why it's such a brilliant place to start up - Joe

Timestamps:

[5:48] Joe shares the motivation behind starting Level.

[7:03] The reason behind working specifically with fast-growth businesses.

[7:43] How does Level differ from traditional brokers?

[11:02] Joe shares what made him decide to start his own business.

[12:54] The diversity and inclusion element of workspaces.

[14:52] The opportunities that can arise from public speaking.

[16:55] Why is Manchester so popular for tech businesses?

[20:05] The importance of community when building your workspace strategy.

[22:44] Does the whole of Manchester need to be flex or is there a risk of saturation?

[24:21] The importance of brand when advising clients.

[25:36] How are companies accommodating the new hybrid working model?

[30:59] The change in the office model.

[33:33] Advice for fast growing companies.

[38:12] Joe gives advice for someone starting out in the real estate sector.

Resources:

Joe Averill's Linkedin Newsletter, August 2022

Shoutouts:

Kitman Labs

GP Bullhound

Matillion

WiredScore

The Hut Group

Peak AI

About Joe Averill:

Joe started his career in the world of tech working for the digital adoption platform, AppLearn. He then took a change of pass into the world of real estate, advising tenants on their workspace strategy.

Joe founded Level in 2022, with a mission to equalise the office market and provide advice solely for tenants. They aim to represent tenants from searching for a new workspace to the completion of the lease.

Connect with Joe on Twitter

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)

Launch Your Own Podcast

A Podcast Company is the leading podcast production and strategic content company for brands, organisations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right strategy, equipment, training, guidance and content to ensure you sound amazing while speaking to your niche audience and networking with your perfect clients. Get in touch [email protected]