Community of Cultivators: Edition 58

Here at GCUC we are immensely fortunate to cross paths and work with so many amazing people. Through our work, we’ve cultivated a global community of people we think you should know about.

Community of Cultivators is a blog series we created to introduce you to coworking game changers and connectors. Each month, we’ll release new interviews that we hope inform and inspire you.

This week we bring you an interview with Jason McCann, CEO and Cofounder of Vari. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Jason, he is a lifelong entrepreneur & has more than 30 years of experience building and running successful companies. He learned the importance of putting the customer first early-on while working in his mother’s hair salon as a child.

Jason co-founded VariDesk in 2013, and the brand quickly became synonymous with sit-stand desks. Under his leadership, the company grew at an incredible pace and expanded its product and service offerings significantly, calling for its new, more inclusive name – Vari.

Jason accepted the award for 2016’s fastest growing company in the Dallas area at the annual SMU Cox Dallas 100™ Awards Ceremony, and in 2017 he was honored with EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year award alongside his co-founder and longtime business partner. In 2021, D CEO Magazine named Jason CEO of the Year.

Jason lives in Coppell, Texas with his wife of 25 years and their three children. He is a board member at the Texas Real Estate Council and a member of Eric’s Club, a distinguished and select group of University of Houston’s Hilton College that build a legacy of student inspiration.

Keep reading to get to know Jason better.

What in your life are you most proud of cultivating or creating? Why?

I absolutely love what we’re building at this very moment at Vari! Today we offer full line of 300+ workspace products including movable walls, soft seating, conference tables, storage, and much more. We are helping companies define the future of workspace, which is all about flexibility. We also have three VariSpace buildings in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is our space-as-a-service concept. We’ve worked with amazing asset owners and we’ve seen that having a turnkey, fully furnished spaces is a huge benefit for tenants. In the last couple of years, we have expanded into new markets across the country and have showrooms in 12 cities with more to come. My push is to remain in the present moment, stay true to my values, serve my team and our fans as we power ahead. I hope the culture, team, business, products, services, and brand we are building can live beyond my lifetime.

What is one piece of advice you give everyone that works with and/or for you?

Play the hand that you are dealt. Sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. However, be grateful for the hand you have right now. Gratitude is so important. I guarantee there are a million, if not a billion people that would trade hands with you in a second. For that reason, it’s important to give back and serve others. We believe in supporting our community and nonprofit organizations through our Vari Community Giving program, through which we have donated nearly $6 million in product to organizations like Make-A-Wish, Boys and Girls Club, and Feeding America.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming an entrepreneur?

1. Find a pain point that you can simplify and monetize.
2. Make small bets, get profitable, and stay profitable.
3. Surround yourself with people that embody your values, complement you, and want to build something great.
4. Innovate or die. If you don’t do it, someone else will.

What is the best habit you ever started? What habit do you want to start but haven’t yet?

As a leader, I have learned that it’s imperative to take care of yourself. It’s hard to do, but flight attendants have been reminding us for years to put on our Oxygen masks first! For me, that means taking time for meditation, to read, reflect, exercise, and journal each day. My next habit will be writing.

That’s all for this week. Come back next week for another interview with Pillars in the coworking community.