The last couple of years has truly tested businesses, but ultimately made the industry resilient. In a new series, Fireside Chats, brought to you by Yardi Kube, Liz chats with Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade, to discuss the industry of coworking in the UK’s current success, and how Spacemade is putting mental health as it’s top priority for their team. Even with the pandemic putting things on pause, Liz and Jonny cover how it may actually be great for the industry in terms of focusing on how the people are, and what exactly they need to thrive in a space on an individual basis.
Human emotion of everyone is now at the forefront of every conversation, every meeting, everything we do. If that is one of the long lasting effects of this disastrous couple of years, then that is something we should all embrace. – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade
The last couple of years, starting a new business, it is really nice starting a business fresh where you have a blank piece of paper and we actually put basically the kind of mental well being of our team at the forefront of what we do as a business. – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade
Having a home office is a privilege, and quite frankly I am annoyed that companies are now taking over your private personal space that you pay for. – Liz Elam, Founder of GCUC
I do think we have actually managed to find a rhythm back in the UK since summer. I think office occupancies were back not to quiet pre-covid levels but getting there. – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade
The way flexible workspace was able to navigate is very well placed because it is actually consumer driven, focused on the demand of the end user. It is not about bond-like assets with simple returns over a 5-10 year period, it’s about creating an experience that the end user wants, offering people choice, and personalization. – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade
That was part of WeWork’s success, they were flexible before anyone else was. – Liz Elam, Founder of GCUC
I think in a funny way, the tailwinds of what has happened in commercial real estate over the last couple of years have been really behind us because there has been that shift in that direction and every landlord has been questioning how to deliver space now. – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade
I think this is such an amazing time to be in business, and in this space and also I guess one of the main reasons I came back into the industry is because it is such a brilliant industry. There are so many brilliant people in it. – Jonny Rosenblatt, Co-Founder of Spacemade
I think it attracts people that want to help people. These are the people I want to work with, these are the people I want to be around, these are the people that inspire me, the people that are helping change the world. I don’t want to be anywhere else. – Liz Elam, Founder of GCUC
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