Why Should We Repurpose Former Retail Space To Workspace?

Serving 95% Of The People Who Don’t Need A Traditional Office

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“We are lowering the economic barriers to entry for people who are self-funding their own workspace”

- Sneh Kadakia

Welcome to Episode 7 of Season 8 of the #WorkBold Podcast, sponsored by TSK.

I love innovators with lots of energy. People who are driven to make a positive impact on the world.

So, I've very much enjoyed my chats with Sneh Kadakia, Founder & CEO of from HERE.

She's creating opportunity by solving two problems:

1. Commuting sucks (for some)
2. The retail real estate business is sucking (for many landlords)

Sneh's company, from HERE repurposes former retail units as commitment-free coworking spaces in neighbourhoods that people can use daily and as little as hourly for their "close to home workspace".

VOILA - I can see value on both sides.

We've heard about hub and spoke, and we're seeing companies provide stipends to employees to book their own workspaces. So this model makes sense to me.

And the value she's delivering to the local community is inspiring.

In this episode Sneh shares her big vision for her coworking brand, how she got started and where the company is today.

We discuss the customer trends she is seeing 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.

I hope you enjoy my chat with Sneh!

Connect with Sneh on LinkedIn 

from HERE 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 are lowering the economic barriers to entry for people who are self-funding their own workspace -Sneh

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)

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