Practical Bravery - CONSCIOUS CO-WORKING!

The Possibility Club

The Possibility Club podcast: Practical Bravery - CONSCIOUS CO-WORKING!

In this episode we explore the transformative world of co-working spaces and the burgeoning professional communities they foster. As the traditional office evolves and the allure of flexible work arrangements grows, the importance of spaces that inspire, include, and innovate becomes increasingly clear.

Our guest is leading an initiative with established roots in Brighton and plans for nationwide expansion, where workspaces not only meet modern needs but also cultivate communities grounded in equity and sustainability. But what broader impact do these spaces hold for local economies and social dynamics? Can the environments we work in become the epicenters of innovation and social change, fostering a new kind of urban and community life?

Are fancy co-working spaces just a modern trend, or do they represent the foundational elements of future cities where collaboration is at the core?

I'm Richard Freeman, this is The Possibility Club, and my special guest this episode is Director at Projects, Alex Young.

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Alex Young via LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-young-74431a135/

“I don’t think using the term ‘revolution’ is incorrect, when it comes to the power that co-working has for the future of business.”

“I love to disagree! I love to argue!”

Projects website

https://www.projectsclub.co.uk/

"You can’t expect an amazing community to form naturally. You’re much better off investing in establishing a community while you are setting up a space, and ideally before.”

“Founding members really make a space. You can have a huge impact if you hand-pick a few key people that are going to join you once your space is open.”

“We don’t just sell workspaces. Because if that’s what we did, we’d do that a lot better and we’d make a lot more money, but that’s not why we’re here.”

“We need diverse people in our spaces. We need to problem-solve together and to do that you can’t just have people who think the same way, look the same, have the same kind of lived experience.”

“I know ‘diversity and inclusion’ are buzz words, they get used way too much, for us we’re creating community spaces, not just selling office space.”

Projects — the team

https://www.projectsclub.co.uk/the-team

“We are not just running beautiful buildings, we are helping individuals that come into our space every day feel more support, feel welcome, and ensuring that they’re able to show up as their best selves, do their best work.”

“I’ve been back working at Projects for a year and I feel like I’m home again.”

“I’m very nosy, I go to co-working spaces all over the world.”

Ethos Property Management

https://ethosproperty.com/

B Corp certification

https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/certification/

“Everybody talks about how hard becoming a B-Corp is. I don’t find it hard. It requires a lot of hours, policy changes, data gathering, you have to literally change the legal wording of what your business exists to do. Okay, it’s not straightforward, but it’s not hard. For us we were doing all these things anyway.”

Coworkies https://www.coworkies.com/

Together Co

https://togetherco.org.uk/

“We’ve seen the issues that come about if people don’t come into work, and I’m not just talking financially. It’s really bad for your health. We need to be around other people.”

“When people show up every day and feel that they can contribute to their work in their best way, that’s going to make a huge impact, not just on their friends, family but their employers as well.”

Alex’s page on Favourite Positions podcast

https://www.favouritepositions.com/meet-alex

Imperial College Business School MBA

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/mba/

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This episode was recorded in March 2024

Interviewer: Richard Freeman for always possible

Editor: CJ Thorpe-Tracey for Lo Fi Arts

For more visit www.alwayspossible.co.uk