We had the pleasure of speaking to Cubo Nottingham member Hannah Wade about her growth at Cubo.
Hannah first joined us as a hot desk member and since then has loved the environment and community feel from a Cubo co-working space and has expanded her membership to become a private office member. Hannah tells us how she came across Cubo and why she chose an office space here.
Q. Why Cubo?
A. My partner had seen Cubo popping up on LinkedIn, and I went along to try it out. The view from Nottingham's co-working floor is stunning, so I was pretty much sold already!
I'd seen other co-working spaces which looked like someone had chucked as many desks as they could fit into boring magnolia rooms, and I knew I'd hate going to work in a space like that.
Cubo felt completely different - the co-working space wasn't an afterthought, but a main hub for the whole Cubo community. There's natural light and amazing views from all sides, and the space itself is designed to be a comfortable and inspiring place to work.
The experience was much more relaxing than trying to work from cafes and in the midst of restrictions it felt a safe space to work - both in terms of COVID safety measures and in being able to leave my laptop and to pop out for lunch. The routine of regularly getting out the house, along with the social side of Cubo, meant it quickly became a valued part of my working week!
Q. How have we been able to support you during your first year of running your own business?
A. I started out at Cubo as a 10 days per month hot desk member. It didn't take very long before I was disappointed if it was a non-Cubo day, so I switched to full-time hot desking. Having somewhere where I can go to focus on work, alongside the networking and social opportunities, has helped so much as the business grows.
The community here is fantastic, and it was invaluable at the early stages of HeyYou! to meet other business owners who were happy to chat and share their advice and experiences. There were members at a similarly early stage, and others further down the line, and Cubo offered a space to informally learn from them and bounce ideas around.
I've recently moved into a private office which is providing the space for the next stage of business growth. It's fantastic to have the best of both worlds! I love turning up to my office in the morning - the walls are covered with current projects, and I find it a really inspiring place to work. At the same time, I've still got access to the hot-desking floor for when I need a change of scene or want to be somewhere busier.
Q. Why did you decide to use serviced offices?
A. I thought that I'd love working from home, but after a few months I was finding it really isolating and was struggling to switch between work and home mode. The COVID restrictions in place meant that popping out to work in a coffee shop for a few hours wasn't an option, so I started looking for somewhere else to work.
Q. What’s your favourite thing about Cubo and the services we offer?
A. The people here and the design of the space are definitely the top selling points for me. The Cubo team are amazing - I start every morning by popping up to floor 6 for a cuppa and a chat! It's a lovely way to start the day and transition into work mode. There are a lot of regular members who all get to know each other and catch-up during breaks - it's a real sense of community which reduces the isolation of running a new business.
It's also fantastic to work in a space where so much thought has gone into how it feels. A bland office space wouldn't have been a good fit for my business's brand - but Cubo is modern and light, with an industrial edge to it, it's got great character! Everyone who's visited has loved it. I really enjoy working right in the middle of the city - everything's a few minutes’ walk away, and there's a real buzz both in and out of Cubo. My business has transformed since I started working here, and I'm really excited to be moving into my second year as a member!
If you are looking to start your own Cubo journey then get in touch we'd love to discuss how we can help!
Simply fill out our contact page, drop us an email or give us a call:
01332 977 700
