IAM1388 – Bring Change to Workspace Members and the Less Fortunate

Originally from the U.K., we're not sure if it was brisket or J.R. Ewing that brought him here, but he got to Texas just as fast as he could. Retail, B2B, Non-Profits, and Hostage Negotiation, Mike's background isn't quite as varied as the hairstyles he wears (he's bald people), and sure, he's a little workaholic, probably eats too much curry & mixes beer with Sprite (it's called a ‘Shandy' people), but he eats, sleeps, and dreams about how we can change lives, for the Members (and their businesses) as well as the less fortunate in society.

• CEO Story: Mike’s idea of building a traditional executive office was not sure if it existed. Surprisingly he saw the exact co-working space that he envisioned. And so he built his own.
• Business Service: Workspace provider.
• Secret Sauce: Serving and helping people. Being authentic, passionate, and generous with time.
• CEO Hack: Google Stuff e.g. Calendar & Notes
• CEO Nugget: Chase greatness. Be amazing. Do the right thing. Don't underestimate the change you can make.
• CEO Defined: Leading well for staff and also an inspiration for Workspace members

Website: http:/www.theworklodge.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikethakur

Throwback Link: https://iamceo.co/2018/09/17/067-social-entrepreneur-helps-bring-change-to-workspace-members-the-less-fortunate

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Transcription

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00:02 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:28 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Mike Thacker of the work lodge. Mike, it's awesome to have you on the show.

00:37 – Mike Thakur

Well, hey, I appreciate the opportunity and I'm looking forward to it.

00:40 – Gresham Harkless

Me too. Me too. I'm looking forward to hearing more about you. So first I wanted to introduce Mike so you can learn a little bit more about him and all the awesome things that he's doing. So Mike is originally from the UK, and we're not sure if it was Brisket or Junior Ewing that brought him here, but he got to Texas just as fast as he could. Retail B two b. Non-profit in hostage negotiation. That's Mike's background. It isn't quite as varied as the hairstyles he wears. He's bald.

And sure, he's a little workaholic, probably eats a little too much curry, and mixes beer with Sprite. It's called a shandy. But he eats, sleeps, and dreams about how he can change lives for the members of the workload and their businesses, as well as the less fortunate in society. Mike, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:24 – Mike Thakur

I'm ready.

01:25 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I wanted to expand a little bit more upon your CEO story and hear what led you to start your business.

01:31 – Mike Thakur

So, as you can tell from my background, I've done a few different things in life. And most recently before this, I was the chief operating officer for a security company. We were based here in Houston. Most of our clients were not in Houston. So I used to travel quite a lot. And when I was home, we didn't have a centralized office. We were famous for kidnap, ransom, and extortion. So a lot of what we did was pretty sensitive. And so I worked from home for about four or five years, and it slowly just got worse and worse. And so one day I thought, you know, I'm gonna go get somewhere to work from. And I can't go sit in Starbucks or do something like that because of the kind of conversations we have. And so I wound up in what is now what I would call a traditional executive suite-type space.

I didn't know executive suites existed. I didn't know anything about commercial real estate. And so I'm standing in this office, and the lady's looking at me, telling me it's $800 a month. All the walls are drywall, and the door is solid wood. And I'm standing there thinking, this is what solitary confinement must feel like. Why would I pay $800 a month to do this? I went home and I said, honey, I don't know a whole lot about real estate, but I got to believe I couldn't do a worse job than that.

So I'm thinking I should go build something. And so we started to think about it, and it was about six months or so before one day I stumbled across a co-working space. I was out in Seattle doing a case out there, and I saw this co-working space, and I walked in, I stood there thinking, oh, my word, these guys have built exactly what I was talking about.

There are people in there. And so I called my wife and I said, listen, I think it really was a good idea. Like, I've just seen one and somebody's paying to use it. So we were worried about, whether could we get customers or not. But evidently, there are a few other folks like me out there that think it's a good idea. So then I start looking around, and I find another one in Portland. And I was going there next, so I went to check that place out, and it was completely different. More of a glorified coffee shop.

But there were people in there. And that was the biggest worry for me as I knew what I wanted to build. I knew I wanted to create something that was just inspiring, but I just wasn't sure. Would folks really spend money to be there or not, or whether it was just a good idea, but not good enough? So after seeing a couple of guys figure it out and make it work, I came up and said, you know, I think we should do this. So we went out, looked for some space, and the rest is history.

03:44- Gresham Harkless

Awesome idea. Like, you are not sure if your idea actually has customers or people that are actually going to pay for it, but you being able to see those co-working spaces, you saw that, hey, these are people that are actually interested in that. So I think it's awesome to kind of hear your story and how you evolved into actually building your company. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and hear a little bit more about what you guys are doing to help support the members and the people that are coming to the workload.

04:06- Mike Thakur

Yeah. So obviously, co-working is kind of a fashionable thing right now. I don't know what I describe as a true co-working space. We're kind of a hybrid, and we think of ourselves as being a workspace provider. And so that entails some co-working, it entails some private suites, it entails some team size suites, the meeting and conference room. So we've got a wide range of services there. And then we're in the process of layering onto that whole suite of professional services so that we can remove as much friction as possible and let them just focus on business.

As long as they're doing what they should be doing, we take care of the rest. And I always tell people, even if we only save you an hour a week, we just give you back more than a working week over the course of a year. If you're good at what you do, that can translate, hopefully, into a whole lot more money than the investment you're making in the office space that you take from us or the co-working membership or whatever you want to call it.

So we do a little bit of stuff with socials and fun and that kind of thing, but we don't go crazy with it. We want to be respectful of the fact that they're working on their business, and we don't want to be just running a frat house. Some places have kind of turned up. So we're a little bit classier than that. That's probably a good way to put it. And it seems to be working. I mean, people resonate.

They like what we do, and they like the very organic, you know, subtle nudging that our staff is trained in helping make those connections and helping them figure out who the other guy is down the hallway that's dealing with the same thing they are or who just did deal with it. And now they can give them some wisdom and some guidance and just see those connections get made, especially between people from completely different industries, that would never happen if they weren't in a space like this.

05:44 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, and a lot of what you're saying, it kind of sounds like you created an environment where, you know, people have opportunity to get that, quote, unquote, maybe unofficial mentorship, but still has to have the opportunity to be able to learn from other people that might have been going through things, but also get a really cool environment by which they can work and do all the things to be successful and not have to worry about all these additional things that can suck up time, but worry about building your business and working on your business. So I love kind of like, that motto.

And you might already touched on. On it a little bit, but I usually ask for what I call a secret sauce or kind of like, what makes your organization unique. And I know you kind of touched on that. Is there anything else you can kind of point to that says, this is what makes you guys unique?

06:21 – Mike Thakur

Yeah, I think, honestly, what makes us unique is the heart of the business and the DNA behind it. So I'm not a real estate guy, you know, if anything, you know, I'm a ministry guy. I spent years in nonprofits and used to be a preacher. And so I think we approach people and serving and helping people from that perspective, rather than just from a, hey, here's a target on your back with a dollar sign. Let me extract a few more bucks out of you. We just don't play that nickel-and-dime game at all. And I think that translates through. We're built on core values.

We talk constantly with the staff about being authentic, being passionate, being generous with our time and our knowledge, being humble, and being a little bonkers, having a little personality. I think it translates really clearly in the way that we interact with our members, and in the way that we look after them. Is it tangible? Is it something that's easily replicable? Probably not. It takes a lot of work and a lot of effort. But does it make us a little different? Yeah, I think, fundamentally, our approach to people and what we're doing with the business is completely different. I mean, at the end of the day, we're not really a for-profit business.

We created the business and the nonprofit at the same time. And so the work Lodge for-profit funds the Gabriel Foundation nonprofit, and we're very open about that. When you walk in, I'm looking at a ten-foot by 15-foot mural on my wall with pictures of smiling kids from the first orphanage we built in India last year. You can't walk past it without missing it. It's right in front of you. And I think that's very different than a company that's just sat there to make a buck. If I wanted to make a book, there are easier ways to do it than this.

07:52 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah.

07:52 – Mike Thakur

Yeah.

07:52 – Gresham Harkless

Well, I mean, I feel like that's when things go to an entirely different level, is when you have, you know, you have the dollars and cents, and that's important when you're building a business or even running a nonprofit. But when you're able to have that kind of heart-centered pool that you talked about, where you have a reason or a very strong purpose for the foundation that you guys have. That's when things to me go to another level and you get probably that awesome environment that you guys have in place.

08:15 – Mike Thakur

Right.

08:15 – Gresham Harkless

Well, what I wanted to do with switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. A CEO hack could be an app or a book, but the idea is it's something that makes you more effective and efficient as a business owner.

08:25 – Mike Thakur

Yeah. You know, I saw the question when I got the little cheat sheet when we first talked, and I've been kind of backward and forwards on what would be this awesome nugget that would just make everybody's world rocking. You know, I don't know that I really have anything super special here, but I use, I use my Google stuff, real heavy. Gmail, the calendar, you know, the notes. That's my go-to. And it's simple, it keeps me organized. I know it's not sexy and everybody probably uses it, too, but I stick with it. It tells me where I'm supposed to be. It tells me what I'm supposed to be doing. It helps me get my thoughts in there and it's always at my fingertips. That's about as good as I've got on that one.

09:03 – Gresham Harkless

Hey, that's a good app. I swear by my Google calendar and everything else as well. So sometimes it's the simple things that help you keep the peace of mind as you talked about with your staff and everybody there where you don't have to worry about all those additional things, whether you lost something or whether that email went through because everything's kind of taken care of from a Google standpoint. So I think that's a phenomenal CEO hack. And it may not be sexy, but I use it just as strongly. So I love that CEO hack. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. This might be more of a word of wisdom or a piece of advice that you might have for a CEO, entrepreneur, or business owner.

09:36 – Mike Thakur

So when we talk to our staff and try and help them understand, what does success look like? And you probably saw it in my email signature, I tag everything with be amazing. And for us, if we get all of our core values right, all of the DNA of who we are, it's going to deliver this, whatever amazing this is. And so I think when I'm thinking about a golden nugget or some advice to other business owners or entrepreneurs, chase greatness, don't chase average, don't chase mediocrity, don't do a crappy job. Don't just taste the dollars. If you decide to make a book, just go work for someone else. Can you do it? Yes. Is it the right thing to do? And I think that's the key. No, it's not. So do the right thing. Be great. Just be amazing. That would be my best advice.

10:22 – Gresham Harkless

I love that. And that definitely hits home. You know, don't be average. Just go on and do and be the best that you can be and kind of blaze trails and make an impact upon the world. So I think that's awesome. And now my absolute favorite question, which I call kind of like the definition of being a CEO. So I want to ask you specifically, what does being a CEO mean to you?

10:43 – Mike Thakur

So I think, there are two sides to this coin. For my staff and my team, it means leading well. And I want to make sure that I invest in them in every way that I can. If I can coach them better, if I can encourage them more, if I can spur them on to just be better versions of themselves, that's my job as their leader, is to just bring out the best in them. And I think second from that, and it kind of rolls on a little bit, is also for our members and the folks we serve and help. Inevitably, they see me in action.

They see me interacting with other people, and so how can I inspire them? Obviously, it's not my job to, you know, to coach every single member we've got. I'm not saying that but just by our example, by what we do and how we do it, can I inspire them to just shoot a little higher, to think a little differently, to go beyond themselves or out of their comfort zone? I'm very conscious that, you know, anybody in a leadership role, and especially as a CEO of a company where you interface with people on a regular basis, people are going to watch, so pay attention to what they're watching.

11:46 – Gresham Harkless

I love it. I love it. And by you creating that environment and that culture, I think that definitely kind of spills down. Whether or not, you know, you're doing direct mentorship or direct advice or somebody is just, you know, at your, your space as well, because that definitely helps out as that. So, Mike, I truly appreciate you for taking some time out of your schedule. What I want to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and our listeners know and how best people can kind of get a hold of you and hear more about the workload.

12:12 – Mike Thakur

Well, I think if you want to know more about the workload, you can go check out the website. Just theworklodge.com. we've got Facebook and LinkedIn and Instagram and all that kind of fun stuff. So if you do social, you can find us there too. I think anything additional kind of as a lasting thought. You know, entrepreneurship's amazing and I think business can change the world if it's done the right way and if we set the right kind of goals. And so I think my best advice to a younger entrepreneur or, you know, someone thinking about starting something up is don't underestimate what impact you can have and what difference you can make. Even if we only change one of our taglines is workspace changing lives. And sometimes I wonder if it's a little corny, but we actually really do.

We change the lives of our members when we help them be more successful encourage them when they're down, and connect with other people who can help them. We change the lives of the folks we help through the nonprofit. Do I change millions of lives? No. But does it really matter if I change one this year or two? It's one or two more than last year, and it made a whole lot of difference to them. Even as you may be starting out thinking about doing something, think bigger. Think beyond yourself. Think about what impact can this business have.

How can I change something in my community? What can I do to make a difference? We dont all have to be world changes, but just touching one or two lives, changing one or two people's mindsets, spurring them onto something that could become a world-changing event or business or whatever. It's an incredibly humbling kind of perspective when you think in those terms rather than how to make an extra thousand bucks this month. You know the money will come if everything else is where it should be. So we just don't worry about that a whole lot.

13:47 – Gresham Harkless

Makes perfect sense. And I think it's awesome what you, what you're doing, and what you all are doing. And sometimes when you create that ripple effect, even if it's just one or two people, those one or two people can turn into three people, turn into ten people, and next thing you know, you know you have made an impact, and made a ding in the world. So I appreciate you for all you're doing, Mike. And I appreciate the time obviously you took today and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

14:08 – Mike Thakur

Awesome, thanks freshen.

14:10 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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