David Seinker (CEO of The Business Exchange) : Flexibility in time is changing the way in which people want to work

Co-working spaces are trending but nothing new. What in the concept of The Business Exchange makes it stand out?

As our name says it, we are about business. We are not just a space for people to rent offices; we are a brand that is serious about business and we promote that with our start-ups which are traditionally early stage businesses. In the start-up segment that we deal with, the companies need access to funding and networks, they need to promote themselves, they need to sell and market more. We help them with a structured approach to the events that we organise, which again are focused on sales marketing and networking.

We do have those structured events regularly, a calendar of them, and that’s how we assist the start-ups. One example is the “Deep Dive” event; it’s a panel discussion with very successful business people about very thoughtful business and strategy. It is really thought-provoking and deep-business conversation. Another type of event is called “Intro”. It’s a formal event for all our new tenants to get to talk about what they do, introduce themselves and their businesses and, of course, network with the rest of the community of tenants. There are also master classes where different professionals in the industry come in and talk about business topics like marketing, sales and strategy.

For other segments in our market, we have the corporate clientele. Corporates need a bespoke, a particular, specific type of offering; that’s why we assist them with certain different requirements, certain IT needs. We go above and beyond what a normal coworking space would do, i.e. serviced office space.

Why do you bring exclusivity and codes like those of the luxury industry into TBE concept?

My background is property, and I’ve always enjoyed building houses, developing spaces and seeing them come to life. When we started The Business Exchange, I really wanted to be unique and different from other co-working spaces. Some are very funky, for hipsters but that was not us. We are serious about business and I wanted to build spaces that attracted that serious like-minded business people. So we created sophisticated, cutting edge, upmarket and modern offices which attract a type of clientele that we want to get. We’ve seen that: we have serious people whether they are corporate or start-ups. They are all people that are trying aggressively to grow their companies and that’s really where we’re trying to position our coworking space.

Who is the core target of TBE in Mauritius?

Our centre is attracting a big corporate market and it’s mostly companies that are coming to Mauritius to set up their headquarters and to do further business on the continent. They are out to come to Mauritius as it is a safe place to set up their business as there is a good business environment. But we also want to attract start-ups. We want to play our part and would like to see start-ups in Mauritius also using our space. Of course, it is a smaller economy and less people than other countries but they are certainly an actively part of entrepreneurship in the country and would like to align with other businesses and other associations that are also passionate about entrepreneurship.

How will this concept impact on the way of working in the workspace?

We’ve created unique facilities within our space such as a travel room. Our travel room is great for business people travelling into Mauritius for board meetings, or annual general meetings, workshops and things. We brought this travel room so they can fly for their meeting, spend an hour in their room, freshen up, have a rest and carry on and have that meeting. We have the conference centre, which seats 25 people, obviously useful for many different types of meetings. We have board meetings and video conferencing, and we also have whisky rooms, which are quite unique. There are also meeting rooms but the concept is that when tenants have their clients to sign a business deal, they can toast with each other.

We also have an internationally acclaimed collection of artwork that we’ve brought in from different places and which also brings this space together. It is a personalised approach of ours; we get to know our clients and ours tenants and we become a family and we’re founding business together.

What are the trends in choosing one’s office space that made you come up with the concept of the TBE co-working spaces?

People want flexibility. They also want to be happy, they want to be healthy, they want to be productive and I think the core underlined point is flexibility. These days, employees and bigger companies want to work in co-working space, or in a coffee shop or something one day a week. They want a bit more flexibility in their time so that they can spend a bit more time maybe with their family. Flexibility in time is changing the way in which people want to work and that’s what’s relevant to us. People also want to be in communities now; they don’t want to work alone. They want to be around other people, feel the energy and be inspired because it helps in trying to s쳮d. Being an entrepreneur can be very tough, times are hard but if you are a community where everyone is on the same path as you, you feel like you’ve got some kind of support.

Why is Mauritius of particular interest in your African portfolio?

When we started this business, the vision was always to thread our footprints on the continent and set up in different countries in Africa. I’ve been to Ghana, to Kenya, even to Zimbabwe and I came to Mauritius also a couple of times. It was that Mauritius was a good starting point for us because we could then use this base to further expand into the continent of Africa and there is a good demand from companies: they want to set up in a safe place and they need an office space here.

Should we expect to see more TBE co-working spaces outside South Africa?

Absolutely so! We will be setting up in Ghana, Kenya, we are even looking in Rwanda. Even in Mauritius we want to grow; we might take up more space in Ebène itself and perhaps in the north of the country to set up another TBE.

Any big names such as Etihad Airways or Standard Bank, that rent TBE offices in South Africa, who have signed for the Mauritius centre?

Yes. We have expedia.com that has already booked space with us.