The Office celebrated its first anniversary in October. Its founder, Gosia Kramer, looks back at the genesis of the co-working space.

 

How did the idea to create The Office originate?

The idea to create The Office was born in stages. While I was traveling for work with Deutsche Böerse Group, I saw some awesome co-working places around the globe where I would just pop in for few hours to answer my emails. I was always taken by the unique working atmosphere and often very interesting designs of those places. At all times it was an inspiring experience. Later on, I returned to these spaces while I was working on own start-up idea: a global savings platform for households. My basic business plan was to find a group of freelancers and start-ups in Luxembourg who could contribute parts of the processes on my platform. I quickly needed to start searching for a local co-working space where I could announce my project and ask who would like to join me. To my surprise, I couldn't identify such places in Luxembourg. In that moment the idea was born: why I don’t create a space on my own? 

 

« 2018 will be the year of innovations at The Office. »

 

 

What was the main challenge?

I am quick to act, but the main challenge was finding the right place to establish a co-working space. In the very difficult real estate market, high rents can kill the co-working business case. I knew I had to think outside the box to make it happen at all. My dream was to find an old factory, but a garage appeared to be the solution. The renovation and long weeks of frustration of not being able to get the works completed were a challenge; but they turned into our biggest advantage. It was this groundwork and the sense of moving forward, combined with industrial design and unusual solutions that attracts people here. Our space provides people with their perfect comfort zone to facilitate better connections than hotel-style spaces. 

 

Where is The Office one year after opening?

A year after opening and I am delighted that The Office has taken off like a rocket! This can be measured not only by how quickly we achieved full occupancy but, more importantly for me, it is full of people from a variety of backgrounds, countries, ages, interests and skills. It is particularly pleasing to see when these people start working on joint ideas and create new companies together. It very rewarding when some of our members, who have their own, private offices in the city, come to co-work with us because The Office is dynamic and that’s exactly what they need. All this is just the beginning. I come from the corporate world so I have seen clearly the mistakes I have made on the way. One of the biggest mistakes is that we have been too busy to innovate. That’s why 2018 will be the year of innovations at The Office. We have laid the foundations to turn The Office into what I dreamt it would be: an interactive platform where those using our services can meet innovators and creative minds of all fields. The Office provides a diversified, dynamic, proactive place-to-be for all those searching for new solutions and new ways of doing traditional businesses.