In today’s digital age, where remote working is the norm, discovering a local workspace can be a game-changer for professionals seeking a refreshing environment. Offiss Workspace in Cannock is redefining the shared workspace landscape, offering an innovative and unique approach that stands out from the crowd. At Burntwood Business, we cherish our work-life balance, yet we also value the opportunity to connect, network, and engage with clients in person. Offiss Workspace has emerged as our go-to sanctuary for such interactions.
For those yet to be acquainted, Offiss Workspace is spearheaded by the visionary Thalia Grace. Thalia’s distinctive perspective on shared workspaces is not only inspiring but truly transformative. Join us as we delve into a conversation with Thalia, gaining insights into the driving force behind this remarkable brand.
Hello Thalia, and thank you for agreeing to do this. So, for those who may not know of you, can you introduce yourself to start us off, please?
Yes, of course. I’m Thalia Grace, the director of Office Ltd.
What inspired you to create Offiss at Falcon Point in Cannock?
My family, especially my parents, had been running businesses for pretty much all of their careers. And the last office we were in, and I won’t say names, I realised that we could do it ten times better. It was not innovative; it was not inspiring when they went to work. I just felt there was a gap in the market and that’s when Offiss was born.
From our personal experience of your space, Offiss has fulfilled the brief. What were the initial challenges you faced?
Well, I know everyone struggled, but definitely when COVID hit. It was just as we were supposed to open our doors. It hit us quite hard after we invested in the business, but it didn’t stop us, and we kept on pushing through. We kept on finding tenants so that as soon as the lockdown was lifted or things started to ease, Offiss was ready to welcome our new Offiss Family!
Offiss is described as Cannock’s premium boutique workspace. Can you elaborate on what makes the office stand out from other coworking spaces?
As you can probably see from our Instagram and website, we are very different. We have yellow flooring, green walls, a peloton bike, a gaming machine, and a fantastic view. We are not your normal four white walls; we like to add colour. Some people think we’ve just splashed lots of colour everywhere, but there is a reason. That’s because it enables different sides of the brain to work better, which impacts performance and productivity. There is always a space for both my quirky and different office spaces, as well as your regular office space. We’re not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s fine.
We here at Burntwood Business Love what you have done!
So, as a business owner, what has been the most rewarding part of your journey with Offiss at Falcon Point?
I think it’s just the little things. I absolutely love going on to Instagram and seeing lots of accounts that have tagged Offiss and me when they visit, and even our regular Offiss family does too. And although they’re small accounts themselves and they’ve grown businesses, it’s just so nice to see that someone has enjoyed my space and has felt the need to post it and comment on how much they love it. It still gets me now.
We can’t wait to see you on TikTok; that view is calling out for some viral marketing. Moving on, How does Offiss foster a sense of community and collaboration among its members?
Let’s start at the very beginning, my logo for Offiss is a pineapple and everyone always asks me, why is it pineapple and that’s because pineapples are individual berries growing together, which is also our ethos here at Offiss. This means that each individual business, each individual person uses everyone else around them to grow their business. Which is similar to the saying it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And if you don’t know someone, someone you’re sat next to will. We’ve had Offiss Family members that have started on a co-working desk. They’ve made friends with the person sitting next to them, and they’re now in an office. We have had two of those cases, and they have just signed a 12-month contract together.
We constantly want people to talk and grow. The coffee machine, the peloton, and the break-out areas are places where people start a conversation that might lead them to work together. That is what we are all about.
“When you add up the cost of a day spent in Cosat or Starbucks, vs the environment and coffee’s aailable at Office Workspace. Using Office Workspace is a no brainer, its inviting, warm and geared for collaboration….”
Burntwood Business
Can you share how Offiss adapts its offerings to meet the unique needs of entrepreneurs, remote workers and small businesses?
Here at Offiss, everything we do is flexible. So, if you want to come in once or twice a week or come in at night and work from 5.30 to midnight, we’ll make a package for you. We know how difficult it is to start up and run a business when you’ve got all your other distractions at home, such as family, animals, and a house. So, we tailor everything that we do for you.
The inclusion of amenities like a peloton bike suggests a commitment to work-life balance. How do you incorporate this philosophy into the workspace environment?
This is a really big one for me. So, when I was younger, I used to listen to many entrepreneurs who are quite big now, but they always told me that you’ll lose friends and your free time, and you will basically want to cry whilst you are opening a business. That was not what I wanted to do because I knew that I’d burn myself out. I wanted to create an environment where you can step back from your work and take a chill. If you want to go and take a nap in our day bed, you can. If you want to have a coffee and watch the view, you can do that. Or if you want some quiet time to concentrate on your work, you can do that as well. Work life balance is not something you should be afraid of, it’s something you should work towards.
Every business faces unexpected challenges. Can you share a story about how you turned a challenge into an opportunity for Offiss?
So, I’m going to go back to what I mentioned before. As I said, I went to open my doors just as we hit the first lockdown for COVID-19, which, at the time, was devastating. I wanted to cry, I wanted to give up, I invested all of this money to open this fantastic office space to be told ‘You can’t have anyone come through doors.’ I didn’t know what to do. So, I took a step back, and I realised that this was the perfect opportunity to fill the office. by the time the doors were allowed to open, I had offices filled and desks reserved, ready to work. And that is how I kind of turned a huge negative into a positive because you’ve always got to look for the positive in a negative.
As a female business owner, what advice would you give to other women aspiring to start their own business?
Some people might not agree with me on this one, and it’s a little bit controversial, but that’s who I am. And that would be to get rid of your perceptions of yourself. When I started my business, I had a perception that I was young and that I was a female, and that anyone that I would talk to had a problem with that. I felt like they spoke to me weirdly because they didn’t like that I’m younger and a woman and in business. But really, they were just really impressed or maybe a little bit intimidated. And I should never have felt like that. This is the most important piece of advice
What do you think about women in business? Do you think it’s putting women on a pedestal? Do you think we still need to do more about it? Has it changed? What’s your view on it all?
Again, another controversial point, and I think that women in business are fantastic. I think where we’ve come from to where we are now and what we’re able to do is a huge achievement. But we’re in the 21st century. And as women, we need to stop putting this barrier in front of us and saying; it’s harder for us, we can’t do it, because we’re women. That barrier is only making it harder for you because as soon as you wipe that away, there’s nothing stopping you. Another piece of advice that I shout from the rooftop.
So, remote work must have been a great positive outcome of the lockdown, but how do you stay ahead of the curve in terms of workspace innovation?
This was quite a tricky question for me but as I’ve had time to think about it, I realised how much we actually do. We changed our coffee machine just before Christmas, and although it was a little bit more expensive, we decided to provide alternative milk and decaffeinated coffee. There are a lot more people with allergies and intolerances, they want dairy alternative or a decaff option. We’ve also allowed dogs to come into our office. Although we didn’t allow this right at the beginning, we realised it’s a big part of people’s lives. I love animals, and I love to see them all. We’ve also tailored all of our packages. As I’ve mentioned before, we started with three packages available, which were an office, a day pass and a working reserved desk. We now have over probably 15 packages, which, again, although one person might use it, it’s one person that we’re making comfortable and tailoring it to suit their needs.
How can individuals or businesses book and utilise the space at Offiss?
I’ve said it before. And I’ll say it again: everything we do here is flexible. So, you can book a day pass on the website, by email, phone, or WhatsApp.
How has customer feedback shaped the evolution of Offiss?
We wanted Offiss to be a community, so we created an app that basically allows people to communicate. It allows people to showcase what they’ve done well in their business and whether they need help, such as a website developer. Then, they can put contact details for other people that they know.
Sustainability is a big thing at the moment; what do you do that is sustainable?
So, although we’re not fully sustainable, we are doing everything we possibly can to get there. For starters, we supply coffee in our coffee machines and coffee pods too. And the company that we use is fully sustainable and holds many certifications. The packaging is recyclable, and so are the pods. The individual coffee bags are also biodegradable.
We’ve also been trying to go paperless. So, we’ve purchased tablets that we’re using. Instead of having people sign on paper, we’re using Adobe Sign.
We also use a Lutron system, which uses LED lighting and a PIR system.
As you can see online, we have some fantastic furniture here, and a lot of it is either secondhand or reclaimed. My mom loves this hobby; she’s a bit of a furniture hoarder. Also, all of our rubbish is recycled.
Can you discuss any community projects or collaborations that Offiss has been involved with?
I recently graduated, so I was based in Sheffield, and I went to Sheffield Hallam University. I did quite a lot of community projects up there. I worked for a community radio station supporting one of their local communities nearby. While I was at university, we also participated in many charitable events here at Offiss. We have taken part and raised money for National Donut Week, which was for The Children’s Trust and Macmillan Coffee Morning and also did a Christmas campaign for Embrace, who support child victims of crime.
What is next for Offiss? Are there any upcoming expansions or new services to look forward to?
Although we haven’t got signatures on the dotted line, I can let you into a little secret. We have expansion plans in the pipeline, and they are not too far from our current site. This is very exciting, and it will have an outdoor area, which is my favourite part.
Wow, we can’t wait for that. Please keep us posted. Thalia, thank you so much for giving us the time to learn more about you and your fantastic workspace.
Thank you and I hope you enjoyed a little insight into Offiss. Thank you so much for reading and if you want to keep updated, please follow our social media. Thalia Grace x
Burntwood Business Summary.
Thalia is an inspiration to all, and the office space she has treated is certainly one to be emulated. Offiss has been great for Burntwood Business. As we have so many strings to our bow in IT and Marketing, it is great to venture out to a well-managed space and occasionally network with new people. We have also shared desks with our clients to get a more 1-2-1 experience somewhere other than Costa!
We highly recommend using Offis Workspace. If you have not tried it yet, give Thalia and her team a call today. Visit their website, and please like and follow their social channels.
