‘SOLOPRENEURS’ GATHER IN INGLEWOOD
Communo offering self-employed the expertise of a network to grow business
Inglewood continues to attract a number of companies that enjoy its proximity to downtown while appreciating the values of working in a relaxed and trendy district that still seems so distant.
Just to the east of the entrance to the community, around the corner of 10th Street behind the Atlantic Avenue Art Block, is a red-brick building that was once the head office of M&M Food Markets.
It was purchased by Ryan Gill and Chris Neeland, who have turned it into a community space for creative/marketing people they refer to as solopreneurs.
Communo is a membershipbased digital platform and worksharing model to help entrepreneurs grow their business.
The Inglewood building is a hive of activity, home to some 70 people working in a variety of rented spaces from a desk to an office, who benefit from sharing their expertise with each other.
Gill founded a successful communications company called Suitcase Interactive in 2001 that folded 10 years later due partly to the economy, losing his biggest client.
He met Neeland, who had moved here from Texas to become president and CEO of Watermark Advertising & Design.
Watermark lost its biggest account due to a buyout of the firm, so the two new friends launched their own Cult Collective in 2012 and the following year founded the super successful The Gathering of Cult Brands, an annual get-together in Banff of the world’s leading brands.
But they didn’t want to lease space and build up a large staff, so they bought in Inglewood, re-engineered their operating model and filled it with marketing service providers. An amazing workspace offering short leases.
All of the tenants — including Cult — are members of Communo, joining hundreds of others across the country who pay $199 per month to belong to an organization of professionals — no clients allowed — who are available to assist each other at the touch of an app.
Gill says an Intuit study suggests that by 2020 it is expected that 50 per cent of the U.S. workforce will be freelancers. Today, 40 million Americans now identify as independent workers, and Gill will be inviting them to join Communo.
He shared the story of Communo at The Gathering this past February and was invited to be a featured speaker at South by Southwest (SXSW ) last month, an annual conglomerate of film, interactive media and music festivals in Austin, Texas.
Communo has already grown 10 times in number of members representing a total of 43 different disciplines since its launch. Creative professionals realize they no longer need expensive office space or a big staff, although larger companies such as Critical Mass have also seen the benefits of having ondemand access to a rich talent pool.
Gill sees changes coming to the industry, and believes his operating model is one that will be a part of it.
Clarke Grue, president and CEO of the Calgary Telus Convention Centre, has been busy building up a strong team and is pleased to announce that Brenda Davidson is the newest member, taking the position of director of sales.
It’s a return to downtown, as she began her hospitality career with the Fairmont Palliser and then moved over to the Calgary Westin before taking the position of director of sales and marketing at the Carriage House Inn in 1999.
Well respected in the industry and a big Calgary booster, Davidson is also past president of Executive Women International and a passionate volunteer with Dreams Take Flight.
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce keeps adding to its list of quality speakers for its Onward Summit scheduled for May 2.
Calgary adventurer Jamie Clake will share his rollercoaster of emotions in scaling the seven summits including Everest, riding a camel across the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia and founding a successful eCommerce company, LiveOutThere. com.