Funky co-work space that works

THE memory of a magical storeroom behind a green door on a farm in the remote foothills of the Drakensberg has inspired Durban’s latest trending workspace.

A co-founder of the collaborative workspace The Green Door, James Lees, said when he was a boy he would visit his grandparents in the Berg.

“There was this store room. It had a green door. It was the most exciting place. You could find anything and everything in it, from a can of peaches to tools. I loved to go in there. It was such a magical place,” he recalled.

“It really stuck in my when we crafted this space.”

Paul Schoeman, who co-founded The Green Door and their online educational business, Advantage Learn, said his experience of coworking during his travels overseas in 2014 had added the operational expertise. “I was amazed at how coworking spaces thrived there. Before travelling I worked in the sugar industry for eight years. It was a traditional corporate environment. Backpacking through south-east Asia I experienced flexible, co-working spaces in communities. That really influenced my thinking,” he said.

The pair said entrepreneurs who could not afford offices often landed up working in coffee shops.

“In South Africa coffee shop owners generally don’t like it if you spend too much time at a table, so you land up ordering too much coffee. Here we have the perfect solution, with affordable, flexible coworking spaces and Coffee Tree right next door.”

Maggie Whittstock, who left the corporate world to run her own digital research company, said working at The Green Door helped with discipline. She said at home she was distracted.

“I would find myself hanging out the washing or going to the

mind fridge. I like to pack myself up in the morning and head off to The Green Door where there are people around, but it is not intrusive. I feel I am in a working environment. I also really like the space because it’s low-key and there is no social obligation to interact with anyone if I don’t want to. I love it.”

The real secret of the success of the venue, which first opened in March, is that Schoeman and Lees run their own profitable online education business from the premises, which means from a cost perspective it is sustainable.

“We are fortunate. Our business can shoulder the costs of the space at this early stage.

“When people come here asking if they can use the space the first thing they talk about is money. Our first priority, though, is to cultivate a co-worker relationship built on trust, friendship and community.

“We have such a diverse group of people working here, from researchers, economists, statisticians and even a professional basketball player. There is such a sharing of knowledge and skills, it’s an amazing collaboration. That’s what we are about,” they said.

The venue offers uncapped wi-fi, a fully equipped kitchen, a shared meeting room and bathroom with disabled access. Using “hot-desking”, no one lays claim to any one desk or area, and the room is flexible. It can be arranged into whatever format is required.

The venue also hosts open community functions such as young entrepreneur evenings run by Andrew Bloch on a Monday night and various digital information evenings. “We curate the events. If they don’t benefit the community or fit with our brand we don’t host them.”

Co-working membership starts at R1 000 for 10 days a month.

For further information www.thegreendoor.org.za.

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