The Spaces workspace in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire is the kind of environment geared towards start-up success. Bright, funky, buzzing with ideas, the hub plays host to entrepreneurs and professionals looking to take advantage of the freedom, cost-efficiencies and networking potential of working flexibly.
Back in January, local food-lover Angelee Sidar visited Spaces for a planned interview with a potential new employer. Angelee had recently taken redundancy from a food services business and, with a successful food blog www.nourishedsoulkitchen.com under her belt, had thoughts of starting her own business. During her meeting in the Spaces hub Angelee was immediately struck by the vibrant atmosphere and entrepreneurial spirt of the place. An idea formed there and then to make her dreams reality.
Angelee comments: "Deep down I knew that I didn't want a return to the corporate world. My passion is food, and I really wanted to make a success of my own business. Spaces Gerrards Cross was brand-new when I visited and I noticed that they didn't have anybody providing food in the building. The local entrepreneur I was meeting loved my vision and suggested a meeting with the building manager at the Spaces site. I got in touch and was invited to pitch my ideas to them.
"My suggestion for a healthy food approach fitted perfectly with the ethos of the workspace - a new, fresh, inspiring environment that puts creativity and workers' wellbeing to the fore. I was asked to put a proposal together overnight and, amazingly, the Soul Deli was born."
Today, Angelee's kitchen provides snacks and healthy meals for occupants of the Gerrards Cross workspace, many of whom are successful food start-ups in their own right.
"There are some incredibly talented people in the building," continues Angelee, "including an artisan bakery business and other professionals who I can potentially work with in the future. Spaces is designed to encourage people to network and share ideas - and now they can do so over tasty wholesome food and great coffee! The space is particularly suited to helping start-ups get established quickly without daunting overheads - I use the desk space for my own business needs."
In fact, Spaces Gerrards Cross has been so impressed with Angelee's offering that she has now secured the catering contract at Spaces Marlow, which opened in May.
"I guess by choosing my pitch over established caterers Spaces proved that they are true to their own philosophy," Angelee concludes, "that of providing a platform for businesses and entrepreneurs to flourish."
