Tog - Issue 3

&Co. MAGAZINE

ISSUE THREE

TAKE ME: £0

ISSUE THREE

a tog magazine for collaborators, co-workers and creatives

Jose Pizarro Co–working in Bali Street fitness TOG 100 & much more...

“Most people chase success at work, thinking that will make them happy. The truth is that happiness at work will make you successful.�

Alexander Kjerulf, chief happiness officer, Woohoo inc

Contents

&Co. magazine — issue three

Contents

Lobby 6 TOG 100 8 Microhoods: Granary Square 10 FAQ Gemma Simmons, community manager 10 Zig Zag Teas 10 The hunch book 11 Creative spark: artist Robert Fry 12 Doodles: analysing your scribbles 14 Summer playlist Off grid 61 Free fitness on the streets 64 Brainy dates 66 Communal picnic collectives Locations 70 A concise list of all our buildings

&Co., the TOG magazine, is published on behalf of The Office Group, The Smiths Building, 179 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PL, by Brave New World Publishing, 6 Derby Street, London W1J 7AD. T +44(0)20-7437 1388, bravenewworld.co; theofficegroup.co.uk For all enquiries, contact: Siobhan@theofficegroup.co.uk

Ask the jury A panel of experts tackles your business quandaries

In cahoots Alan Fecamp and Zumar Dean of the recruitment agency Just Digital on their working life

Weak ties Why co-working could make you happier and richer

Local legend Spanish super-chef José Pizarro reveals why his adopted manor of Bermondsey has it all – and where he goes to have fun

Meet the neighbours Introducing eight new businesses that have joined our community

Smart casual The baroque beauty of 21 Wimpole Street

Back to nature A thriving co-working scene has emerged in Bali. We didn’t need asking twice...

Interview: Gho5t How has Adam set up a business with A-list clientele purely through word of mouth? And why is he hiding his identity?

Grand designs The wonders of natural light, and turning our newest site into a community hub. With a bath

TOGS Clothes encounters: Whitechapel’s stylish tenants give us a twirl

My best mistake The CEO of Vilebrequin who discovered by accident that travel broadens the CV

Editor, Paul Croughton; Art director, Sara Martin; Design, Sophie Dutton; Picture editor, Lyndsey Price; Writer, Alex Moore Sub-editors, Mel Bradman, Damon Syson, David Rothon; Editorial director, Gill Morgan; Design director, Julie Rubio Publisher, Crispin Jameson.

Back cover photography Daniel Stier © Copyright 2017 Brave New World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission from the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors it may contain.

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Editor’s letter

Welcome

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Lobby

So here we are with issue three of &Co., written for, and starring, you, the TOG members. And we’re confident you’ll find plenty of interest here, because our community is such a hugely diverse and innovative one. Over the page, for example, you’ll meet the first winners of TOG 100, a new initiative that will see TOG supply 100 companies run by young entrepreneurs with free office space for a year.

Further on, we profile the founder of Gho5T, a digital business with A-list clients which runs entirely on word of mouth, and discover why he is so keen to keep his identity under wraps.

Collaboration is central to TOG, and in this issue we explore how communal work spaces are a great way to make “weak ties” – which may not sound promising but could be the key to your future business success. Find out what they are and why they’re so important on page 42. Elsewhere, we speak to the star of the Spanish foodie scene in London, chef José Pizarro, about why his favourite neighbourhood, Bermondsey, is so like Spain.

And finally, this issue also has something of an open-air feel. From the new wave of free outdoor fitness classes all over the capital to great recipes to inspire you to form a communal picnic collective (it’s a thing, promise) for a mid-week alfresco lunch, there’s plenty to inspire you to make the most of the months ahead.

Enjoy the issue.

Paul Croughton, Editor PS: If you have a story idea, or would like to appear in a future issue of &Co., get in touch at andco@theofficegroup.co.uk. Visit: theofficegroup.co.uk 4

Our entry-level guide to what’s happening inside and outside our buildings. Featuring the winners of TOG 100, the scoop on King’s Cross Granary Square, how to trust your hunches, artist Robert Fry’s inspirations and the coolest summer sounds

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TOG 100

All those who have ever woken with a start while “working” in a coffee shop will know just how vital having your own office space is in fast-tracking your business.

Which is why The Office Group’s TOG 100 initiative is so important – and why the people smiling back at you on the right are so happy.

TOG 100 is a competition that will offer 12 months’ free co-working space for 100 startups, run by young entrepreneurs, over the course of the next three years. And these are some of the first round of winners. Among the companies they have created are fashion labels, influencer marketing studios, content creators and a new social network. What’s also noticeable is the number that are building sustainable businesses, which aim for positive change in their particular industries.

The winners were congratulated recently by Bejay Mulenga, an entrepreneur, TOG member, and part of the TOG 100 judging panel, who shared his experiences of launching companies and offered some important advice: “Never stop learning.” Let’s meet the winners…

From left to right Bejay Mulenga, entrepreneur and judge

O Calum Plain, 22, runs ROOT Media Group, which enables artists, public figures and brands to interact with their audience, and generate revenue from it

Ed Johnson, 24, created Tempry, a social-networking app, with his brother. “I work most effectively in a fun, buzzy environment, so TOG is perfect for me”

Amber Gordon, 25, created Tailored Styling to offer personal shopping services, including sourcing rare items.

She also works with brands via her blog

Sam King, 21, co-founder of Filli Studios, an influencer marketing company. “Millennials don’t watch TV – the best way to reach them is YouTube. We can help with that”

Hayat Rachi, 27, is CEO and founder of Neon Moon, “a feminist, bodypositive lingerie line for women of all shapes and sizes”. She went from having £3.17 in her bank account

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TOG 100

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to sourcing £10k in two weeks on Kickstarter. “It’s been growing exponentially ever since”

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Caleb Femi, 27, is a co-founder of the creative agency Six Weeks.

He’s also the young people’s laureate for London. “The ethos of TOG will benefit us. We’re never in one place at one time, so this gives us a solid base” Ellie Rocks, 22, is the PR intern for Neon Moon. “I’m excited to be here, and make connections among these entrepreneurs. It’s really inspiring”

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Amy Williams, 25, founder of GoodLoop, which converts ad money into charitable donations. “This award means I don’t have to mentally segment work from home” Ellen Bendix-Lewis, 24, started Ellen Charlotte Content, a contentmarketing company. “I love how the right language drives business forward” Megan Sharkey, 27, founder of Teller, a sustainable fashion label that works with women in rural India.

“It’s all about getting the money to those who need it”

Lobby

Lobby

Microhoods Granary Square For years, unless you were catching a train, it was worth steering clear of King’s Cross – a notorious stomping ground for many of London’s more unsavoury characters. Now it’s one of the capital’s coolest addresses, home to Google, with three TOG buildings to choose from – and another on the way. Granary Square is one of the area’s jewels, with restaurants, stores and event spaces. Here’s our pick of what to do there Illustration: Peter Judson Words: Alex Moore

№1 Grain Store Vegetables are the focus in a bustling restaurant and bar from Michelinstarred French chef Bruno Loubet and mixology maestro Tony Conigliaro №2 Everyman on the Corner Seating just 32 – mostly on sofas – this Everyman is in the running for London’s cosiest cinema №3 The House of Illustration The UK’s only public gallery dedicated solely to illustration, founded by Roald Dahl’s right-hand man, Sir Quentin Blake

№4 Frame A one-stop shop for all things healthy, offering pay-as-you-go fitness classes, a yoga studio, café and store №5 Spiritland Café by day, bar by night, and home to arguably the world’s best sound system. One for the head-nodders

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№6 Radio The latest addition to Bumble & Bumble’s chain of hairdressing salons-cum-art galleries №7 Platform Theatre Central Saint Martins’ aspiring drama students tread the boards across a series of intimate performance spaces.

Tickets usually free №8 Dishoom Expect (worthwhile) queues round the corner for (probably) London’s most popular Bombayinspired restaurant

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Lobby

Lobby

Creative spark

Join the tea set Why a cuppa could be best for your brain While studying for her Masters in East Asian Art, Lucy Dolan discovered the Chinese practice of Cha Dao – “the way of tea”. As much about the ritual as the drink itself, Cha Dao is a philosophy of wellbeing, designed to promote balanced, conscious thinking.

Dolan was sold. On her return to London, she set up Zigzag Teas. After a meeting with The Prince’s Trust, a couple of years

FAQ Gemma Simmons TOG community manager gemmas@theofficegroup.co.uk Tell us what you do My sole purpose is to meet our members, in order to help them connect with others and grow the community around me.

Best thing about your building?

That I have 29 to choose from! CMs have no fixed abode, so I can choose a different desk and view to suit my mood each day.

Best way to find a collaborator?

Use the app, come along to events or get in touch with me.

carting tea around east London markets, and a chance encounter with TOG co-founder Olly Olsen, Dolan has made TOG Whitechapel her headquarters. Her tea is now stocked in 100 retailers in London, including The Shard, and a TOG blend is launching soon. “I’m pushing for people to slow down,” she says.

“And tea is definitely the yin to coffee’s yang.” zigzagteas.com

In each issue of &Co., we chat to an artist about creativity and collaboration.

Here, painter Robert Fry talks about the human condition, creative blocks and the Pink Floyd track that inspires him

One surprising thing about your job?

The love and friendships from my fellow TOGGERS and members.

It’s hunch time

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you at work?

Sharing a two-person Christmas jumper with my colleague KP at our Christmas Fair. The whole day was hysterical.

There are so many self-help books out there that claim to be able to train you to come up with a moneymaking scheme, it can feel like an episode of Only Fools and Horses every time you browse Waterstones. Hunch, by business adviser Bernadette Jiwa, feels different. Its focus is on intuition: how your gut instinct can, with the help of a little smart thinking, be turned into

Which event are you most looking forward to?

Our Christmas party. Yes, it’s a while away, but the ideas are starting to flow.

Any romances in your building?

I’m sure they’re happening all over the place, but what I see more are friendships that are started at the events and from members visiting the different locations.

Your most frequently asked question?

What is the member code for the app?

(It’s in your member’s pack!)

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“the next big thing”.

And it’s an inspiring read: part catalogue of case studies of successful hunches and what they’ve led to, part exercise book that will help hone your own instincts. Jiwa calls this book “guided practice for a new way of seeing the world”. We have a hunch that it might be useful.

Hunch by Bernadette Jiwa is published by Portfolio Penguin (£9.99)

Photography (this page) Alex Bramall

A new book claims that intuition is key in business

When do you have your best ideas?

I think, as a painter, it happens when you’re not trying. The concept of an “ideal platform” for producing your best work seems an impossible one.

Where do you look for inspiration?

There are so many factors that can inspire you as an artist. But when I can’t wait to return to the studio, having been working intensively for months, I know that’s a symptom of being inspired.

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How do you get over a block/impasse?

Having repeatedly suffered with this, I’m constantly trying to understand how to manage it. It can be a choice between sticking to a routine, or removing yourself from your work to the point where you need to reclaim your creative spirit.

How has your work evolved over the years?

I’ve always been drawn to the human form and the human condition. My earlier work was more figurative; now there’s more abstraction. I’m Interested in portraying the human form in a challenging way.

What is your studio setup? Do you work alongside other artists?

I’ve never had a shared studio space. For me, painting is an extremely private practice – I can’t imagine doing it among other artists.

Who are your biggest influences?

The abstract expressionists, David Lynch and Pink Floyd – in particular, the track Dogs from their 1977 album, Animals.

Lobby

Lobby

Doodles We delivered Post-It notes to 20 Eastbourne Terrace in Paddington and asked people to draw what they're looking forward to.

Here’s what they sent back

Fenton!

Nice rug, mate

Happy hour month

The heat is on (possibly)

Give piste a chance

The occasional stroke of genius

No cause for alarm

Angling for a promotion

That’s a busy morning

Starting a new chapter

In it for the long haul

Fronds reunited

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An inspired playlist of party tunes, selected by TOG’s newest community manager – and DJ – Helena Thomson

FAST TRACK Hear the selection at spoti.fi/2sRT7Un

Roy Ayers — Everybody Loves the Sunshine Julio Bashmore, Bixby — Kong Nneka — Shining Star (Joe Goddard mix) Jamie XX, Young Thug, Popcaan — I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times) Mylo — Drop the Pressure Tame Impala — The Less I Know the Better Mac Miller — Dang! (feat Anderson .Paak) Amy Winehouse — Our Day Will Come Katy B, Kaytranada — Honey Room 5, Oliver Cheatham — Make Luv Shy FX, T Power, Di — Shake Ur Body Sister Nancy — Bam Bam

F E A T U R E S

In cahoots

In cahoots

What’s it really like for two people to work together, day in, day out? We quizzed the men behind recruitment company Just Digital, and asked them to dish the dirt on each other

Alan Fecamp, 40, and Zumar Dean, 31, began their professional relationship as employer and employee back in 2008, when Alan hired Zumar to work for recruitment specialist DWC. A year later, they decided to go it alone and set up Just Digital, a London-based digital marketing and e-commerce recruiter.

The pair now float between TOG sites in Liverpool Street, Old Street, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road, matching clients with candidates both for well-known businesses and budding start-ups.

Illustration Sarah Tanat-Jones

Zumar Dean & Alan Fecamp of Just Digital 16

Zumar

Alan

What’s Alan like to work with?

He’s a very hard worker – definitely the first in the office. He’s very motivated, and that motivates me.

Do you ever row like a married couple?

Definitely not. I’ve got too much respect for him, and I’m scared of his temper! I might leave him a Post-It to let him know how I feel once I’ve left the office…

Are you competitive with each other?

Yes. We put targets in place, and if we smash it we’ll buy the winner an iMac through the company.

Unfortunately, we’ve not quite met the targets yet...

You need to be competitive in our industry.

What’s the key to a successful collaboration?

An understanding of how each other works and being adaptable. We’re very different in how we operate, but we work well together. I look to Alan for advice as he’s been in the business longer, and he’ll pick my brain about things like technology.

How are you most different?

Alan is definitely a family man. He’s got two young kids and enjoys spending time with them. I’m still very much in party mode. I’ll go out on weekends and drink too much, eat too much…

What’s the biggest lesson Alan has taught you?

Running a business isn’t easy. Lots of people want to be their own boss, but it comes with challenges – the biggest one being if you don’t make the money, you don’t have a business, and so you don’t get paid.

What’s his recruitment style?

He’s the kind of person who builds relationships. He tends to be informal but professional – in the sense that he’s not just there to make some commission.

Who’s ultimately the boss?

Alan – 100%. It stems from the fact that I worked for him before, so there’s still that level of respect, and I treat him as much as a mentor as a business partner.

What’s his biggest achievement?

Apart from putting up with me for so long, probably his two kids. I think back in his day he was a bit of a party boy, so the fact that he’s settled down with his family is probably his biggest achievement.

What’s Zumar like to work with?

He’s laid-back, very easy to get along with, and with a great work ethic. I can be a bit more serious at times and I think he relaxes things when the pressure’s on.

Do you ever row like a married couple?

I genuinely can’t think of one time. That’s probably his laid-back character, because I’m sure there are times when he’s wanted to punch me in the face.

Are you competitive with each other?

Yeah, although probably more so against our competitors. But from a personal point of view, if he’s billing more than me, I want to catch him.

I think the official line is, “As long as the business wins, we’re all happy.”

What’s the key to a successful collaboration?

Bringing different skills to the table. I’d say I’m a bit more driven to achieve numbers. Zumar brings balance – from an outward perspective he’s very likeable, and I think clients take to that very well.

How are you most similar?

He copies my dress sense! We’ve worked together for so long that you naturally tune in to each other a bit.

What’s the biggest lesson Zumar’s taught you?

Balance, I’d say. In my younger days I could fly off the handle, but I can’t remember doing that for some years now. His temperament is spot-on.

What’s his recruitment style?

Very friendly and approachable, and I think he knows how he needs to steer conversations. But he definitely consults ethically. He wouldn’t force people into a corner to make a wrong decision – that’s just not his style.

Who’s ultimately the boss?

Me, and he’d say that as well. There will always be that dynamic, as much as I try not to play that card.

What’s his biggest achievement?

Adapting from being an employee to being a businessman. It’s not easy going from a salaried role – that was probably handsomely rewarded – to taking a hefty pay cut to do that. It’s a big step from a maturity perspective, and he’s well on the way.

For more information, visit justdigitallondon.co.uk 17

Local legend “I hope Bermondsey stays just the way it is now. The community is working very hard to keep the area individual”

“How would I describe Bermondsey in one word? Home. And hopefully for many, many years”

Chef José Pizarro arrived in London 18 years ago with a mission: to change our perception of Spanish food. He succeeded: his mini-empire extends to three restaurants – José Tapas Bar, Pizarro Restaurant and José Pizarro Broadgate – and he’s published several acclaimed cookery books. Here he shares his love of his adopted manor of Bermondsey and reveals its culinary highlights Photography Heiko Prigge

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“Do you know why I moved there?

For one reason: everyone was smiling.

In a big city like London or New York, it’s difficult to find that neighbourhood feeling. It’s quite Spanish to be like, ‘Ey amigo’, and I saw that that was happening in this area”

“My restaurant for me is like my house.

I am entertaining people all the time.

When you make a restaurant your house, it’s nicer for your customers.

I think it’s why I have so many people coming back, because they feel like it’s a place to relax and enjoy”

“This community is full of artists, galleries, culture and life. I’m so lucky – I have the White Cube next to me, so I meet all the artists, people I admire, have admired for many years and now am friends with”

“Spain is similar to Bermondsey, especially in the villages – you can spend one day at a bed and breakfast and you’ll know everyone in the village.

Everyone brings you into their houses, shares their wine and recipes… that’s my type of life. Bermondsey is like that”

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“This area is full of young people, but at the same time it keeps the old locals, like the crazy lady who owns a shop!

It’s a nice mix – so many friends… sometimes it takes me half an hour to walk the length of Bermondsey Street”

“My favourite places? I love Antico – very good pasta. And the coffee at The Watch House is stunning. I also really like eaTalia – it’s very good for sandwiches and tea when you need to entertain last minute. Bermondsey Arts Club is great for cocktails, and Tom Sellers’ Story is really amazing.

Lots going on”

Local legend

“When I first moved to London in 1999, people didn’t understand Spanish food.

They thought it was greasy patatas bravas, paella and sangria. People didn’t know we have amazing olive oil in Spain, amazing paprika, jamón ibérico…

Now I charge £26 for 60 grams of jamon and I’m selling 700 hams a year”

Local legend

“I hope to stay here as long as I can. I live above the restaurant and it’s great – I love it. But the problem is, if I have an evening off and I don’t know what to do, I’ll come to the restaurant to see what’s going on and say hello.

It’s good, but one day it might be nice to be a few miles away” josepizarro.com

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Design details

Design details

Photography Kate Berry

Smart casual

From the outside, 91 Wimpole Street is a grand, baroque building in the heart of Marylebone, but inside it’s sleek, bright and modern 22

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Design details

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Design details

Design details

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Section Name

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The interview

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His PR company Gho5t is notable for its absence from the internet.

But the elusive boss understands that to engage consumers you have to look outside the social-media system and get back to quality basics

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The interview

The interview

“I’m not even interested in singling out platforms such as Facebook or Snapchat any more, because good content will cut across everything”

If there’s a concrete rule to the otherwise lawless digital age we live in, it must be that those who shout the loudest win. We exist in a so-called attention economy, yet the human attention span is demonstrably shrinking – from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds in 2015, according to a Microsoft study.

Humans now officially have a worse attention span than a goldfish (nine seconds), which might go some way to explaining the rise of fake news, populist policies and Tango-hued despots. News outlets and politicians alike have taken to shouting each other down in order to be heard above the digital hubbub.

Compare this scenario to the stance taken by TOG member Adam (he’d rather not disclose his surname). His PR company – appropriately named Gho5t – has no website, no social media presence, no email address. This is particularly odd considering the social-media wunderkind makes his living through creating content that breaks the internet, driving viral campaigns for brands and personalities across the worlds of music, sport and entertainment. In order to arrange an interview, I’m given Adam’s mobile number, then spend almost two weeks trying to track him down. It feels more like being introduced to a particularly picky drug dealer or peddler of bootlegged goods than it does an east London media exec.

generating our reputation this way. We don’t flog our client list; we want the work to speak for itself.”

This aversion to publishing client lists could be interpreted as a sign of not having very good clients, but – off the record – he shares a smattering of the names he’s worked with in recent years. They range from leading solo artists – household names since the 1990s – through to rising stars of the east London music scene, not to mention superstar DJs, major sporting events, international politicians and Hollywood starlets. There’s even a British royal family member in the mix.

The man himself couldn’t be further from such nefarious types, of course. A teetotal yoga fanatic who splurges his money on vegan food, the 28-yearold is the definition of focused, millennial entrepreneurship. “We want to remove the ego from the agency; stop the brand being a distraction,” he says, explaining his off-the-grid ethos. “There’s no better marketing than word of mouth, but it’s impossible to specialise in word-of-mouth marketing; it’s something that has to come from quality. You can’t manipulate it; that’s why we want to focus on

It’s an unconventional roster by anyone’s reckoning, but Adam emphasises that the logic of creating content is the same for all. “We just focus on making great video that sits well on social media.

A few years ago I’d have described us as a socialmedia agency, but if you’re in content creation today, that’s a given. I’m not even interested in singling out different platforms such as Facebook or Snapchat anymore, because good content will survive anywhere and cut across everything. If you know how to make great, addictive, sticky video, the rest will follow.”

Although Adam doesn’t conform to the conventional rules governing the digital age, this is his one unerring law: video is king. Get the video right, he explains, and everything else will hang from it: whether that’s GIFs, stills or copy. If a picture is worth a thousand words, it follows that a video is worth a whole lot more, and many of the barriers to video engagement, such as connection speed and buffering, have now all but disappeared.

“There’s no better marketing than word of mouth, but it has to come from quality.

That’s why we want to focus on generating our reputation this way’

According to Pew Research Centre, the average Generation Z consumer (those born in the 1990s) owns five devices and 24% of them are online “almost constantly”. The digital screen has become the primary frame through which many view the world; 30

the Japanese government has even declared that more than 500,000 teenagers are clinically addicted to the internet. It’s visual-first platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube that are driving this obsessional engagement, and Facebook is trying to muscle in on the market with auto-play newsfeed videos and Facebook Live streaming. Pew also reports that, unsurprisingly, text-based Twitter is the least popular platform with teens.

same ‘fast-fashion’ disruption hasn’t happened in the agency model yet, and I think it needs to.”

This need for flexibility is what drew Adam to a setup like TOG, where he can scale up and scale down quickly, moving left to right as the market demands.

He employs around 20 staff, ranging from video production to coding to account management – but, depending on the project, he’s also able to draw on a wider pool of talent. “That’s the key to working in a diverse office space where you can talk to people and engage with new ideas. Engaging with other businesses that are similar or not so similar; that adds enormous value.” It can also create new contacts and bring in new work (the only client Adam is happy to go on record about is, in fact, TOG itself).

“A big change is happening, and I don’t think the existing content and media agencies are ready for it,” he says. “These huge players with glossy brand names, swanky offices and massive strategy teams – they’re simply not ready to compete in a world that’s so content-hungry; this demands video to be produced and distributed incredibly fast and cheaply.”

Rather than look on other agencies as his competitors, Adam says his true competition is a 16-year-old with a smart phone. The mistake that brands also often make is that they look at the content from other brands in their category as a benchmark, when actually they need to look at the social-media ecosystem on which the content will end up. “Social-media sites are not marketing spaces; they are cultural spaces,” he explains. “Facebook wasn’t created so that Weetabix could target its consumers in Finland. Social-media platforms may have developed very useful marketing characteristics over the years, but that core purpose of facilitating interaction between friends and peers hasn’t changed.”

Adam speaks from some experience here, having previously been managing director of social-media specialist Edition, part of the Vice media behemoth.

“Vice is amazing, don’t get me wrong. It’s an incredible organisation, but it was also very clear to me that our clients were just buying the brand name,” he says. “It’s the exact same thing as you see in the fashion industry, where it’s said that a black T-shirt from a luxury company and one from Primark are made in the same factory, by the same worker. Now, I’m not saying that I want Gho5t be the Primark of video content – far from it – but that

This is the secret of creating great digital content, according to Adam: stop seeing it as advertising and start seeing it as a combination of “storytelling and environment”. It’s only by understanding both story and setting that you’ll crack the elusive code of quality content that can speak for itself.

“These huge players with glossy brand names, swanky offices and massive strategy teams aren’t ready to compete in a world so content-hungry”

Interview Jonathan Openshaw Photography Ollie Ali 31

Who what wear

Section Name

TOGS

There’s more to the TOG community than just business smarts.

Photographer Bella Howard visited 133 Whitechapel High Street to soak up the style Styling Alex Petsetakis Hair and make-up Anna Payne 32

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Who what wear

John Bingham (previous spread), operations and social-media executive at Latte Recruitment When it comes to style, I try to keep it minimal but I do like pops of colour here and there.

My favourite item of clothing is my jeans; they’re all the same fit, all indigo and all from Topman. For me [US fashion insider] Nick Wooster nails it in his older age; he’s not afraid of colour or anything a little edgy.

John wears sweatshirt from ASOS, jeans from Topman, trainers by Nike Fergus Esling (right), founder and director of EslingKenny recruitment I’d describe my style as relaxed-formal but I do like to wear a suit. My Reiss leather jacket is my favourite item of clothing because it’s the most expensive item of clothing I ever bought. I saved up for ages and bought it with my first commission packet. I just love it – leather makes you feel powerful.

Fergus wears suit by Reiss, shirt by Reiss, shoes by Ted Baker, socks by Osprey

Claire Holden, store manager at Department of Coffee and Social Affairs My style is pretty androgynous. Usually, I just wear men’s clothes – that’s what I like about the way Ellen Page [Juno] dresses.

My favourite item is a flowery shirt from Topman; it’s something a little bit different for me because usually I just wear T-shirts.

Claire wears metallic anorak by Monki and denim shirt by Adriano Goldschmied

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Who what wear Alexios Seilopoulos (left of picture), operations director at Apropros My style is casual – the T-shirt and jeans uniform.

I have a black leather jacket that I bought in a vintage store in New York – it just fits really well, so it’s probably my favourite.

I love the style of the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, he knows how to rock a leather jacket – it’s that New York-in-the-’70s vibe.

Alexios wears T-shirt by S.N.S Herning, jeans by Nudie and boots by J Crew

Ariane Elfen (above right), creative director at Apropros I’m wearing dungarees that I purchased this weekend in Ibiza – I don’t know the brand, but they make me very happy. My style is certainly continental. I have a Fleetwood Mac T-shirt I like a lot; I wear it to win tennis matches.

My style icon would have to be Patti Smith.

Ariane wears unbranded dungarees, sandals by Church and T-shirt by Levi’s.

Dan Storey, senior communications specialist, public affairs and business development support at Climate Policy Initiative I’m wearing an Italian suit which I bought in Hamburg. I’d say my style is smart casual – that’s an Alan Partridge reference, but you could probably call it eco-finance-professional. Favourite item of clothing?

It would have to be my joggers for slobbing round the house in. And my style icon would be Chewbacca.

Daniel wears a suit by Querini, shirt by Sixpack France and shoes by Jones the Bootmaker

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Who what wear

Ariane wears T-shirt by Levi’s and shirt by Parosh

Iman Cavargna-Sani, front-of-house at Department of Coffee and Social Affairs I like changing my style depending on my mood. I like matching colours and vintage stuff – everything that comes from the ’80s and ’90s – especially if it has futuristic elements. I really like extra-large denim jackets and long skirts. I’ve always been attracted to David Bowie’s style, but I also really like FKA Twigs and Grimes – both have a really good look.

Iman wears metallic pleated skirt and leather jacket by Suncoo and shoes by Dr Martens

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Business jury

Business jury

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How do we convince our clients we’re value for money?

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Julia Perowne runs a PR firm for leading luxury hotel and travel brands. She studied history at Edinburgh University before starting her career in a specialist travel PR company. After working her way up the ranks in a variety of agencies, Julia founded her own with a partner in 2011.

In 2016 she set up Perowne International, based in Mayfair, London. With a team of 29, it focuses on PR, sales and marketing, social media and consultancy.

Illustrations: Vanessa Arnaud

Nick Thistleton is an executive coach with Clinch Associates, working with entrepreneurs and business people to meet their leadership challenges and accelerate them towards their key goals. A former professional pianist, he co-founded the karaoke business Lucky Voice with Martha Lane Fox in 2003, which has since grown across the UK and abroad. In his coaching, Nick brings his deep interest in both the human and commercial aspects of business.

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Our panel of experts is here to help

Julia Hobsbawm is an entrepreneur who founded the knowledge-networking business Editorial Intelligence. She’s also honorary visiting professor in networking at London’s Cass Business School and the University of Suffolk. Awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to business, Julia lists “conversation” among her hobbies in Who’s Who. Her new book, Fully Connected: Surviving & Thriving in an Age of Overload, is published by Bloomsbury.

I co-founded a digital marketing company eight years ago, and at that point we thought we had a business model that would endure. In the past five or so years, however, we’ve noticed that clients’ budgets have been shrinking, yet they expect the same output from us – and often even more – for less money. We know what we do is important to our clients, and that we’re good at it – so how do we get them to see us in a new, more valuable light?

Julia: The key to any business relationship is creating a sense of trust, closeness and intimacy. This means your customers feel you can meet their needs, and understand who you are as a business. I would do three things immediately. First: identify every past, present and potential client in your sightlines and label them a “Priority Now” group. Make a senior team own this group management as a project.

Regard any database only ever as a “peoplebase”. Second: review all communication you have with them and whether you need to refine/ reduce or add to the texture of this.

Third: personalise. Meet contacts face to face to get them to bring you up to speed. Listening is a great generator of trust. For wider reach, create an electronic newsletter with customised content.

Nick: Try to see things from your clients’ perspective. The two questions at the forefront of their minds are, “Will we actually get the appropriate return on investment?” and “Could we do it ourselves instead?” The particular challenge with something as ever-changing as digital marketing is that they might think they can hire a 22-yearold who knows as much as you. And new clients don’t know you’re good – chances are they’ve encountered agencies in the past who pitched beautifully and delivered little.

Ultimately, they’re taking a risk in hiring you, so think about how it looks to share that risk with them.

Could you charge on a successonly basis, or give them a month’s free trial? Willingness to back yourself to succeed will make it easier for the client to back you.

Julia: Always think about how you can offer a client more; to pre-empt their needs to make them feel they always need you. My business began with PR, but now we offer sales, brand partnerships, consultancy, copywriting, blogging, managing influencers, social media, etc.

So if a client gives us up, they potentially lose multiple strands of support. Another key point: make sure you’re dealing with the decision makers. A lot of agencies assume that their work is being highlighted to the powers that be, but often reports don’t get read or get lost in their way up the chain of command. So really think about how you present your results, and how you can get to the big boss to show them these. Ensuring you’re networking with those who hold the reins in a business is key.

Got a question for our jurors? Email them at andco@theofficegroup.co.uk 41

Take good care of yourself

Break out of the echo chamber

Words Kerry Potter Photography Daniel Stier

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Whether it’s our career or our personal life, we all rely on family and close friends for support and advice – but that stranger sitting next to you might just be the one who holds the key to really changing your life for the better 44

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Break out of the echo chamber

Take good care of yourself

“The advantage of weak ties is that they have a different take.

They’re the people who will challenge and push you, and won’t just back up your world view” A close friend of mine is a successful novelist, and whenever I read her books I take great delight in spotting characters based on mutual friends, or repurposed anecdotes I’ve previously heard over cocktails.

They say write about what you know, after all. But 10 novels into her career, she’s decided to look beyond her usual circle for inspiration. “It sounds a bit strange, but I’ve become obsessed with evening classes – calligraphy, life drawing… whatever’s on offer at the local community hall,” she says. “It’s obviously good to learn a new skill, but the best bit is that I meet such a range of random people who I just don’t come across in my normal life. Not only is it very energising, but it inspires my characters and plotlines.”

Weak ties These “random people” can not only inspire a novel, they can also broaden your mind, make you happier and even land you a job.

In the world of business psychology these people are called weak ties, and there’s definitely

nothing fictional about them.

While strong ties are what you’d call your “squad” if you were Taylor Swift – your closest colleagues, friends and confidantes – weak ties are the people you’re not so tight with.

Acquaintances who might work in a different industry, live in a different country or belong to a different generation. The friend of a friend you once met at a wedding. The mum at the school gate with whom you’ve never had a proper conversation. One of the guys on your midweek football team who you've only made small talk with over a drink after the game. People who seem nice but who you don’t know well enough to mess around with on Twitter.

Well, it turns out we tend to underestimate how valuable these wishy-washy contacts are. The good news? They are all around you. Co-working is the perfect place for weak ties, as we often find ourselves sitting cheek by jowl with people from completely different worlds.

Business psychologist Tony Crabbe, author of the excellent 44

Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much, is a big fan of weak ties. “We tend to end up clustering with people who are like us; who see the world through the same lens as us,” he says. “But your network can become like an echo chamber, because you hear a lot of self-reinforcing ideas. The advantage of weak ties is that they have a different take.

They’re the people who will challenge and push you, and won’t just back up your world view. They’ll encourage you to think differently and more creatively about your work.

Great leaders and innovators are often really skilled at finding these slightly weird contacts.”

Weird – and wonderful – contacts are one of the main benefits of working at TOG. “You find a huge mix of people throughout our buildings from different industries, backgrounds and age groups, and it’s so interesting to see how they connect with each other,” says community manager Alessa McNally.

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Take good care of yourself

Break out of the echo chamber

Four ways to work those weak ties 1 Think creatively about your mentors Someone senior in your industry is the obvious choice, but think laterally. Develop mentors in different industries, at different career stages, and of different ages (don’t dismiss younger people – we can learn something from everyone). “Think of it as modelling excellence,”

says Kate Taylor, a creativity and empowerment coach.

“Go for coffee and ask how they got to be successful. People love talking about their career path.”

3 Reassess your social-media networks Have you been shocked by recent political events because “no one I know thinks like that”, or do you find you're reading the same people having the same old rants? You need to shake up your social media and dismantle the echo chamber. Interact with as broad a range of people as you can.

2 Wage war on email Go to every talk, community activity, lunchtime event and evening class going, and consider squeezing in volunteer work. Make sure your social life isn’t solely based around

Make the effort Jennie Cashman Wilson, based at 2 Angel Square, runs the Abram Wilson Foundation, a charity that helps young people achieve their potential through music. It’s an endeavour that wouldn’t have thrived without help from her weak ties, she says. Although close contacts provide our backbone of support, Jennie believes weak ties can be more fruitful because we feel we need to put in more effort to impress people we don’t know as well.

“When you meet someone who is a weak tie,” she says, “you’ve got a limited amount of time to make an impression, and you’ve got to be succinct and interesting in order to build a relationship.

Weak ties are like a treasure hunt, where you’re trying to find the key to all these potential doors you could walk through. With your close ties, the doors are already open and you know what’s on the other side.”

Research also shows that we’re more likely to land a new job via a weak contact than a strong one – but, of course, the first thing 48

sitting in the local with your usual gang.

most of us do when seeking work is tap up the usual suspects.

Crabbe cites a study in which two groups were given the same problem to solve. One group was told to approach strong ties for help. The other could only speak to vague acquaintances. The latter group aced the task, with advice from their weak ties proving far more useful than that from the other group’s close contacts. With this in mind, Crabbe advises that as well as thinking of our network in terms of size – how many followers have you got? – we also should consider its diversity.

Increase your exposure Harnessing weak ties can also boost creativity. Javier GarciaAlzorriz from interior design company Jo Berryman Studio says: “The guy who sits by us at Henry Wood House works in a completely different industry but absolutely loves interior design.

We’ll often ask for his view on different design options before we send them off to clients. We really value this external opinion 47

“Curiosity expands our horizons and increases possibilities,” says Kate Taylor.

4 Talk to the person sitting next to you on the plane (yes, really) Tony Crabbe urges us to resist the temptation to plug straight into the inflight movie selection: “When you get the opportunity to make a weak tie, you’ve got to seize it,“ he says. “You never know where it might lead.”

because we know he has knowledge of our subject, and if you’ve been working on something for months, you can lose perspective.”

Crabbe adds: “One study looked at where scientists’ ‘aha!’ breakthrough moments originated – and they all came from having coffee with other scientists rather than in the lab.

There’s a richness and excitement that comes from exploring new terrain when you talk to new people. Creativity is all about making connections between different ideas, so the more ideas you’re exposed to, the more creative you’re likely to be.”

And how’s this for an added bonus: cultivating weak ties is good for your wellbeing too.

A recent study in the field of behavioural flexibility found that people with diverse networks were four times more likely to rate themselves as feeling happy than other people, and they also had lower stress levels. Your mother may have told you not to talk to strangers, but sometimes it’s not such a bad idea after all.

Faces and places

Introducing a few newbies – from nutritional therapists to bag designers – who have joined the TOG talent pool across our buildings recently

Meet the neighbours Photography Tori Ferenc 48

Dr Hannah Peck (left), deputy director, Cool Earth, with Tom Woodward, head of fundraising and communications 20 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington Tell us about your company in a sentence Cool Earth is a charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction When did you start and why? In 2007 our founders and trustees, MP Frank Field and entrepreneur Johan Eliasch, recognised the need to tackle climate change and rainforest destruction.

We provided funds to indigenous communities to help enable them to protect the forests they’ve lived in for generations What do you love about your job? Pretty much everything. Getting to know the families who live in the forest, and who have so many stories to tell, is the most wonderful experience.

Best thing about your building?

It has the most incredible roof garden. Sitting up there surrounded by potted plants makes office life so much easier to bear when we return from the rainforests. coolearth.org

Faces and places Matt Cameron, with Clare Scott, c0-founders and directors of The Ocean Partnership, Warnford Court, City Tell us who you are in a sentence? A recruitment and inclusion firm dedicated to the investment management and financial services sectors When did you start and why? Clare and I joined forces in 2015 to help the sectors we serve more inclusively.

What are you working on right now? We’re growing and investing in our own team, and organising a large-scale client event this summer What do you love most about your job? The sense of achievement and making

a difference. The harder you work the luckier you get... What’s the best thing about your building?

The energy. When people walk in they feel an instant buzz. If you’re coming for an interview, that’s important. And our in-house coffee shop, Caffeine Bank, is definitely a highlight What’s the soundtrack to your working life? It could be Eighties, Nineties, Chillout. And we have a bell that people ring when we make a placement Are you looking to collaborate on anything? We’ve already made loads of connections and have begun conversations with a number of companies.

Watch this space! theoceanpartnership.com

“I love being surrounded by people who are doing the same as you, and who have that same sense of belief”

Catherine Ellis, director of Hill & Ellis, lounge member of Bloomsbury Building, Holborn Tell us who you are in a sentence We design leather bags for discerning cyclists who want something that looks as good in the hand as on the bike When did you start and why? I started working on the idea in 2012. All the bike bags on the market were really ugly black nylon things. I was travelling around East Africa and had loads of thinking time so I

wrote the business plan in Nairobi What are you working on right now? We’re putting a campaign together to increase awareness.

And our next range is going to be canvas bags at a slightly lower price point What are the big challenges you’re facing? One of the biggest issues is cash flow, and making sure we’ve got stock. We just had a wholesale order from Switzerland for 200 bags, which is great, but it almost cleaned us out What do you love about your job? The variety, the creativity, the 51

opportunity to learn – there are so many things you have to understand and become expert in What’s the soundtrack to your working life? I often listen to Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 Music. On Spotify it could be London Grammar or The XX, or maybe even a bit of Dolly Parton What’s the best thing about your building? Being surrounded by other people who are trying to do the same thing as you, and who have that same sense of belief. hillandellis.com

Faces and places

Faces and places Edda Hamar (left), founder and CEO of Undress Global 20 Borough High Street Aliza Marogy, founder of Inessa Wellness, lounge member of Henry Wood House

Tell us who you are in a sentence Undress is an online peer-to-peer marketplace where individuals can list, discover and borrow quality clothing When did you start and why? I launched in 2011, and the online platform Undress in 2016.

My mission was to change people’s relationships with fashion by creating a shared economy What are you working on right now?

A new homepage design and marketing campaign to support it What are the big challenges you’re facing? Changing people’s fashion habits is tough, even for a good cause! What do you love about your job? Usually I’m out of my comfort zone, but I’m shaping a brand that is actually making a difference Looking to collaborate on anything? We plan to do a London runway show at the end of the year to celebrate the capital’s sustainable designers. We need sponsors, entertainment... undress.global

Clair Coates (right), head of sales, Supercity Aparthotels Kirby Street, Farringdon

Tell us who you are in a sentence? We make the UK’s most comprehensive one-a-day multivitamin, backed up by scientific evidence found on our website When did you start and why? I had a clinical practice as a nutritional therapist and had to prescribe multiple products to my patients to provide the right nutrients.

There wasn’t one product out there that offered them all, so I decided to make it.

We started in early 2016.

What are you working on right now? The website, but over the next months we’ll be expanding to include more products What do you love most about your job? I love everything about what we do – apart from the accounting and paperwork What’s the best thing about your building?

It has to be the staff. They’re so nice and friendly – always smiling. inessawellness.com

Tell us who you are in a sentence Accommodation with many of the benefits of a hotel and all the advantages of an apartment When did you start and why?

I started in April. A lot of large service providers only think about the bigger picture, but Supercity Aparthotels is all about carefully executing the small details that make a difference to every guest What are you working on right now? I’m recruiting receptionists in order to give some of our properties 24-hour service What do you love most about your job? The people. It’s a tight-knit team Looking to collaborate on anything? We have lots of new openings next year, so we’re focusing on internal expansion. supercityuk.com 52

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Faces and places

Daniel Nelson, director of October, with Emma Jane Palin, executive Henry Wood House, Oxford Circus Tell us about your company in a sentence October is a PR and marketing agency for design, architecture and property When did you start and why? I started the agency in 2013 because I saw that most PR agencies in this sector were still very old-school in their approach to digital media

What are you working on?

We’re handling the global public relations and marketing for Atlanta Design Festival for the first time. We’ve also launched a low-cost PR service, septemberexchange.com, to help small brands establish their voice What are the big challenges you’re facing? Any change in the economy hits us quickly. Making sure we steer through this uncertainty has meant we’ve become more agile and respond quickly with new directions

Faces and places What do you love about your job? No two days are ever the same. I hate routine, so the chaos is calming What’s the soundtrack to your working life? Probably the sound of me talking over Emma’s Instagram stories when I think she’s taking a photo What’s the best thing about your building Henry Wood House has a really nice atmosphere and the team is really helpful. It always impresses clients when they meet us here. octobercomms.com

“The main class has only two teams, Porsche and Toyota, and we’re working for both, filming them around the world”

Simon Harrison, managing director of Kingdom Creative.

The Stanley building, St Pancras Tell us who you are in a sentence? We create video content that inspires and motivates When did you start and why? In 2002 I was a motor-racing driver and had an idea for a DVD that would show you how to drive the different racing circuits. My friend helped me make a pilot and I learnt to 54

film and edit on the job. I got the bug and it grew from there.

What are you working on?

The auto-racing World Endurance Championship. The main class has only two teams, Porsche and Toyota, and we’re working for both, filming them around the world What do you love most about your job? Being able to experience the things and places we get to go to, but also creating something that works and seeing clients come back for more 55

Best thing about your building?

We want to do more than just cars, so having an office in London is really important to us. Our base is a farm in Hertfordshire, but in less than an hour I can be right in the heart of the action, next door to Google Looking to collaborate on anything? We’re very keen.

We’re already working with a business that came about from a networking event. And we’re recruiting too. kingdom-creative.co.uk

Co-working in Bali

It’s long been a magnet for backpackers and hippies, but with the growth of co-working set-ups, Bali is attracting a new generation of professionals keen to reset their work-life balance

Back to nature

Words Matt Munday 56

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Co-working in Bali If you’re going to work abroad, you might as well do it in paradise.

So why not Bali? The Indonesian island’s many attractions – tropical climate, verdant landscapes, pristine beaches, serene atmosphere – might be traditionally associated with honeymooners, backpackers and yogis (and there are many), but an environment that practically forces you to slow down and live in the moment can be surprisingly conducive to getting things done.

Surrounded by lush rainforest and spectacular terraced rice paddies, the mountain town of Ubud is the island’s cultural capital, thanks mostly to its mystical Hindu shrines and temples and a vibrant and longestablished arts-and-crafts community. (Bali is mostly Hindu, unlike the rest of Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim.)

More recently, Ubud has become its capital of co-working, owing to the rise of “digital nomads” – people who can work anywhere with wi-fi – and spaces that cater for them.

The main co-working setups include Hubud – a beautifully situated members’ club with a strong community focus, and Outpost – another well-resourced space whose members “tend to be a few years more into their career”, says co-founder David Abraham. “They’re beyond finding themselves; they’re making the next big step.” A third space, Roam, specialises in co-living – members work and stay in a converted boutique hotel.

You don’t have to be a CEO to live the Bali dream. A simple room in a shared house can cost as little as £120 per month (a decent two-bed villa is £600-£800; a luxe

Co-working in Bali four-bed villa more than £3,000).

Ubud has a sophisticated foodie scene, but it’s also possible to eat a simple noodle-based meal for less than a quid. And the island will be cheaper to reach from September, when the airline Norwegian begins budget long-haul flights from the UK to Singapore (from £179 one-way, Norwegian.com).

From Singapore, you can make the short hop to Bali from £80.

Relocating needn’t be for ever. That’s the beauty of being a digital nomad. But don’t take our word for it – read what members of Hubud have to say about their working lives below.

Clockwise from top: coffee breaks come with serious views in Bali; team meetings at Hubud; quiet concentration under the bamboo roof

“It’s my belief that what we offer is a meaningful human connection.

People might not know it, but that’s what they’re here for”

Steve Munroe, co-founder and CEO, Hubud

I moved to Bali with my wife and our two young sons in 2009.

Before that, we worked for the United Nations for 20 years.

We came without a plan – which I don’t recommend unless you have a high tolerance for stress – but we found a whole island full of people just like us. A totally random community, who were also at a transitional point in their lives: they’d sold their company, or quit their jobs, or taken a sabbatical. Somebody once called it the most talented group of unemployed people he’d ever met.

So we started playing with the idea of putting them all together in one place.

We eventually opened in 2013.

Our building, which used to be a showroom, is made from bamboo and recycled wood, and has a ground floor for hot-desking; meeting rooms and Skype booths in the loft, and a café in the outdoor gardens. We’re 100m from the Sacred Monkey Forest – every so often, the monkeys wander over and fill up people’s

Instagram feeds. To be honest, the monkeys are a pain in the ass.

Hubud is a classroom as much as an office. We hold 350 events a year, everything from brainstorming sessions to “fuck-up nights”, where people talk about their most humiliating business failures, which is always fun.

Since we’ve been open we’ve had almost 6,000 clients, from 80 countries. People ebb and flow.

We’ve had tons of people from the UK. The common thread is that they are location independent and digitally enabled. Collaborations happen all the time – people team up to launch a business. It’s my belief that what we really offer is meaningful human connection.

People might not know it, but that’s what they’re here for.

Janet Keating, director, JK Interior Design

Life here is very chilled. I get up at 7am, do some yoga or go for a 59

walk. Then I go back to the house, shower and make myself presentable before leaving at 9.30am. Then I have breakfast, so I might not sit down to work until 10.30, but then I’ll work through until 6. Back home in Perth [Australia] there was no way I could do that as I’d be at my desk at 8am.

I first came to Ubud on a yoga break in 2014. I needed to do some work and someone said: “You should go to Hubud.” So I walked in and was like: “What is this place? Who are all these people?”

That’s how it started. Every holiday after that, I came back.

As well as running my own business as an interior architect, I lecture at Curtin University in Perth. In 2015 I started teaching online. That’s how I was able to move to Ubud permanently, because I could lecture from anywhere, although my business is still based in Perth, as are all my clients. They brief me on

Co-working in Bali

Above left: another dull commute.

Above right: meetings are so much nicer when you’re not stuck in a board room

“When I went to India for a friend’s wedding, I did a bit of work lying on a beach in Goa. That’s when it struck me I could live a little differently”

Clare Harrison, founder, Start Me Up

After graduating in 2006, I spent eight years working in London, first as a financial journalist, then in market research. I tried a few different things. The job market wasn’t great, so I set up my own company doing ghostwriting work; I was also doing some freelance corporate PR.

When I went to India for a friend’s wedding, I found myself doing a bit of work while lying in a hammock in Goa. That’s when it struck me I could live a little differently if I left London permanently and moved somewhere else for a while.

So I returned to India, then went on to Nepal, and eventually to Australia, lugging my laptop around and saying yes to all the client work I could get. I joined my first co-working space in Sydney, and while I was there someone told me about Hubud.

I moved to Bali three years ago.

The great thing was, I didn’t have to work many days in the month to cover my costs – which gave me time to learn new skills.

There’s a lot of collaboration at Hubud: I learnt about sales, marketing, coding and website design, and helped to launch a startup. In time, I developed a completely new skill set.

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I launched Start Me Up with $100 at the beginning of 2016.

We send young people abroad to do one-month internships working on startups. We mentor them too. The point is to give them inspiration about potential careers, because they’re crying out for alternatives to corporate life.

I won’t be here for ever; I’ll go wherever my work takes me: Mexico in August, then the US from September. But this has been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

Roam.co: membership from £400 per week or £1,400 per month (accommodation included) l Outpost-asia.com: monthly membership from £40 for 25 hours; unlimited monthly from £180 l Hubud.org: monthly membership from £46 for 30 hours; unlimited monthly from £215 l

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Skype and I then draw up plans and send them over.

Ubud isn’t a place for party people. If you want to party, you go to Seminyak or Canggu. In the evenings I hang out with friends I’ve made here. At weekends we go on road trips to the beach, which is about an hour away. It costs about £35 a month to rent a motorbike. I spend my money on rent, Hubud membership, food, transport, wine and yoga – that’s pretty much it. It’s a lovely life!

Making the most of those few precious moments outside the office. From the free fitness classes and communal picnic craze to our suggestions for brainy dates, here are the best ways to go off-grid

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ff O Grid

f Of Grid Words Alex Moore Illustrations Damien Weighill

Let’s get physical Forget the gym – a new, free way of keeping fit is a much more social, touchy-feely experience.

Just be prepared to get up early…

What would you think if you saw 50 fitness fanatics clad in DayGlo sportswear charging up London’s Primrose Hill, whooping, at 6am on a Friday? Lunatics? Obsessives?

Americans? You may consider such uber-enthusiasm the antithesis of cool, but you couldn’t say they don’t seem happy – or in shape.

That certainly goes for Danny Bent, a man whose voracious energy (he once pogoed across Togo) has been the stimulus for Project Awesome, a series of free fitness sessions taking place across the capital. Bent is a former GB triathlete, charity worker, author, motivational speaker and one of the top 100 happiest people in the 62

f Of Grid

UK (according to the Independent on Sunday – who knew it was the arbiter of “happy”?).

After competing in the Boston Marathon in 2013, the year of the bombing, he set up Project Awesome (projectawesomehq.com) as a show of solidarity with those affected.

Now, three times a week, you’ll catch investment bankers, musicians, lawyers, artists and others hugging and hollering their way through HIIT (high-intensity interval training) sessions, from Trafalgar Square to City Hall. And they’re part of a wider trend for free fitness classes throughout London.

I dragged myself out of bed at 5.30am to see how infectious this good cheer is, and I wasn’t disappointed. As advertised, hugs abound and the whole “tribe”, as they call themselves, seem genuinely pleased to have a new addition.

Bent is currently organising a running relay around the world to give the earth a metaphorical hug, and everyone at the session shares this optimism and community spirit.

“We’re of a generation that’s stepping away from monetary society,” says Bent. “What we do

transcends that – we’re more concerned with experiences and people. And while working out in the gym will not only cost you, it’s often more about looking good. We’re more concerned with how you feel.”

Across town in St James’s Park, the November Project (novemberproject.com) is another tribe built on the same principles, which trains at 6.30am every Wednesday (albeit slightly more intensively). It hosts free sessions in 33 cities across seven countries; in London its chief organiser is Jake Otto. “We live increasingly sedentary lives, and going to the gym is just more of the same,” says Otto. “We’d be doing this [sprinting up and down the steps at the Duke of York Column] anyway – the more, the merrier.”

Elsewhere, Chaos St (chaosst.com) is a slightly smaller gang, but one that claims to offer London’s toughest HIIT workouts, while OurParks (ourparks. org.uk) has grown from a tribe into a bona fide organisation, hosting up to 20 free classes daily. It recently won Community Programme of the Year at the BT Sport Industry Awards.

So get out there and get physical – see you on the streets.

Time for the big guns – three more free fitness options from some sporting heavyweights (1) Nike+ Training Club As part of a busy pan-London schedule of free fitness classes, Nike hosts HIIT endurance sessions at Hyde Park, Victoria Park and Battersea Park every week. If that doesn’t curl your bicep, the brand also offers strength and mobility classes and free skateboarding sessions at Baysixty6. ↘ swoo.sh/2r1dxxN

(2) Reebok FitHubs Reebok now has four FitHubs around London – essentially Reebok stores that offer free fitness classes several times a week. Sessions range from boxing conditioning to bodyweight animal movement classes. Should you partake, you can expect 20% off in-store purchases. Bonus. ↘ fitness.reebok.co.uk/FitHubs

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(3) Adidas Studio LDN Earlier this year, Adidas launched Studio LDN, a fitness social club on Brick Lane. The women-only gym offers workouts, running clubs and nutritional workshops, all gratis. A new schedule is unlocked every week on the studio’s Facebook group, but classes book up quickly, so hurry. ↘ bit.ly/2rCrmx

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The Moth Londoners have embraced US-import The Moth – which is based around the idea that all of us have a story to tell, we just need to know how to tell it – to such an extent that you have to act fast to secure a ticket these days. But do try, as it’s a rewarding evening.

Regular events include five different

storytellers, who could be big names or regular Joes, who work with directors to help them present their tale, or, if you’re feeling bold, there’s the StorySLAM, where any audience member can step up on stage and share a five-minute story on the theme of the evening. themoth.org

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Sunday Papers Live It’s hard to imagine a more British event than Sunday Papers Live, which combines dissecting the latest news with a Sunday roast, an optional country walk (OK, a stroll round Primrose Hill), lots of cosy sofas and slippers (bring your own). Held in an oversized living room, each section of the papers is presented by an expert speaker or performer, and discussions range from Donald Trump, sustainable food and the lack of female athletes, to traditional Indian love stories. sundaypaperslive.com Forage London

Romance starts in the brain When it comes to dating, any fool can go for a couple of cocktails. Instead, embrace the trend for cerebral evenings out and try one of these entertaining options. And if it doesn't work out, at least you’ll have learnt something Words Charlotte Hogarth-Jones 64

From Crystal Palace to Hampstead Heath, London is full of places where you can try your hand at a bit of urban foraging. Whether it’s homebrewing or wild medicine that piques your interest, there’s no shortage of plants and herbs to discover, and there are plenty of courses to choose from. And what could be more romantic than dinner cooked using ingredients foraged from the day’s escapades? Just identify everything first, because poisoning someone is rarely the route to true love... foragelondon.co.uk/walks-courses

at the Royal Academy, where the spacious courtyard is always pleasant, and the atmosphere is just right. Try its immersive festival in August, The Other Paradise, where you’ll find a theatre of curiosities, an artists’ salon, and a recreation of Milton’s Paradise Lost. royalacademy.org.uk/ra-lates 5x15 Swap lengthy lectures for a 5x15 event, where leading figures from the arts, sciences, media and business take turns giving compelling 15-minute speeches. Past speakers have included Graham Norton, Ian Hislop, Jo Brand, Colin Firth and Thomas Heatherwick, while topics cover everything from the future of big data to poetry. Best of all, some events are hosted in TOG buildings.

Time to offer a ticket to your love interest one floor down, then...

5x15.com Literary Death Match

There’s nothing quite like Literary Death Match, a bizarre but brilliant event that invites four big-name or emerging authors to perform extracts of their work in front of several quickRoyal Academy Lates witted judges. Their literary criticism (if you can call it that) descends Summer lates have become the go-to rapidly into X Factor-style putdowns option for many London daters – so and entertaining cattyness to decide much so that if you’re not careful you the two finalists. And then the final can find yourself squashed up against showdown takes place in a boxing a stegosaurus in some kind of sweaty ring. Naturally. school disco-esque nightmare. Not so literarydeathmatch.com 65

f Of Grid Words Sophie Haydock

The picnic puzzle A new trend for communal lunch feasts is a great way to get outdoors with your work mates and tuck into something spectacular. Here, a top chef offers some suggestions

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Brain Food

Smoke BBQ, and is fully behind these picnic collectives. “They’re very appealing because it brings people together, you get a great meal, and it’s not too expensive,” he says. Here are four of his simple dishes that will wow your workmates.

Eat yourself smarter № 2: Chilli

One for the CEO “You earn the big bucks, so buy the best-quality joint of beef you can find. Roast it until it’s medium rare, then allow it to cool and cut into slices. Marinate overnight in sherry vinegar and olive oil, with marjoram leaves and chopped red chilli. It’ll be delicious the next day.”

Why do we inflict such torture on our taste buds? It begins with a few splashes of hot sauce, and before long, bird’s eye chillies aren’t spicy enough and it’s on to scotch bonnets.

It’s because that scorchio sensation on our tongues is addictive. There’s a neurotoxin called capsaicin which produces the fiery feeling and goes on to wage a chemical attack on our brains. Its compounds activate our pain receptors, including the nerve endings in our mouths (and elsewhere, if you forget to wash your hands).

To combat the pain, the body releases endorphins to create a natural high, which we then long for again. You can increase your chilli tolerance, but you may not want to go as far as trying the hottest chilli in the world, which weighs in at 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units – the scale by which chilli heat is measured, based on the number of times a chilli extract needs to be diluted before it no longer burns your mouth. If you’re looking for less heat, cut it in half, de-seed and scoop out the inner membrane. Too late? Dairy products contain casein, a protein that neutralises the capsaicin.

One for the vegetarians “Roast some veg, such as courgettes, aubergines, peppers – bang them in a tray with olive oil, garlic, thyme and rosemary, and roast them until they’re tender and caramelised.

Marinate them overnight in olive oil, vinegar and more herbs, so they soak up all that flavour. Eat with freshly torn focaccia.”

No more eating your lunch al desko.

We know it’s not good for us – research by the director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab suggests we consume more calories when we eat alone – and those crumbs clogging up our MacBooks are definitely not a good look.

Fortunately, we have a solution.

Communal picnic collectives are a new trend for al fresco office lunches – where each person is assigned a course, or more likely a component of a course, to bring in – and are sounding like a great idea right now.

Former chef director of the Salt Yard Group, Ben Tish, is the author of Grill 66

One for the time-poor “Make a panzanella salad – all you need are super-ripe tomatoes, chopped up with cucumber, pepper, vinegar, olive oil and garlic. Rip some slightly stale bread into it, and buy a mozzarella to rip into it, alongside a few leaves of fresh basil.”

One for the kitchen-phobic “You're on dip duty. Roast some red peppers, tomatoes and chilli until soft, add to a blender and leave to cool. Simple.”

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Grand designs

The architects and designers behind TOG buildings describe what makes them work

Warnford Court

Tintagel House

Key statistics Number of floors: 7 (including basement and penthouse) Gross area of building: 57,000sqft Area of café: 800sqft Combined meeting room space: 2,000sqft

Key statistics Number of floors: 12 (including roof terrace) Gross area of building: 114,044sqft Total net lettable area: 91,400sqft Floor-to-ceiling heights in reception: 11.5ft

The original space was kind of tired – the meeting spaces, the cafés, the corridors were all pretty worn out. There wasn’t much inspiration and it didn’t feel like a place people wanted to be in or occupy. It wasn’t inspirational, so not a pleasant place to work.

We wanted to create a sophisticated look that reflected the city of London – slightly more grown up or established but with a sense of joy and wonder. We looked at traditional private members’ clubs and gentlemen’s clubs for inspiration to try and

create this air of exclusivity and sophistication but also with an element of fun.

We opened up the entrance to make it feel like it was part of the street. We moved the café from the lower ground floor to the ground floor to give the building a bit more of a presence, so passers-by can see there’s a bit of life and activity there.

The kitchenettes are really successful – we’ve created spaces where people can have informal meetings and a cup of tea. These spaces give the entire office floor 68

a bit of breathing room that wasn’t there before.

By putting the café where we did, it allowed us to open up the windows. That brought a lot of daylight into the reception and the ground floor. We also brought the co-working space to the front of the building so we could use the cut-out between the floors to full effect. We’ve made sure that anywhere there’s natural daylight we bring it into use.

Michael Wilson Katsibas, associate director, Ben Adams Architects, benadamsarchitects.co.uk

Image courtesy of Stanton Williams

Blueprint

Photography Kate Berry

Blueprint

Tintagel House sits right on the Thames. They shot part of the last James Bond movie on the roof because of its views over MI6.

The bones of the building are quite nice and you’ve got amazing views out over the river across to Pimlico and Tate Britain.

One of the main things was where it is in Vauxhall – there isn’t really anything around. We wanted to create a little hub or hive in Vauxhall, so we’ve given the ground floor a kind of public quality so people will come into the space. There’s a café and a

grocers, so if people are working late they can grab some food on the way home.

One of the big things we played with is this idea of “The secret life of Tintagel House”, and one of the reasons we picked up on that is the building’s past. We imagined the history of the building, the people who used it and the stories within that. But we’ve also imagined the new secret life of Tintagel House – so there’s a secret room somewhere within the building. We wanted to play on the idea of what you see and what 69

you don’t see, and that’s a big part of co-working culture – some things are really private and some things are public. So we’ve played with those two extremes.

The 11th floor is this little bar area with really cool meeting spaces and amazing views. We’re also creating an apartment up there – I’m not sure whether people will stay in it or whether TOG will be having mad parties, but it’s got a sunken bath tub!

Paul Gulati, associate director, Universal Design Studio. universaledesignstudio.com

TOG Buildings angel 2 Angel Square Angel Square, ec1v 1ny lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, showers, bike storage borough 24/25 The Shard 32 London Bridge Street, se1 9sg lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces 201 Borough High Street 201 Borough High Street, se1 1ja lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage city 50 Liverpool Street 50 Liverpool Street, ec2m 7py lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, showers Lloyds Avenue 3 Lloyds Avenue, ec3n 3ds lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage Warnford Court 29 Throgmorton St, ec2n 2at lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, showers, bike storage king’s cross East Side King’s Cross Station n1c 4ax meeting rooms, co-working The Gridiron Building 1 Pancras Square, n1c 4ag lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, terrace, showers, bike storage The Stanley Building 7 Pancras Square, n1c 4ag lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage marylebone Manchester Square 22 Manchester Square, w1u 3pt meeting rooms Melcombe Place set within Marylebone Station 12 Melcombe Place, nw1 6jj lounge, meeting rooms, showers, bike storage mayfair Green Park House 15 Stratton Street, w1j 8lq meeting rooms, event spaces, terrace, showers, bike storage

midtown 24 Greville Street 24 Greville Street, ec1n 8ss meeting rooms, showers, bike storage Kirby Street 31-35 Kirby Street, ec1n 8te lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage The Bloomsbury Building 10 Bloomsbury Way, wc1a 2sl lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, reading room, showers, bike storage The Euston Office Oneustonsq, 40 Melton St, nw1 2fd lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, showers, bike storage paddington 19 Eastbourne Terrace 19 Eastbourne Terrace, w2 6lg lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, showers, bike storage 20 Eastbourne Terrace 20 Eastbourne Terrace, w2 6le lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, showers, bike storage shoreditch 81 Rivington Street 81 Rivington Street, ec2a 3ay lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage 133 Whitechapel High Street 133 Whitechapel High Street, e1 7qa lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, roof garden, cafe, showers, bike storage Albert House 256-260 Old Street, ec1v 9dd lounge, co-working, event spaces, terrace, screening area, members’ bar, gym, showers, bike storage The Black & White building 74 Rivington Street, ec2a 3ay meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage White Collar Factory (opening in the summer) 86-100 City Road, ec1y 2bp lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, showers, bike storage

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Section Name vauxhall Tintagel House (opening early 2018) 87-90 Albert Embankment, se1 7tp lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, apartment, terrace, gym, bike storage, showers, members’ bar victoria Victoria Station (opening winter 2017) 1 Hudson Place, sw1v 1pz lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces Eccleston Square (opening winter 2017) 84 Eccleston Square, sw1v 1px lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, co-working, roof garden, cafe, gym, showers, bike storage west end 2 Stephen St 2 Stephen St, w1t 1an lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, showers, bike storage

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91 Wimpole Street 91 Wimpole Street, w1g oef lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, co-working, roof terrace, showers, bike storage Henry Wood House 2 Riding House Street, w1w 7fa lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, terrace, screening room, members’ bar, apartment, gym, showers, bike storage Stratford Place 7 Stratford Place, w1c 1ay lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, terrace, showers The Smiths Building 179 Great Portland St, w1w 5pl lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage national No. 1 Aire Street 1 Aire Street, Leeds, ls1 4pr lounge, meeting rooms, co-working, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage St Nicholas House 31-34 High Street, Bristol, bs1 2aw lounge, meeting rooms, event spaces, roof garden, showers, bike storage

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My Section best mistake Name

Words Alex Moore

“ When you show you can take risks, you become a much more interesting proposition”

I walked away from my career to travel the world Roland Herlory, 53, CEO of designer swimwear company Vilebrequin In my early twenties I decided to leave my job at Christian Dior and travel around the world for six months. My parents were in tears; they thought I’d never come back. At the time there was no internet, no mobile phones – you just took a backpack and a one-way ticket and went on your way.

All my friends told me I was being ridiculous – even I began to doubt myself. “You work at Christian Dior,” they said. “You’d have to be crazy to leave – think about your career!”

When I came back from my world tour, I was much more open and

perhaps more mature. Shortly after, I was interviewed for a job at Hermès.

At the time, Bertrand Puech – grandson of the founder Émile Hermès – was number two and he led the questioning. He kept asking me about my trip: “Where did you go?

What did you do?” For me, it was a strange way of doing things. I kept trying to go back to my professional experience, but he seemed not to care about that. For him, what was important was this experience. At the time I thought this was a bad thing, but they ended up hiring me.

Some years later, when I came to recruiting people, I began to understand: the most important

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quality in a candidate is not their expertise but their personality, an open mind and an ability to think differently. I realised that my trip was what had made me interesting to Hermès. When you can show that you can take risks, and you’re not just following the trend, you become a much more interesting proposition.

Now when I do interviews I’m less interested in people’s expertise and the technical side of things, and more interested in a strong personality who looks at life differently. For me, that’s a real asset for a candidate, and I’d be much more eager to hire somebody with life experience than someone who’s classically trained.