A Coworking-Grown Start-Up Heads Out

A Coworking-Grown Start-Up Heads Out

People leaving. It’s a fact of life in the world of coworking. It’s not a bad thing; growth happens. In Pulse Medical’s case, that growth was fueled by fellow businesses here at CoMotion.

Since I began my freelancing from CoMotion on King, the fine folks of Pulse Medical had held down the sweet corner office that looked out over King Street at The Royal Cannaught. Initally, thanks to the proximity of me hunkering down in the open Commons area, I got to know these peeps a bit. Even blogging about one of their impromptu coworking clinics not long ago. The chats following that post revealed that the Pulse crew were pros of the coworking game; leveraging the CoMotion network at every opportunity.

The busy, box-filled office of Pulse Medical on move-out day.

When strong coworking spurs growth.

But here’s the thing. Often, when a business  –  especially a smaller start-up – finds talented resources really efficiently, growth follows. In the case of Pulse, their effective approach to coworking helped them outgrow their cozy CoMotion abode. It’s an interesting dynamic where success is sometimes celebrated on the way out the door.

Prior to their bolting for larger and more strategically located pastures, I got to chat with owner, Todd Griffiths, and delve into this a bit deeper. It was really cool to hear just how valuable working out of CoMotion On King was to Pulse. But what Todd initially noted was how much he and the Pulse team would miss the every-day vibe and people of the space. That’s a prevailing theme in many conversations with current or former members. Replicating or replacing the energy, or even the morning coffee talks with such a diverse group of people, is virtually impossible. It’s definitely a factor that can’t be understated.

“Everything you need to run a business is right here.”

The business side of coworking offered Pulse plenty of advantages as well. “We’ve used people here at CoMotion for, basically, everything. Everything you need to run a business is right here,” Todd explained. Pulse’s first dive into the coworking scene was to find some social media expertise. And for that, they went all the way to their next-door neighbours, former CoMotion members Feed The Social. A lead-generating relationship brought together by proximity.

Pulse print materials being assembled in the Commons area – or a strange game of Concentration in progress.

Todd also stated that Pulse relied on The Fullerton Group, operated by CoMotion partner, Chad Fullerton, for Pulse’s graphic design. The estimated travel distance to this supplier? About 10 metres — or, a 7 second walk…give or take. And, naturally, this relationship began when Todd stepped outside the Pulse office doors and yelled to anyone within earshot, “Who does graphic design?” About 8 minutes later, a brochure was in the works.

To get some necessary SEO expertise, the journey extended a bit beyond the 10 metre radius. So, with pockets full of flat bread and a full canteen (I assume), Todd headed beyond the Shire to the office of Nova Digital Marketing — the realm of Andrew Novak — located on the opposite side of CoMotion On King. This, too, has developed into a long-standing, mutually beneficial arrangement — where both companies have been able to provide cross-over services.

Todd even shared a story where an investor was needed to help get a project off the ground. He mentioned this to CoMotion partner, Tammy Hwang and, lo-and-behold, she knew a member who was interested.

Coffee and strategic partners — all in one kitchen.

I find all of this fascinating. Coming from a world, like most, of homogeneous offices where any sort of help requires a significant and oft-exhaustive process. At the very least, someone has to pick up a phone. Here at CoMotion, you may just need to take a walk; head over to the kitchen for a coffee and spark up a conversation. Everyone seems to know someone who can help you — no matter what your challenge is. And that seems like such an enormous advantage to any start-up or small business.