“We have run events, co-working and
co-living experience at our pop-up space.
We’re building a community online and
starting to receive enquiries from people
who want to co-work in Mauritius, from
India, South Africa, and Malaysia, so
there is demand.”
“We are opening a co-working space this
month which is going to be like a satellite space and there will be a few of these
to help people get used to the idea of
co-working. We will have a central space
next year which will offer co-working
and co-living.”
Challenges
“The biggest challenge is that few people
in Mauritius know about co-working,
even though they do sign up for our
events. We have to educate the market,
so it’s an ongoing process. We need to
have a permanent space to show what it
is. Our permanent place will help.”
“So from next month, people will get a
taste of this, paying for daily, weekly or
monthly plans without having to commit to a long-term contract. We are also
running a series of events with Startup
Events Mauritius, organised between
Coralie and a friend we met through
Turbine. They run monthly brunches
where like-minded people meet and
share ideas and learn from guest speakers.”
Revenue model
“There are many different things that we
provide, other than just the Wi-Fi and
desk to work on. The revenue model has
co-working as a central point but also includes activates, workshops, training and
retreats for teams from abroad. All these
combine to give additional revenue.
Then we have a normal accommodation
BANZA
and co-working package. So if you’re
coming to Mauritius, you don’t have to
worry about accommodation.”
Marketing Strategies
“We market through our community,
in a natural way, instead of paying for
adverts that people will forget and not
identify with. We use word of mouth,
which is strong here as well as Social
Media. In Mauritius, Facebook is popular; it drives so many businesses that
many companies do without websites.
We post to our blog- like profiles on
local innovators and entrepreneurs to
build an organic following. We also do
experiential marketing through events
and pop-ups.”
Changing lanes
Joe admits that leaving his job was a
difficult decision. “Stability and career
prospects were clear. But what made
the choice to leave easier was that it was
a stressful, sometimes unhealthy work
routine that would take a toll on your
body. I was a consultant, so I travelled
a lot. It was glamorous during the first
few weeks but after some months you
are ready to have something healthier.
We had a huge opportunity with Coralie’s parents living in Mauritius, so we
grabbed it. Thanks to the lean startup
method it isn’t so much a financial risk,
but a risk on your reputation, because
after leaving your job, you want to prove
to your former colleagues and friends
that you’ll succeed.”
“It’s satisfying as well to know that
this is ours, it’s no none else’s and that
boosts our confidence,” adds Coralie,
and Joe agrees. “There is a direct link
between what you do and the reward
whereas in a big company, you can work
hard and even your manager sometimes
doesn’t recognise it.”