Tom Lewes
IN PROFILE
At home Tom is a single dad sharing the parenting of his two children with his former partner . He ’ s also a camper van fan with a passion for music festivals .
Tom Lewes
The Guild
Tom Lewes is the 43-yearold founder and operations manager of The Guild , the co-working space in central Bath which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year . The Guild , which has about 200 members at any one time , is a combination of work , networking and social spaces in one building , catering for the growing number of professionals who want an alternative to working from home .
Why is a co-working space like The Guild important ?
I think it ’ s important for the future . I truly believe the concept of ‘ having a job ’ is going away . More and more people have a portfolio career , they care about work / life balance and the space in between is becoming blurred . It will no longer be necessary to ‘ go into the office ’ every day . Spaces like this are almost like the concept of the pub for an older generation where you did business over a pint .
Where did the idea for a co-working space come from ?
For me it actually goes way back if I really think about it . I was a teenager at school when I did work experience . I sat in a dreary office and I did not want to be there . I thought there was no way that ’ s what I was going to do and this led to me becoming obsessed by the idea of work and work environments .
What did you do before The Guild ? I was a sales rep for many years so much of my work was done from my car , my colleagues were spread out and we communicated by phone . I didn ’ t work in an office . However this made me realise that many people were doing the same thing as me – with no space we could dip in and out of , no real-life community feel and frankly it could be lonely .
How real is ‘ loneliness ’ in business ? It ’ s so easy these days with multiple forms of communication to forget the human touch – yet many of us need that contact – we just may not need it every day of the week between 9am and 5pm . As a freelancer or sole trader , working from home can be lonely , you miss those moments by the photocopier , or social gatherings with work places and you appreciate that this kind of contact is about networking , sharing ideas – and possibly sharing business opportunities .
What ’ s the ROI ? I do get asked this from time to time . I used to work often from a coffee chain where I would spend £ 3 on a coffee and perhaps £ 20 for a day , just not to be at home all of the time . I had no privacy , no control over my environment
– noisy neighbours , for example . So I realised if I could create a space for people like me costing no more , that had to be worth exploring . Also it ’ s about being part of a professional community and understanding the benefits of being part of a network . I believe there are two types of people in business – net-givers and net-takers . If you are a net-taker , always doing the sums and looking for the money – then this kind of space is probably not for you and you ’ re not our customer .
How did the Guild come into being ? I ’ d built a group called Bath Spark which brought me to the attention of the local council ( B & NES ) and they had this tricky building which came up in conversation . They were interested in doing something with it – perhaps creating some sort of one-stop shop for business . I suggested creating a co-working space and they said ’ what ’ s that ?” I explained my idea and they decided to take a risk – for which I ’ m always grateful . They gave me a grant to refurbish it , however we do operate on commercial terms , paying the going rent and rates and other costs associated with it .
How is The Guild set up ? It ’ s a not-for-profit community interest company run by a board of trustees and my own company is the operating company paid to run it for which I ’ m paid a monthly fee . We have about 200 members and these tend to be in the creative or tech sectors – though not exclusively . We tend to have one fast-growing company at any one time , a company which will , over time , need to move on as they ’ ve got too big and also one ‘ anchor ’ tenant . Around them tend to be a group of freelancers and these grow steadily . This kind of model creates the culture of the space .
What ’ s next ? There are plans afoot for creating a new space in Bath – this time not a co-working space but something a little more social . I ’ ll share more in due course but for now it ’ s really a case of ‘ watching for this next space ’.
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32 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018