The entrepreneur has just launched a third company, Third Spaces, focused on creating workspaces for organisations – which is making co-working cool again.
He hasn’t just moved from Madrid back to Melbourne to launch a collection of learning community “hubs” – he has done so during perhaps the biggest crisis in business ethics this century; the build-up to the financial crisis.
IE was a perfect fit for him – the school is renowned for its sustainability initiatives and Brad became the president of the school’s Net Impact Chapter.
In four years the MBA graduate has steered the company’s growth to more than 1,000 members across three cities. Brad runs Hub Melbourne, Hub Sydney and Hub Adelaide, the latter the newest edition to his collaborative empire.
They are all branches of Impact Hub: part innovation lab, part business incubator, and part community centre, which has locations all over the world.
But Brad owns his business outright and makes money by selling memberships. It’s always been a for-profit enterprise, although he has to strike the right balance between social impact and making money.
He has not done a bad job so far…
Who is the CEO/ founder?
I am the CEO and founder.
How was the company founded?
We built through the Net Impact Charter at IE Business School; it’s how I came across the Hub network. I met the founder of Hub Madrid through the IE club.
I was inspired by how someone with very little resources made a huge impact, and developed a great relationship with him, and that was the start of my involvement with Hub.
What does the business do/what are its core or flagship products?
Hub hosts collaborative shared work and event spaces to spark productivity and passion into your work and play. All of our spaces are designed with different work styles in mind and cater to both individuals and teams.
With a great network of people and partners, we’re able to bring you learning and networking events that inspire, enable, challenge and support you and your projects. Whatever you are working on, we host events relevant to you.
You’ll find our diverse member community has a special way of not only enriching your business life, but your social life too.
The company sells memberships, which allow members to access collaborate working and learning environments.
What is the company's size?
We have grown to 1,000 members over the three cities.
Which sector does it operate in?
Co-working, events, community, social impact.
What challenges have you faced?
The sheer capital intensity of the business has been a challenge. You can’t do anything with the Hub without the capital required.
We’re dealing with 50 different industries and four generations of people every day. Collaboration is based on trust, so getting all those people to trust each other takes time.
What are your goals now for the company and how do you plan to achieve them?
For Hub Australia, we want to create a platform for collaboration, across diverse sectors, disciplines and generations. So we create the spaces and now we want to develop new models for learning, for attracting talent and facilitating trade between our members.
We’ve also been able to expand out to create another company called Third Spaces, which aims to be the catalyst for a national network of work hubs. Collaborative capacity will be significant and prosperous.
Why did you want to become an entrepreneur?
I like creating something from nothing. The thing I enjoy most in entrepreneurship is that initial phase of getting off the ground.
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