Outpost was born just three years ago and in this short period of time it has already positioned itself as one of the reference coworkings in Southeast Asia. Do you want to know how they work and how they got to where they are today? Today we talk with Aridita, the manager of Outpost Canggu , who tells us the keys to her success.
First of all I would like you to tell us a little about Outpost and its values.
Its two co-founders, David Abraham and Bryan Stewart, were clear about the values that would lead this coworking: Explore, grow and connect. These three concepts define our collaborative work center very well.
What is the profile of the coworker that comes to Outpost? Mainly they are digital nomads, self-employed professionals dedicated to web development and digital marketing that are looking for a space in which to create professional ties while working. They are for one, two or three months and go to another destination.
You comment that most of your members only stay in your space for a short period of time. How do you manage to create a feeling of community in stays of such a short time? That is undoubtedly our biggest challenge, building a community is not easy considering that professionals from all over the world visit us with very different profiles. But this is done by our community coordinator.
By having several spaces we offer the possibility to our members to be able to change location for the same price. This is a way to strengthen their trust and bond with Outpost as they can continue traveling from our hand without anchoring to one place, and thus live different experiences.
What exactly is the role of the community coordinator? And we would like you to tell us about other roles that exist in Outpost.
Its main function is to organize events focused on both the professional growth of our members and the staff, including activities to create synergies between them and our weekly Wednesday lunch in which all our members are invited. For example, this week we have a meeting about Facebook Ads and another one about the use of Instagram as a marketing tool. Thus, we get the involvement of coworkers in our community and create bonds for life, in fact, the vast majority always repeat when they return to Indonesia.
Other roles? Well, we have the "operational manager" who is in charge of the global management of the center, both in the coworking and coliving part. In addition, we have a person in charge of each of these specific aspects, but of direct communication with coworkers not so much of the management part. We do not have much staff, we want to offer a personal treatment.
Returning to the theme of the training activities offered in the center, where do you get the speakers? We are very aware of the local economy and industry, so most of them are professionals who develop their activity in the area and also members of the Outpost community.
Speaking of local businesses, when you walk the streets of Canggu or Ubus you see many people working in coffee shops. Is this a problem for you? No, it never has been. The public that comes to our coworking is different, seeks community and is usually at least one month in the same place.
Changing the subject, at the beginning of 2017 the doors of your first coworking outside Indonesia were opened, is this the beginning of an international Outpost expansion? Yes, in our plans there are new short-term openings. Although for now we will stay in Southeast Asia, there has already been talk of reaching other continents.
Who knows? Maybe in a while we can enjoy Outpost in Europe.
