Summary:
This is the Startup Junkies Podcast.
Brendan Howell of Loloft jumps into this episode with our hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire to discuss transforming the industrial workspace. Brendan discussed his newest venture meant to take traditional industrial space contracts and work environments and aim them to serve small to midsize companies. This looks like combining office grade co-working space with the fit and amenities a larger warehouse would offer. This will be coming to a city near you so listen to the rest and look out for Loloft!
Thanks for joining us!
Shownotes:
(1:22) Introducing Brendan Howell of Loloft
(5:44) Brick & Mortar to Digital Startup
(10:14) Dutch Auction Digital Project
(10:13) Pandemic Pivot
(14:25) Transition to Industrial Co-Working Model
(30:38) Benefits For Early To Mid Size Companies
(33:47) Future with Northwest Arkansas
(41:07) Advice to Younger Self
(46:40) Wrap Up
Links:
Quotes:
“The whole idea was that we want to enable small to midsize companies to get started and take physical space on a flexible basis. We want to have the amenities that office coworking has also.” (26:17) – Brendan Howell
“So if you’re a startup, you want to get into business in a physical space, you come and see us go: “Yep, I need 300 square feet.” or “I need 1,000 square feet.” [And then you can] sign up tomorrow.” (27:37) – Brendan Howell
“So now the idea is to make this a unicorn billion dollar plus company that was born in Northwest Arkansas.” (28:59) – Brendan Howell
“Being a startup, you just don’t know how much space you need… You’ve got an idea how much you need today, but you don’t know how much in three to six months [or] in a year, because you know, startups are the kind of slow and steady growth to explosive growth, or explode into pieces.” (30:58) – Brendan Howell
“Collaborate. It’s all about the team with any sort of business. I’ve tried to do it all by myself and being a dictator is not the right way to do it. You just get sick of yourself.” (45:41) – Brendan Howell
Transforming the Industrial Workspace with Brendan Howell of Loloft
Brendan Howell of Loloft joined the Startup Junkies to discuss his newest venture. He wants to disrupt traditional industrial space contracts and work environments, and he is shaking it up! Whether it’s combining office-grade coworking space, fit with all the amenities that coworking space offers, or making short-term industrial leases based on the amount of space needed, he is mixing it up in the workplace.
Brick & Mortar to Digital Startup
From New Zealand to NWA, we were excited to pick his brain on moving forward in transforming the industrial workspace like never before. Brendan’s career began in aircraft engineering, but his entrepreneurial spirit could not thrive in those confines. Starting various businesses and learning the importance of having solid contracts were a few first steps into the startup stratosphere.
Understanding the scalability of tech, Brendan was an early adopter to investing in a digital selling platform. Much like Facebook Marketplace, he used a crowdfunding campaign and raised 711,00 dollars for it. Just as it felt like they were taking off, a conference in Las Vegas brought together about five other businesses similar to their own. This would only propel Brendan and his entrepreneurial spirit further!
This landed them in creating a digital dutch auction app that would drop down prices in 60 seconds with a swipe up for the buyer to win. The ability to keep the attention and see the analytics of engagement became foundational pieces of his pitches. Finding problems no one else was taking time to solve then propelled Brendan land in RocketSpace, an incubator in San Francisco. This very place was the home of Spotify, Hootsuite, Supercell, and a plethora of other goliaths.
That Dreaded Pandemic Pivot
Tapping into esports became the next big move until the pandemic, which caused a full stop. Brendan, still with the entrepreneurial itch, starting looking at other problems that needed to be solved. At the time, he and his fiancé were living in Miami and were under a contract keeping them from moving elsewhere. It is a problem everyone has experienced, but most assume it is the way the world works. Then he thought, wouldn’t it be nice to live somewhere for six months or less and then move to another neighborhood or house under the same contract when desired?
Another grand idea that once again was pushed back by the new restrictions of the pandemic. Brandan would not let that stop him, as you probably figured. He believed that even though Loloft initially was going to have a life as an application serving to expand contracts and allow for freedom and mobility of renting, it could still evolve into something useful.
Transition to Industrial Co-Working Model
Then came the idea of transforming the industrial workspace. By enabling small to midsize companies to grow in a physical space on a flexible basis, it can give other startups the edge and amenities they needed. One of the biggest struggles is that once a company finds that small industrial space, it is not fashioned with offices or other amenities required.
From receptionists to community managers, offices, meeting rooms, and phone pods, the warehouse would fit the needs every company needs to not just survive but thrive. Loloft even has warehouse managers that would assist in retrieving items that get dropped off for direct-to-consumer brands.
Between the month-to-month basis leasing along with accessing all types of square foot models, this business is just what all our NWA startup junkies are needing!
Over time, the market will tell what services will be needed to thrive, but overall, Loloft has been finding out that their services have been in the back of many entrepreneurs’ minds.
With Loloft, Brendan was able to tap into a new way of renting out workspace that does not seem to disrupt commercial property in the slightest while still allowing ample opportunities for small businesses.
From New Zealand to San Francisco, to Miami then landing in Northwest Arkansas, we had to know what Brendan saw for the future of this region of the states. He has high hopes for the future of all the other startup junkies coming to the Natural State, and we do too! Keep up with him and Loloft on their journey to recreate how you can invest in industrial property is an entirely new concept in industrial property.
Thanks for joining in with us today! Subscribe and continue with us as we gather together the men and women shaking up the world with their ideas and initiatives. How are you going to use your own ideas to change the world this week? What failures are really just your stepping stones to the big win?
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