Do you get to work wherever you want?
Frank Cottle shares why flexible workspaces aren’t just the future of work, they are a competitive advantage.
Frank is the chairman and founder of Alliance Virtual Offices which provides customers with premium solutions for virtual offices and telecommunications.
He started his career as a commercial diver and then went on to building a yacht brokerage firm before getting into commercial real estate.
He’s been in the flexible workspace industry since the 1970s when he started operating executive office suites and he shares why co-working has grown so popular.
Lot of great lessons in our conversation including:
- How he discovered renting office space as a business opportunity.
- How co-working spaces become more popular starting in the 1980s.
- The importance of having the flexibility to both work alone or with co-workers.
- The three things all companies need to be successful.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Build your community
- Manage your energy
- Purge your life
How Frank Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: Around 5:30 am
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Communicate. 2) Maintain his vision. 3) Build a strong team.
- Ideal work environment: With other people and sharing ideas.
- Regains focus by: Taking a long walk on the beach or just sitting down quietly, alone.
Inspirational Quotes
“We’ve always worked in a very fluid manner, it’s just big corporations have not.”
“Today, we’re all travelers, the way we work. We work on the move.”
“If you think virtually, a little bit, as we’ve learned to do, there’s really not much you can’t accomplish.”
“My job is not for me to be successful, my job is really to make my team successful.”
Coaching Advice
Overwhelmed by designing your own workday, Frank shared this advice:
1) Embrace the responsibility because it also comes with privileges.
2) Have a vision for what you want to accomplish and then determine a good plan for how to do it.
Resources + Bonus Materials
Related Episodes
Working As A Digital Nomad Without Being Lonely With Michelle Sims (225)
Work From Anywhere With Jewel Mlarnik (010)