The Workshop Folkestone – Inspiring the Business Community

Folkestone is a place for that perfect work/life balance.  Many people have moved to the town to escape the stress of commuting, and to work nearer home. One of the main players in facilitating this has been The Workshop Folkestone – a venue for office space for sole traders and small businesses.  It’s been described as having that ‘Google vibe, a Shoreditch away from London’. And who could resist exiting via the slide on your way out to lunch? Operations and Growth Manager Haydn Morgans spoke to Folkelife.

“I’m originally from Buckinghamshire but came down to Canterbury to see a friend at Uni and met my now wife at a club there.  We did a bit of a long-distance relationship, but then moved together to New Romney.  Now we live in Hawkinge with our young family, and come down to Folkestone daily. 

“I used to run my own marketing business, but decided that I wanted to work in an office, and with more people around me, so getting this job as the Operations and Growth Manager has been perfect for me.  I love the creative vibe around the town, and the wealth of different people here.  Also, I’ve always wanted to live by the sea, so living and working here ticks all those boxes for me!”

sense of community

“The coolest part of working here at The Workshop is the sense of community we have here. There’s space here for hotdesking up to small businesses, and then we have a floor dedicated to Le Shuttle – so there are one hundred and twenty five people working there, our biggest group.  It means that there is always someone here who can help you.  Either you just want to talk to someone else because you work alone, and need a coffee break, or you might need some professional advice, and there’s someone here who fits the bill. 

“Sitting in a place where other people are working also helps you be more productive; I know it’s hard to motivate yourself at times when you are working at home.  Seeing everyone here, working away and then chatting when they need a break is lovely.”

facilities

“We have work benches for the hot desk style of working. And we have a different types of flexible working, if you just need a couple of hours with a desk, monitor and so on we can accommodate that.  If you need a desk where you can lock up and leave and come back in the morning, then we have a few of those left too. 

“We have people with different working schedules so everyone has twenty four hour access to the building.  Some of our clients work with countries on different time zones, so this access is important.

“We have fully serviced offices as well, these are all full at the moment, but it’s good to know we have them.”

collaboration between members

“I see our members collaborating with each other already. But I run workshops that cover topics such as marketing – which is my background.  So anyone who wants help with that can come along and take advice. We have individuals who are ahead of the game with AI and they’re going to be sharing their knowledge with people so that it’s relevant to them.  There are fitness and mobility contacts too who come in to talk every month or so, and we also run a Pitch Night, so you can practice your elevator pitch and those sorts of things.  

“We have coffee mornings once a month so you can meet the others in the building.  As a consultant, and a former business owner, I’m super-passionate about other people’s business and how they are working. Being able to offer support, and feel that everyone in the building is championing you and your work is a really conducive environment to thrive.  And if you want that sort of environment, this is the place to come.”

wide variety of business

“In The Workshop you’ll find a huge variety of businesses.  There are people in different marketing sectors, banks, recruitment firms and charities. About 30% of those who use our workbenches are employed by much larger companies.  Their company wants them to work remotely, and this space works because we can provide the fast broadband, ergonomic desk space, proper welfare facilities and so on.

“We run taster days so that you can come along, set up for free and see how The Workshop works for you.  Just get in touch with us and we can sort it out for you.”