It’s fair to suggest that no one considered a global pandemic when they came up with one of the wizard business ideas of the past decade: renting out and servicing shared workspace.
Looking forward to TMRW: the shared workspace business in Davis House is having to find new ways to work together
Covid-19 quickly put an end to the trendy venues and their hot-desking, superfast broadband and overpriced cups of frothy coffee, which appear to be so popular with independent tech types.
And it has also put extra strain on the businesses behind them, like so many small and medium-sized enterprises who have been hit by the coronavirus lockdown.
But one, TMRW on Croydon High Street, has sought to use the community spirit of its members to find a way to operate productively when forced to work from home.
The TMRW Collective is a digital and creative agency built specifically for a time of economic survival. The people behind it say it is “the perfect example of co-working and community in action”.
A selection of members from TMRW has banded together to be able to offer an agency service like none other, combining their respective strengths and skills with the aim, ultimately, of ensuring the survival of their own independent digital and creative businesses.
Collective action: TMRW Collection offers a wide range of skills and services
The unusual set up means a diverse mix of experienced experts are brought on to each project, and, the say, offering outstanding value for money during what they recognise are tough times for all businesses.
The TMRW Collective, “offers a full-service delivery without an expensive retainer, an agile team who are already optimised for remote working, rapid project turnaround and flexibility to work with all budgets”, they say.
They also suggest that larger firms looking to hire in digital creatives will be able to include the spend under their Corporate Social Responsibility budgets. “By hiring a collective of creative independents who have lost work due to the crisis, organisations who opt to work with the TMRW Collective are doing their part in supporting the small business community.”
The TMRW Collective includes Dazzle Communications (communications consultant), Entente Process (business development and project management), Fifty Fathoms (design illustration and branding), Jamie Pitt (video producer and director), Laura Sawyer (stylist, art director and creative consultant), Minno (marketing for start-ups and SMEs), Rise Media (video production), Vie Digital (business growth for start-ups and SMEs), Winwood Haines (creative design) and Sketchology (graphic recording).
Proud: TMRW founder Francois Mazoudier
In the Collective’s statement announcing the launch, they said, “Social distancing and self-isolation mean businesses need to embrace digital more than ever before.
“The TMRW Collective works with organisations so they can successfully operate in the digital sphere, keep customers engaged in an overcrowded digital space and use creative marketing that resonates with the current landscape, is sympathetic to the collective situation and which creates a positive brand perception.
Francois Mazoudier, the founder of TMRW, said: “We’ve always said TMRW isn’t just a place where you can get a desk and wifi. We’ve consistently helped businesses during their exciting growth phase, with funding, staffing and commercial expansion but we have also provided support during the hard times.
“We’re proud to have instigated this new project which is now being self-managed by community members and to be able to open up our contact network to help them with this innovative agency concept.”
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or what to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and BBC London News
- Inside Croydon named Journalist of the Year at 2018 Anna Kennedy Online Autism Heroes Awards
- ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: For three consecutive years, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Inside Croydon has been the source for award-winning nominations in Private Eye magazine’s annual celebration of civic cock-ups
- Inside Croydon had 1.6million pages viewed by 721,000 unique visitors in 2019
