Businessman with a creative mind: Greg Beadle, Founder of The Bureaux (above) says he is lucky to have a rare combination of creativity paired with business skills which have helped him to rapidly scale his company to unexpected heights in just four years.
How does a business which began as a bright idea penned at two in the morning expand so quickly and successfully from 175 square meters of rented office space in 2012 to 8 500 square meters four years later? Founder of The Bureaux, Greg Beadle is himself surprised at what has happened. “In the early days, it was amazing to see it grow. The demand for flexible, serviced workspace has exceeded my expectations,” says the man behind Cape Town’s leading flexible office space located in Sea Point, City Junction, Granger Bay and Woodstock.
Beadle’s creative flair and business mind have led him on an interesting career. Having worked in sales for luxury cars and yachts, as well as being the Advertising and Marketing Director of Men’s Health, he has also been the brains behind starting a fruit delivery company, a magnetic frame business and a property sales guide for Gauteng called Home Gallery Magazine. With an interest in the property space, Beadle managed Engel & Völker’s Developments Division after which he consulted on key developments in Woodstock such as the Upper East Side incorporating The Hilton Double Tree Hotel. It was while consulting independently for the Woodstock Exchange as a design and special planning consultant, that The Bureaux was born.
“I was curating the space at the time when one of the tenants gave us notice that they were moving out. I decided to convert this now vacant space into the first ‘Bureau’ based on a dream I had the night before. I woke up at two am one morning and started writing notes about the shared office space business idea I had dreamt about.” To get the business going, Beadle did everything himself. He built the desks, hired painters over weekends and managed the sales and client service side of The Bureaux. Two years later he employed his first staff member.
“It’s only through working so many different jobs that I’ve learnt so much and found a niche area as an entrepreneur where I’m able to thrive,” says Beadle who was adamant not to take his father’s advice to stay in one job for many years. “I’ve always wanted to work for myself and I’m not a fan of routine, so I love what I’m doing because every day is different.”
Beadle’s approach to renting workspace is totally different to a regular property agent. “Running this business is like having guests stay at your hotel. You want to make sure that their stay is a comfortable and convenient one.” This approach has certainly worked as the feedback most often received from tenants is that their work productivity increases tremendously when at The Bureaux. Perhaps, in a small way, this is also due to the clever name Beadle chose for the business? Bureaux, a word more commonly used 100 years ago, means writing desk, which today evokes the idea of a productive working space, albeit with a laptop instead of a pen and paper.
His business inspiration comes from the author of The 4-hour Workweek, Timothy Ferris and life coach Tony Robbins. Beadle has certainly taken Ferris’ concepts to heart. To keep his creative side flourishing, he still freelances from time to time as a photographer at extreme sporting events like the Iron Man World Champs, Tour de France and Cape Town Cycle Tour as they appeal to his sense of adventure and love for cycling.
Where to from here for Beadle? “We’ve already got plans underway for more space in Woodstock and I’d like to expand with locations in Stellenbosch and the Southern Suburbs and eventually internationally too.” Of course with each new location, Beadle says there is a great risk involved and that’s where a business mind keeps him on his toes. “It’s the thrill of business, knowing when to expand and when to sit tight. The easiest and safe option is to always sit tight, but then The Bureaux would never have grown as fast as it has. If you believe in the opportunity then you have to take the chance,” he concludes.
For more information about The Bureaux, visit thebureaux.co.za or contact: +27 87 470 0369 or email: info@thebureaux.co.za.
For more information about Bureaux Black, visit bureauxblack.com or contact +27 87 470 0369.
