Founders Friday – Charlie Brazier
About Charlie
Charlie first moved to Singapore in 1998 to help set up a distribution network for a textile company. His entrepreneurship journey started shortly after, when he founded BW Furniture, a dealership that works with architects, project managers and specifiers across Asia to create remarkable interiors.
While running his own furniture company, Charlie saw an opportunity to enter the co-working market by capitalising on an empty space behind a restaurant that he co-owned. This opportunity grew into ClubCo, a co-working space that provides members with cutting-edge workspaces . More recently, Charlie launched MultiCo, a revolutionary new concept in workspaces.
About MultiCo
ClubCo realised that tenants were paying for desk space in co-working spaces but spending most of their time in meetings at cafรฉs, restaurants and bars. They decided to address this by launching MultiCo, a workspace membership program that partners with F&B outlets and co-working spaces to offer conducive workspaces across the island. MultiCo is unlike any other co-working membership program because it does not tie its members to a single workspace provider. For a monthly fee, members get credits to spend on services at any of its partner venues.
In one sentence, how would you summarise your journey so far?
Charlie (C):An exciting yet challenging journey which is now reaping the fruits of perseverance.
What has been the most satisfying aspect of entrepreneurship for you?
C: Continually growing a unique concept in a highly competitive space.
What do you feel is the essential quality a startup founder must have?
What advice would you have for someone contemplating leaving the corporate world to be an entrepreneur?
What was the biggest challenge you faced in scaling your sales?
C: ClubCo and MultiCo have a unique offering that might not be intuitive to all, and it has been challenging to communicate our offerings in a clear and persuasive manner.
How did you acquire your first customers?
C: I am thankful for a supportive network of friends, clients and partners, who spread the word on what we do. Our customer base continues to grow through word of mouth and referrals.
A screenshot of the MultiCo app. For more information, visit https://www.multico.co
What aspects were the most important when building your team?
If you had to build your team again, what would you do differently?
C: I would have changed many things in hindsight. One would be having a clear idea of the type of people to hire – I should have talked to other entrepreneurs in the co-working space industry to gain a better understanding of this.
What are the top 3 tips you have for investor pitching?
1) Keep it short and succinct. Investors are busy people.
2) Get straight to the point. Lay out only what you require.
3) Most importantly, don’t oversell the future. It is better to paint a realistic expectation for the investors and overdeliver the results, rather than to make a disappointing mess.
According to your investors, what sets you apart from other startups?
C: We are still the only co-working business that includes food and beverage from F&B outlets as part of our packages.
Any other words of wisdom that you would like to share?
C: Starting a business can be all-consuming, take time out for your family and yourself.
Stay tuned for next week's episode of Founders Friday
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