Alan Philips, author of The Age of Ideas, says that the key to a fulfilling, successful work life is dependent upon one’s ability to create a distinctive brand.
Philips, the former SVP Brand Experience of WeWork, says that the 44 million Americans involved in a side hustle hope to satisfy work-related needs.
Millennials moving closer to the entrepreneurship world marks the start of this “Age of Ideas”: An era that is driven by creativity, and ultimately protecting human jobs from being replaced by robots.
“Creativity is the last sustainable competitive advantage and primary driver of future value creation,” states Philips on his website TheAgeofIdeas.com.
During his time at WeWork, Philips fulfilled his own “creative self-actualization” by scheduling entertainment and community events that made headlines and successfully brought in potential clients.
Philips also says that people can use online education tools to turn a commodity product into a worldwide brand.
After the 2008 market crash, Philips lost his hospitality marketing business and decided to start from scratch to fulfill his career desire— creating pop-up restaurants under the name Guerilla Culinary Brigade.
Although this venture was before the Instagram, but nonetheless Philips manifested a unique experience through thoughtful branding.
“The key to making any project successful in the Age of Ideas, pop-up or permanent, is to ensure that the four elements of the Creator’s Formula are present: defined purpose, experiential creativity, flawless execution, and emotional generosity,” Philips said.
After the Guerilla Culinary Brigade, Philips joined the Morgans Hotel Group as CMO, where he rose to the occasion to properly executive and transform Morgans’ physical spaces. Simply put, creating a brand is about establishing design and programming.
WeWork has taken the concept of social spaces and turned them into a workplace. WeWork allows their customers to curate events that engage both tenants and staff, creating a community that has since been replicated by other coworking operators throughout the market.
“Coworking is not just a new way of outfitting an office building. It is a change how office buildings are used,” said Philips. “When this usage shift was combined with a powerful brand and the shifting priorities of the new generation, an explosive opportunity was revealed. “
Thinking outside the box and providing a unique offering are key to becoming a profitable commodity.
