When people ask why I chose to double down on real estate, I always tell them the same thing: challenging environments create the clearest opportunities. You just have to be willing to look in the places other people overlook.
My personal catalyst
My own career started far from the world of flexible workspace. Fifteen years ago, I was running an online sushi business out of the unused back kitchen of a kebab shop. I launched with £3,000 in savings, and on the first day we turned over £500.
But the success was by no means linear. When we hit a cash‑flow crisis, I had to choose between paying my rent or paying my staff. I chose the team and ended up sleeping on a chest freezer in the kitchen until the business stabilized. Those nights staring at the ceiling after a 16‑hour shift taught me how unforgiving overhead can be when you’re trying to build something from scratch.
That experience became the catalyst for everything to come. As we grew, I ended up renting one of our kitchens out as a dark kitchen. Demand was instant and constant. (A dark kitchen is a professional food preparation facility that produces meals exclusively for delivery or takeout, with no dine-in storefront or customer service area.)
That then led to the food business, which scaled to 45 dark kitchens and was later acquired by Uber founder Travis Kalanick. It was a life‑changing deal that gave me both financial freedom and the ultimate crash course in scaling a business globally.
But instead of stepping back after the exit, I had an itch I needed to scratch. I wondered what other industries were held back by the same outdated, inflexible property models.
Flex space as the next frontier
In 2022, I launched Tradestars to build the solution. Rather than offer typical coworking spaces, our studios are built for tattoo artists, hairdressers, TikTok shops, podcasters, designers, and dozens of creative and service‑based businesses who don’t fit into traditional office categories.
These are entrepreneurs who need fully equipped, fairly priced, plug‑and‑play space to operate. A desk and some wifi was never going to cut it.
Real estate remains one of the most resilient asset classes
Real estate has been around since ancient times and will be here long after we’re gone. No one’s making more land, but there is endless room to reinvent what sits on it. And that’s where value is created.
The whole Tradestars model comes directly from my personal experience and struggles — the long hours, the cash‑flow pressure, the nights sleeping on a freezer. I built this so our tenants don’t have to go through any of that.
If you solve real problems for real people, add value, the disruption follows naturally.
I went through a huge entrepreneurial transformation when I realized the role space plays in people’s ability to build a livelihood.
That’s why I bet on flex space.
And why I’ll do it again and again.
