Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
There's no one person that can provide all the insights I need to run the business. There are so many aspects to WeWork: Digital, real estate, operations, space, and design. I pick and choose people who can help in each aspect.
Once you choose to enter a WeWork, you choose to be part of something more 'we' than 'me.' People start coming together. They'll see each other in the elevator; they talk in the stairways. There's a thousand other things they do.
Anybody that wants to be something greater than themselves, that understands that bringing meaning and intention into work and bringing those two things together, is a member of the 'we generation,' and the money tends to follow.
If it's servicing a real need, that doesn't go away in a recession. If you're serving a true need, and if you have a loyal group of customers that are falling... As the world goes through a tough time, these customers will stay with you.
When I started at Baruch in January 2002, I was almost 23 years old. I'd previously spent five years as an officer the Israeli Navy. I did what I thought you were supposed to do at that age - a little studying and a lot of trying to have fun.
Before WeWork, I had a baby clothing company. When I started out, I had no real contacts in the garment business and no mentor to guide me on how things worked. I just had an idea to put pads on the baby clothes on to protect the baby's knees.
Life is about being present. Sometimes your home will demand more attention, and you should be there. Sometimes your work is more demanding. But the beautiful thing when you create your life's work is that it always feels like you're on a mission.
One of the difficult things in a high-growth company is that, even with the best intentions, the company moves so fast, and growth happens so regularly. When you move at that rate, you have to be willing to change, and you have to be willing to take advice.
When I moved to New York City from Israel, I came here with the idea to get a great job, have tons of fun, and make a lot of money. Growing up in Israel, I watched a lot of American TV, and I thought it's what the 'cool' people did, and I wanted the same thing.
As far as WeWork is concerned, we're not competing with co-working spaces; we're not competing with office suites. We're competing with work. We think there's a new way of working in the world, and it's just better. For the millenials and everybody that understands collaboration and the sharing economy, that's just the right way for them.