“It seemed more fun to me than being shut out in your own private little office” Stuart Lambert, co-founder of Cohub and principal consultant at Qology explained to us. A venture born from frustration to find a decent, serviced office space in early 2010s for his small team, Stuart thought of making their own space with their needs in mind.
With a combined conservative turnover of £7 million serving over 200+ brands, they share conversations about what they’re working on as much as how the weather looks like outside or the next CoHub event. Open 24/7 to its members; space offers flexibility for many different styles of working... as long as you remember to turn the lights off when you’re the last one to leave.
Community energy
As much as Cohub sets the scene, it is the community that brings the energy. Stuart believes that much of the reason people come to Cohub is that remote working can be a lonely business and that this Eastbourne community offers a chance to be an active participant.
“‘People don’t want to be isolated… people can engage with the local economy of the town whenever they feel like, engage with their local community”
Cohub is not always business-first. It’s also a fun environment, offering BBQs in the summer on the roof terrace, ‘co-lunches’, as well as movie nights.
“I don’t always organise events, but I have my responsibilities as a member too. It’s always rewarding to see friendships develop through coworking.”
With rising prices in London and Brighton, Eastbourne has proven itself a relatively easy place for young entrepreneurs to make their mark, as Stuart found in his own life. Soon, what became a search for the perfect place in Eastbourne became not just a financial one, but also an emotional one as well. Stuart explained that he decided not to run his own office for two particular reasons: flexibility and collaboration.
“We’re looking for serendipity between individuals, bringing people together. We’re very hands off (when it comes to management)”
Diversity
Cohub attracts a diverse range of members: global programmers and digital designers on the most part, it also hosts members within the hotel industry, medical tech, and even have occasional visits from an ecologist among a host of tech and media creatives (‘I like the mixture’ Stuart said). They have contributed, according to Stuart’s estimations, to over 22 different new ventures, and had companies start out before being established in their own premises with bigger teams, such as The Network Factory and Ditzy Media.
Uniqueness
A unique element about Cohub is that while they are even in teams, everyone is an individual member, and everyone engages with the work and life of everyone, with the same rights. With a culture of individual memberships, Cohub hopes to able others contribute their own ideas to the wider community on their own ventures, and even hire and form small teams. With over half the new members also being relatively new to Eastbourne, but also travelling from across East Sussex and Kent, Cohub is not only a place for locals.
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Why Eastbourne?
Over the past five years, Eastbourne has been quietly reinventing itself into an exciting creative hotspot with a reputation as a growing centre for digital technology. Tourism remains a vital part of the local economy, attracting over five million visitors each year, with a visitor economy worth over £336m.
Nestled at the foot of the South Downs, Eastbourne is an attractive place to live, with its promenade, parks, and Seven Sisters cliff top walks. It has family-friendly suburbs full of Victorian and Edwardian homes, as well as modern apartment developments such as Sovereign Harbour.
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