#7 Nordic Co-working Spaces: Bricks

There are two things that are universally true for entrepreneurs – they need to market their products and they are extremely busy and stressed out! Now there is a co-working space that supports them in dealing with both of these challenges by providing them with tranquility and the opportunity to learn and grow their business through clever, high-end marketing hacks.

In Copenhagen, there is a co-working space that made it a priority to deal with those challenges and to provide fuzz-free environment for small startups that strive for simplified growth. Marketing and Mindfulness are the key services of the cozy shared office Bricks at the heart of Startup Village in Copenhagen.

It was created almost a year ago with the intention of boosting profitability for small businesses and elevating their personal balance. The focus is on creating an atmosphere of peacefulness and community spirit with established small businesses and experienced entrepreneurs. Tony Mortensen, the manager of the space, is talking about creating a tribe of people who share the culture and the mindset of slowing down and approaching the business cleverly rather than painfully.

A Peaceful Island in a Stormy Sea

There are about 30 startups there right now with different backgrounds, working in accounting, media, marketing, technology, data analysis, lifestyle, and others. The space might be small for now but it already has plans to expand across the entire floor when the other tenants move out later this year. It is also reaches out to connect with the Startup Village network that provides opportunities and events on a much larger scale so residents can balance between the relaxed every day work in Bricks and the energizing experience of having Friday Bars and lunch within the vibrant entrepreneurial area. The Startup Village is an old warehouse and food production district which is now filled with new and growing companies – some more established, some less. It has unique atmosphere and connections between different businesses and initiatives.

Bricks is located in one of the warehouses, and the atmosphere is indeed peaceful and quiet, with lots of sunlight, cozy corners with plants, books, art, candles, and natural materials. It is divided in two spaces  – the Wood and New York. The Wood is where businesses can be fixed and stable while they grow with their own desk and personal space while New York is dynamic and flexible like the city it is named after. In addition to the typical for a co-working space facilities like meeting and workshop rooms and kitchen, there is the special meditation room that is designed so that residents of the space can relax, meditate, and have some time on their own.

The story of creating Bricks represents the idea of personalized and co-created community space:

“We got the soundproofing panels in the meeting rooms from Greenpeace downstairs. They are entirely made of natural materials. A lot of the furniture was shared with us by other companies in the area, a local artist decorated the walls, the photos are from a young promising photographer, the interior was created by a friend who works with plants and another one who works with pallets.” says Tony

“Lars, one of the residents and founder of Mindre Stress, Mere Nærvær, designed the meditation room and recorded guided meditations for the residents. We are creating sustainable environment and community spirit here.” he adds

Building a Business Brick by Brick

Every month in Bricks, members can participate in a marketing workshop where they discuss the latest state-of-the-art strategies to attract and maintain customers. The philosophy behind this service is that the residents of Bricks – often freelancers or very small teams – have limited resources and time to learn and do everything around their business and are left with less time to focus on their core product. That is why the progress through the workshops is made as relevant as possible and gradually guides the members towards creating a laser focused and more automatized marketing approach.

The philosophy of Bricks is illustrated by a beautiful wall art of a cow that is meant to represent the great entrepreneur.  A cow produces milk but it cannot package it, deliver it to the supermarket, or make cheese out of it. It does only what it does best, and if it focuses on doing what it takes to produce great milk, it will. If it has to take care of everything else, it will probably get so confused that it will stop even giving milk. The co-working space provides the nurturing environment and support for startups to do their work and worry less about things that can be delegated or outsourced.

Benefits for residents:

• Bricks breathing space
• Bricks marketing workshop
• Startup Village network
• Company address
• Meeting rooms
• 24hrs access
• 3000 dkk per person/month Bricks Fixed for your own desk
• 1800 dkk per person/month for Bricks Fly for a shared and flexible workspace
• Few rooms are available for teams and you should contact Tony with for more details about that.