#265 - Hospitality Meets Chris Davies - The Story of the Office that Smells Like Itself

The story of the office that smells like itself

What do university ASBOs, Stash Monkey, Sarah Beeny, private equity cold calls and an office with its own recognisable smell have in common?

They all feature in the unconventional journey of Chris Davies, CEO of flexible office brand Uncommon.

Recorded inside Uncommon’s Fulham podcast studio, after Chris and Phil had already used up most of the good material during an hour-long pre-podcast chat, the conversation explores accidental entrepreneurship, yellow energy and the value of making decisions before certainty finally arrives.

Chris also invents the word “Un-Starbucks-ise,” reveals why his university time resulted in an actual legal threat and casually announces that he would eventually like to create a hotel brand.

Naturally, we made a note of that.

We Cover

Why every Uncommon building looks different but somehow feels the sameRecognising an office by its smellThe university business that nearly earned Chris an institutional ASBOBeing sued over the name Stash MonkeyWhy your dream investor should not receive your first-ever pitchMaking decisions when you are only 51% certainThe joy and danger of filling a business with yellow energy peopleWhy a company is a team rather than a familyLearning to manage the energy you bring into a roomThe hospitality stories that definitely cannot be shared publiclySaunas, ice baths and Chris’s future hotel ambitions

Quotables

“People need to think of time as a resource.”

“You kind of don’t want your best shot to be your first one.”

“We’re a team. We’re not a family.”