After a successful exit from his first business at an international retail company, Michael James Aldridge started working at an education foundation started by his family, which he took as a new challenge.
Working for the foundation amplified his desire to advocate for grass roots change and delivery.
“I wanted to be in a challenging environment and looked to emerging markets for an opportunity,” says James.
Having explored the East Coast of Africa, he got to understand firsthand the potential the continent had. Infrastructure, investment and technology adoption were creating a fertile environment for business growth.
But, according to James, the services required to support companies to grow and reach their full potential were not available.
“I realised that in order to fully support a business, you need to support employees, and in any successful venture or enterprise, people are the greatest asset.
“If you invest in talent and provide an engaging and supportive environment, your employees will feel motivated and inspired to do their best. Your business will reap the benefits,” he adds.
This led to the launch of KOFISI in 2014. KOFISI is a workspace provider seeking to deliver fully serviced, turnkey offices with flexible licenses for businesses in Africa.
James, who is a graduate of psychology from Cambridge University, says he was also influenced by his father who built his business from scratch, and rose from the position of post boy to CEO.
“We spent some time exploring ideas, and focused on keeping things simple and relevant. That is how the workspace business idea was born,” he says.
The facilities on offer include a Knowledge Room which can accommodate up to 25 people.
James notes that KOFISI delivers a simple product to support employees by providing engaging work environments all over Africa. the company has presence in Dar es Salaam, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.
“So far we are in eight locations across four countries, and we are growing. We are building more centres in Nairobi, and we are also in Dar Es Salaam, Lagos and Johannesburg. We are looking to expand into Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, and Egypt,” he added.
Nairobi has six outlets – two in Westlands, two on Riverside Drive, and one each in Karen and Upper Hill.
The charges for using the various spaces depend on a number of factors.
The co-working or flexible memberships start at Sh17,000 ($150) per person per month, while the charges for offices start at Sh57,000 ($500) per desk per month for a basic package, depending on location.
“You can mix and match our memberships to suit your business. You might have three people who work every day and need to be in a three-desk office, and two people who don’t work every day and would use a co-working membership, using the communal areas and flex spaces in the same centre,” adds James.
The charges for meeting rooms range from 1700 ($15) per hour for a four-person meeting to Sh28,000 ($250) for a half day in our large Knowledge Room which can accommodate up to 25 people. The prices include hot drinks and refreshments.
“We also have a large Assembly Room for 40-plus people and Gather Spaces for conferences. We have a professional Media Centre with a Podcasting Studio and Green Screen TV Room available at one of our centres which costs between $95 and $300 per hour depending on the level of assistance required for your broadcast segment,” he added.
The business also offers a number of specialist workplace facilities in the various centers including large outdoor spaces and training rooms.
It also has a media centre which is a unique service for clients offering a space for them to do radio interviews or record podcasts as part of their digital marketing campaigns.
“The advantage of registering as our member is that even if your office space is at KOFISI Karen, you can use the office facilities at any of our other centres. So if you need to hold a meeting at KOFISI Westlands or even in Dar es Salaam, you can,” says James.
Studio space at KOFISI office spaces in westlands in a picture taken on March 26,2022.
The company has over 100 employees currently working across various centres in our various teams, the biggest of which is our hospitality team.
He says one of the biggest challenges they faced at the beginning was explaining how their product worked.
“People understand the concept of co-working as well as serviced office providers, but we are a hybrid of the two. This means we provide a myriad of additional services for business, much more than what you might find in a hotel,” he explains.
James adds that what makes the business different from other competitors is that it focuses on delivering incredible interior design, hotel grade hospitality and the latest technology.
“We also provide communal and specialist workspaces outside of your office, so your team can use all these additional spaces with full flexibility in the type of workspace they choose to work from during the day,” says James.
These additional spaces include meeting rooms, community kitchens, rooftop cafes or the dedicated media centre.
He notes that before setting up such a business, one needs to ensure the building is in a prime location for business, and of Grade A quality throughout.
“Our centres are large, with our latest 50,000 square feet centre in Riverside Square taking four floors of an eight-floor building,” he says.
This enables delivery of a variety of work zones for members, which includes outdoor spaces, events areas, conference rooms, member lounges, café’s and community kitchens as well as top quality meeting and board rooms.
He adds that the dream is to have the business in all African countries. BY DAILY NATION