Small Business: Co-working etiquette - Amelia Gain, Preno

Amelia Gain and Max Podolian, cofounders of Preno.

Amelia Gain is CEO and cofounder of Preno, which is developing an online management tool for boutique accommodation providers. Preno has a team of three based in the GridAKL coworking space in Wynyard Quarter.

When did you start working in a coworking space?

We founded our company back in December last year, and then spent three months from March in the Lightning Lab - an accelerator programme for digital startups, which was based at the GridAKL. Soon after finishing at the Lightning Lab we moved into the coworking space upstairs at the Grid.

Why did you choose coworking, rather than getting your own office?

There were a few reasons. One was the location, because being here is really central and convenient. Another was having other people around who had experiences to share. And the last reason was the environment. It's a very active place and there's always a lot happening and for us as a small team that kind of environment is a lot more productive than being isolated and on our own.

Going through a business accelerator is a very intense process, so when we came out it was natural for us to try and find a similar environment with hustle and bustle and things happening. It's very hard to keep the momentum going when you come out of an accelerator and you're on your own again, so it was really important for us to be around companies that were at a similar stage of development.

How does coworking compare to other environments you've worked in?

My background is owning and running hotels and I've found there are a lot of similarities between working in hospitality and in a coworking space. Both are very active and busy, but also there's also a lot of discussion and cooperation between people. So a coworking space is perfect for me in setting up this new venture because it feels quite natural.

What kind of interactions do you have with other coworkers?

We share a lot of ideas. We're an early stage startup so I'm still trying to find out how to do things and asking questions is natural way for me to find out stuff. I'm naturally quite a shy person, but being in a shared space I've found that the more I talk to other people and engage with them the more I get out of it and enjoy it.

We've been lucky enough to gather a great group of advisors around us as a result of being in the Lightning Lab, but sometimes there's no better way to find out how to do something than by talking to fellow startup founders, especially around things like hiring. To make the most out of being in a shared space you have to get involved, participate in events and talk to people around you.

Do you spend a lot of time in the shared activities organised by the space?

Every week there's something to do and it depends on our workload at the time as to what we can get involved in, but we try when we can. They have great speakers come and do talks every week, and I like those a lot. Another big benefit of being here is you're always still learning.