Tarik Yassien continues his conversation with Kolektif House co-founder, Ahmet Onur, on what we can expect from the group. You can read Part 1 here.
You’ve talked about this a bit already, but could you elaborate on how Kolektif House generally functions as a business. What is the model there?
The business part of the story is real estate. You have meters squared rent that you’re paying. Somehow we have to monetize the space that we have. We do events. 30% of our workflow is events. 70% is office and open-space rental. So, if we rent a percentage of our potential, which is 30 days in the event space and 40 spots in the co-working space, then we’re just paying our meter-squared real estate.
Our team has also grown. We’re five or six people now. We’re operating a cafe with its own barista. We have a community manager. We have a PR and events manager. Then there are the three of us. Sanayi is not a high-profit oriented project. As long as we’re sustainable, our goal is to make money just to invest back in the purpose of the project.
Is your space completely full? Are there in fact openings left?
Private offices are full, but we’re opening new offices. We have three event spaces currently and will turn one into office space. We have higher demand there and creative people coming in. If we can’t supply, then that makes us sad. So we’re turning that into an office.
We have places in the open-space though. Private offices are full, which is a bit easier to accept because it’s more ordinary of a thinking process. The open-space takes more time for people. I think the open-space is actually more fun.
To what degree are foreigners involved with the project?
Well, we might have an incoming editor actually who is a foreigner. Our dream has always been to have 10% of our community as foreigners. We think it’s really important to always have a vision and a bridge with the outside world. This is done by having different cultures within the building. It’s really important. We’d love to help and have foreigners, especially foreigner freelancers who are likely having twice as much difficulty as Turks would. We’d love them to come and use Kolektif House for their benefit.
How can people get involved?
First of all, they can come and use our space. For roughly the price of two coffees at Starbucks a day, they can come and join. We have very modest pricing. We argue that a freelancer either works at home or at a cafe. The home model for us is really difficult if you’re not self-disciplined. You’ve got to make your way into a work mindset from your bed to your desk, which is psychologically pretty difficult. Just in terms of motivation, it is not efficient. If you want to get serious and create something of a lifetime, you have to put more thought into where you are and your work environment.
The second route is coffee shops. Here, when you become a member, first of all the coffee is free along with many other services. You’re paying two coffees per day in regards to cost. You have an address, a meeting room, an event space, you get a wow-factor to your clients. We have Google CEOs and YouTube C-Level executives coming in and it’s the same impact. As a freelancer, this is I think, the most valuable thing.
Or, they could just drop in. Our first floor is for non-members. You can just swing by from 8:00 to 20:00 during the weekdays or 9:30 to 18:30 during the weekends and grab a coffee, listen to music and use our fast and free internet.
I was here for the delicious Aperitivo you recently hosted and you guys just collaborated with Jam Sessions Turkey for a musical event. You also have an art exhibit ongoing. Maybe you could inform our readers about what they can expect in regard to events?
Whatever I say will probably keep surprising people, because we love to create events. All of our events are meant to enhance the work experience of people that are here. Aperitivo is an after-work drink. Imagine you’re working upstairs and suddenly, at your office building, you have two-hundred people coming in to have fun. That’s kind of the thinking process.
We have two events that are kind of warm that we’ll do. This will be a Yabangee teaser that we’re giving. The first is a group that mixes food with film screenings. We’ll have really comfortable seating here and show the film on the big screen. They serve food according to the film they screen. It’s both a food and visual experience.
Then, another one, is going to be a Cuban night. We have a local Cuban group that will come and teach Cuban dancing, do mojitos in a Cuban vibe and bring that energy into the building.
Those are two events. Aperitivo, brunch, the product hunts… as long as people are happy with them and we’re happy, we’ll do them monthly. So that’s important. Every month we’ll change the concept a bit with a twist, but we’ll repeat it. As long as people love it, we’ll love it.
Our last question is something we ask everybody. Where do you like to go in the city? Do you have any recommendations?
My favorite breakfast place is definitely Emek in Yeniköy. I was born in Yeniköy, it’s my neighborhood. It’s a tiny breakfast place on the shore. I bet they serve the best menemen that you can find in Istanbul. If somebody thinks otherwise, they should tell me where. Tell them to e-mail me.
Be sure to check out Kolektif House if you haven’t already. Their Facebook is an especially great way to stay up to date with their developments.
