Bringing the Good (Axe)
Iolanthe Gabrie and Yule Guttenbeil are veterans of Melbourne’s coworking community. After 20-odd years of collaboration in shared spaces, they’ve brought their experience to bear on Good Axe, an elegant professional workplace launching on Bell Street in Preston.
Why have you decided to launch a professional workplace offering?
Iolanthe: I’ve built my business Ruby Assembly exclusively from coworking environments of all kinds over 12 years - from the most basic and grimey to the most illustrious. Having moved to Coburg North and started a family in 2020, I began looking for an elegant professional working environment I’d be pleased to welcome both staff and clients to. Beyond the CBD, there simply isn’t a suburban offering with comprehensive community management and premium workplace facilities for professionals. So Yule and I decided to build one ourselves! Post-COVID, people (even in the most conservative categories) have started thinking differently about ways to work; Good Axe will be a no-compromise space for established businesses to do their work.
Yule: Because I couldn’t find one that was fit-for-purpose close to home! One of the first things I did on moving to Coburg North in 2020 was to look for a suitable flexible office space for my legal business. I was used to working in premium workspaces in the CBD with great facilities that presented very well to clients. But with starting a family and COVID making the travel into the CBD undesirable, it became important to have a work-space that met both my business’ needs as well as my lifestyle ones. Since I couldn’t find one ready-made, it made sense to build it myself.
What elements of your previous workplace experiences will inform Good Axe?
Iolanthe: I love open coworking; it suits my nature as a curious individual and it matches the size of my business. Good Axe will prioritise immaculate, bright coworking zones that encourage collaboration and flexibility. And joy!
Yule: I have worked in many flexible workspaces over the past 15 years all over the globe, and paid close attention to what works, and what doesn’t in each of them. The commonalities between the best ones usually come down to good design with close attention to detail, and genuine investment in building a community around the space. A well operating co-working environment builds synergy between its members. Almost every co-working space claims community building as a primary value, but more often than not the desire isn’t truly there. One thing that will certainly help Good Axe is the conscious decision to place the space close to where its members live. The Good Axe community is literally part of the local community.
“Employers and employees have both tasted flexibility and independence; they want a way to retain independence with easy opportunities to come together.”
How do you think COVID has changed the way professional services will practice?
Iolanthe: Travelling to the CBD to do business - or feeling like you have to be in the CBD to be ‘serious’ - is a thing of the past. Employers and employees have both tasted flexibility and independence; they want a way to retain independence with easy opportunities to come together. Employers also want ways to avoid ‘The Great Resignation’ by signalling flexibility to their potential staff. Professional services (i.e. experts) whether individuals or teams will want workspaces that reflect their values; Good Axe meets this need with elegant environs in easily accessible locations on flexible terms. Here’s to the new workplace dynamic!
Yule: The changes we have all experienced to the way we work were profound, immediate and long-term. Almost all professional services were suddenly conducted from home, which brought a lot of benefits such as increased productivity, no commute and in many cases people were happier working from home. But it also brought obvious downsides like the lack of face-to-face meetings (which will always have their place), proper office facilities and social isolation. Most professional service workers would rather not have to commute to the office if they can be just as effective working closer to home. I think there is a demand for work-space solutions that embody the best of both worlds: short commutes, great facilities that present well to clients, and a sense of community and belonging. I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.
What are you most excited about when it comes to Good Axe?
Iolanthe: The Parent’s Room! Having a dedicated, well-considered space for parents to do what they gotta is one of the most positive, inclusive signals a workspace can have. Just knowing that such a space exists brings into consciousness the normalcy of women returning to work after baby arrives. Having recently been based in a workspace whose concession to a parent’s room was a vacant office with a single computer chair, Good Axe will be going all in to bring peace and comfort to Mamas and Papas doing business.
Yule: The whole package! I get to work close to home and my daughter’s child care. The space is practical and beautifully designed. I’m proud to bring clients there. I get to build a business community with my neighbours. Plus I get to work with my wife again! (Side Note: we met when we worked at the same co-working space).
“The couches will be comfy, art works will be nice, and the playlist will be fire.”
Where do you see Good Axe in 5 years?
Iolanthe: Good Axe will have two sites in Melbourne’s north, one in Melbourne’s east, and two dedicated to serving the needs of new housing developments in the north-west.
Yule: The range of services offered to members will grow in response to demand. The good thing about community focussed work spaces is members are forthcoming with feedback and recommendations on improvements. If you are open to it, opportunities abound.
What are some core fails you look to address with the Good Axe project?
Yule: Lack of Atmosphere. I have worked in some truly beautiful spaces that felt like a mausoleum. Sometimes it’s down to design (e.g. the space has too many hard surfaces, making it echo loudly) but more often it comes down to a lack of consideration and effort by the operators. Iolanthe and I care about where we live and we care about where we work. Good Axe is about providing a space for people who do as well. The couches will be comfy, art works will be nice, and the playlist will be fire. Cynicism. You don’t need to look far for examples of work-spaces that might provide a checklist of what is needed to run a business, but don’t really care about their members. You won’t get that with us. Iolanthe and I are both very earnest, warm and welcoming. We are starting Good Axe as users of the space.
What do you love most about Pentridge as a location?
Yule: Pentridge has everything I like about a CBD location, but close to home and cheaper. Easy access parking. There are 4 café options on the doorstep. Plenty of really good eateries (special shout out to Lucky Little Dumplings), a supermarket and even a cinema. It’s right by Coburg Lake reserve. We were excited about the development before it opened, and now we like it so much we want to be there all the time.
Yule and Iolanthe are Coburg locals, and partners in life as well as business. They have an excellent small daughter, a German Sherpherd (Wagner) and two cats (Superhans and Baby Billie).
