On a random Monday afternoon, as I was going through my Facebook NewsFeed, I came across a picture; a picture of a wonderfully decorated furnished space. The internet is an abundance of such pictures but what made this one stand out was a layered text that asked and answered a simple question, “Looking for a place to work or study? Rent a space at Rs. 25 per hour.”

For anyone who loves to work beyond their room’s almost detention like confines, this is a game changer. More than often, there have been days when my friends and I have wandered all over the city to find an affordable place to work only to end up at a cafe to pay hundreds for a cup of coffee we didn’t really want and a less than reliable internet (the one thing that we actually wanted needed.) So, I set to visit a place that was shown to have everything, people like me needed within Kathmandu.

Right after you cross the Kalopul bridge, opposite of the Bhandareshwor temple, you will see a restaurant of a bamboo facade and inside that, is Work Around - the trending startup in the town right now.

The Idea

Initially, Tanka Ram Poudel and Dadhi Ram Poudel, now co-founders of Work Around, decided to open a cafe and a training centre in their residence itself. The self-construction of the cafe had begun at around August, 2016. However, the construction came to a halt for three complete months when a financial crunch hit them. Hence, they decided to sell the cafe.

The idea of Work Around arose out of two different questions- the first, a personal one, pertaining to the use of space left vacant by the cafe and the second, a nobler one, of being able to support startups struggling with their daily finances.

“I always hear people talking about the difficulty in operating a startup. And most of them associated with regular finances. Everything from renting space and utilities, to having lunch and snacks, to Networking over coffee costs. While everyone was talking about such problems, none within my network was doing anything about it” explains Tanka. The initial concept of Work Around, now one of the busiest hubs for startups and freelancers in town, was thus born out of a will to do something about the problem heard over and over again.

The team of two

Tanka came up with the idea of Work Around, but both the brother gave their utmost to make the place it is today. “Tanka is the brain between us. We call him the ‘Think Tank’, and, I’m the crazy one,” laughs Dadhi, as he explains the team.

Acclaim

As a startup themselves, Work Around had a nominal budget for marketing. They believed they had a great product at hand, but little experience in marketing and Digital media didn’t help either. However, Tanka decided to try a hand at social media and it worked wonders. “We were skeptical in the beginning about the response we would get because of our location, but the reaction has been overwhelming. We have had an influx of youths from all sorts of background visiting our place, and most of the responses have been incredibly positive,” says Tanka.

 They have had a whooping success in their social media post leading many people from all over Kathmandu to come here and try. “We were astonished by the likes on the post we shared. It was unexpected. Five hundred, six hundred and a thousand likes in the post within no time. But more than the likes, we were excited by actual customers to flow into our space. It’s been amazing”, adds Dadhi.  

Value for money

The place is as affordable as their Social Media Post claims. No added costs, no percentage charges.

 The capacity of the space is around 28 people (7 tables). You can rent a workspace for Rs. 25 an hour per person; which includes a 10 Mbps Vianet Internet connection. And since it has a cafe right outside, you can always have something if you are hungry.

For Rs. 200, you can rent out space for a whole day. Moreover, the per unit cost turns lower with increasing hours of renting:  Rs. 1200 for a week and Rs. 4500 per month. You can also become a premium member if you are looking for more value. As a premium member, you can rent out space anywhere from 9 am to 6 pm for an entire month at just Rs. 3999. Premium members are also facilitated with a meeting room.  

Future Plans

They had never thought they would get the response they are getting right now. The flow of people and the feedback has made them think of the future.

 “We are getting a lot of feedbacks and requests for opening a branch in other places but I feel that we need to improve this place first, get more customers, basically test our product first and then think about it.” But somewhere in the back of the head, they have a model planned out. Five years down the lane, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, if they have many branches all around Kathmandu, and people literally, ‘Work Around’.

 From July 2017, Work Around will lets its premium members declare a beneficiary who can use the space during their absence.