#265 - Hospitality Meets Chris Davies - The Story of the Office that Smells Like Itself

The story of the office that smells like itselfWhat do university ASBOs, Stash Monkey, Sarah Beeny, private equity cold calls and an office with its own recognisable smell have in common?They all feature in the unconventional journey of Chris Davies, CEO of flexible office brand Uncommon.Recorded inside Uncommon’s Fulham podcast studio, after Chris and Phil had already used up most of the good material during an hour-long pre-podcast chat, the conversation explores accidental entrepreneurship, yellow energy and the value of making decisions before certainty finally arrives.Chris also invents the word “Un-Starbucks-ise,” reveals why his university time resulted in an actual legal threat and casually announces that he would eventually like to create a hotel brand.Naturally, we made a note of that.We CoverWhy every Uncommon building looks different but somehow feels the sameRecognising an office by its smellThe university business that nearly earned Chris an institutional ASBOBeing sued over the name Stash MonkeyWhy your dream investor should not receive your first-ever pitchMaking decisions when you are only 51% certainThe joy and danger of filling a business with yellow energy peopleWhy a company is a team rather than a familyLearning to manage the energy you bring into a roomThe hospitality stories that definitely cannot be shared publiclySaunas, ice baths and Chris’s future hotel ambitionsQuotables“People need to think of time as a resource.”“You kind of don’t want your best shot to be your first one.”“We’re a team. We’re not a family.”“People can be odd.”“I like doing, in my personal life, as many reckless things as possible because I think it makes me feel alive.”Final ObservationUncommon began as a happy accident: a residential development that failed at planning and became an experiment in creating somewhere people might actually enjoy working.But what followed was not accidental.It took uncomfortable calls, imperfect pitches, wrong decisions, difficult conversations and a willingness to move while only 51% certain.The result is a growing business with five distinctive locations, a strong hospitality instinct and an office brand that Phil can apparently identify with his nose before he has even reached reception.Which is either excellent branding or the beginning of a very niche superpower.Show PartnerA big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud — the people management platform built specifically for shift-based teams.RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from one simple, web-based app.It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.To find out more, head to RotaCloudThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy