Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben Wales. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ben, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
Early 2020 I shared my idea with Bobby, a close friend of mine, about creating a workspace that was health and wellness focused. A few months later COVID was in full swing so we were unsure about the future of coworking in-person, but kept planning and talking about our potential business model.
The goal was creating an environment that nurtured people’s mental and physical health via lots of plants, sunlight, a yoga room, gym, community events, and other similar amenities.
We did lots of research, wrote a business plan, started talking with business owners about their experiences and what we should expect and prepare for, and began applying for an SBA loan and looking at real estate in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
The big milestones before opening were getting approved for our SBA loan which took almost 6 months and was not an easy process by any means; and then signing our lease for a commercial space. This took almost a year and many, many location visits to find the right space in the right neighborhood with space for everything we wanted to provide for future guests and members.
Ben, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve been a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and gym manager for over a decade.
People spend so much time at the workplace. I wanted to design a space that nurtures people’s mental and physical health while at work.
At The Wilderness Fitness and Coworking we provide a full size gym with weights, cardio equipment, a bouldering wall, 150ft of turf, and even an obstacle course to allow people to take breaks during the workday to move around, stretch, and exercise. There are free daily yoga and fitness classes that also provide a low-pressure social outlet for guests and members to meet others in the space.
There are over 200 plants, lots of natural light, a private patio/courtyard, meditation room, and other amenities such as being a dog-friendly workspace that are geared toward creating a fun, peaceful environment.
I’m proud of the awesome community of gym and coworking members that are part of The Wilderness. They’re affectionally known as the “Wilderpeople” :)
It’s fun to see people improve their health, make new connections, and increase their productivity and creativity!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The Wilderness was started to provide a health and wellness-focused workspace for small businesses and remote workers in Minneapolis.
When we signed our lease for our new space in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis in 2022, we moved into a 17,000 sq ft lower level space that had a theater, speakeasy, game room, and lounge that were on one end of the building.
We made the decision to start using this space during nights/weekends for private event rentals. Our first 6 months we hosted maybe 1 event per month. Soon though, word-of-mouth started to get around about our fun, unique event space.
This last year we hosted over a hundred events and it’s now an integral part of our business.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Our strategy for building a social media presence:
1. Post creative, fun content that represents our brand
2. Collaborate with other businesses and individuals that share similar audiences
3. Run different promotions and giveaways on a regular basis
4. Highlight members and local businesses
5. Pay to work with influencers and marketing companies that understand our business and customer base.
Contact Info:
- Website: thewildernessmn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildernessmn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildernessmn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wilderness-fitness-coworking
Image Credits
Bobby Burns