We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gerald Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gerald below.

Hi Gerald, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I grew up in South Louisiana, and my father was the Pastor of several small conservative Protestant churches up until the time I graduated high school. I always viewed my parents as entrepreneurs, but they were only that out of necessity. My Dad had a side-hustle as a piano technician which provided more means for our family than pastoring a church ever could. And I took notice of that. It’s easy for me to describe what my parents did right, by setting a great example of entrepreneurship as a means of survival, but they would be more apt to tell you what they did wrong. Fortunately, I tended to ignore that part.

Growing up in and around a church in the south meant music was a way of life. It was music that led my interests in technology. I began writing music and used technology as a way to record and capture that creativity, which in turn lead to using technology as a way of expanding into other forms of creative media, like film and video production, marketing, and publishing. At the heart of it all was my desire to be entrepreneurial. I always wanted to do things a little different, a little better, and hopefully improve on the status quo.

Gerald, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After 25 exciting years building our first company, we went through an acquisition and merger in 2012, I became president of the acquiring company, which was burdened with unused commercial real estate that was not generating any rental income. And we needed to figure out a creative way to activate it and create revenue from this dormant unused space. It was during that process that I became aware of the rapid growing phenomena called Coworking.

After two years as president, I stepped down to pursue other interests, and as a result, we launched Plexpod in late 2014. The concept was simple, Plex meaning “multiple units”, and Pod meaning “a protective housing”. It was all part of this new trend called the “sharing economy”. And for us, Plexpod was an opportunity to “pay it forward” for other entrepreneurs just starting out, or early-on in their journey. We were enamored with the concept of multiple companies sharing resources in an effort to create synergy and enjoy an environment that they could not otherwise have been able to afford on their own.

This new concept called Coworking felt so familiar as we had spent 25 years growing multiple companies that all shared a single infrastructure and leadership team. For us, Coworking felt like the future and we wanted to be doing something that made a difference for others. So, we converted an existing building that we owned into a Coworking facility for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. That first facility reached capacity within four months, well ahead of expectations, and we now have over 600 companies in 250,000 square feet of Coworking space across multiple locations (with several more locations currently in the works).

Other than that of my family, I am most proud of the opportunities I have had to serve on a multitude of boards and committees for philanthropic efforts. I‘m a lifetime member of the Media Communications Association International and served on the Regional Board of Governors for the American Association of Advertising Agencies. I have also enjoyed a variety of acknowledgements including Telly, Addy, Aurora, and BMA awards.

Just as I have benefited, my hope is to champion and encourage other entrepreneurs in every opportunity.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

When I get asked about my success or career from students, or those just starting their career, I usually respond “I was fortunate to ride the digital wave”. My wife and I started our first company as a side-hustle in 1988. I eventually quit my full-time job a few years later to pursue growing our new digital media company full time. It was certainly a great time to start a company in the digital space.

It was the early 1990’s when the internet was just being introduced to the world, and everyone was suddenly focused on all things digital. At that time, it didn’t seem very difficult building a digital communications company at a time when the whole world was suddenly enamored with the world wide web, high definition television, and e-commerce. With this new access and online engagement, suddenly the world became a lot smaller. Frankly, we were very fortunate to be starting our careers at that time; and we just wanted to pursue new ways of doing things. Fortunately, it was all new, and the transition from living in an offline analog world to this new online digital world happened very quickly, in less than a decade.

The primary interest for our company was fostering a culture of innovation while blending digital strategy, creativity, and technology for some great clients, and all with the intent on making a positive difference in the world. It was a great 25-year run, consulting international brands such as Cessna Aircraft, AMC Theaters, John Deere, and numerous nonprofits in creative content, marketing, publishing, and communications. If it involved digital media, we pursued it; video production studios, sound stages and recording studios, satellite uplinks, data centers, and even camera and screen display systems for large touring acts. Our equipment and teams toured with everyone; Madonna, Paul McCartney, Journey, The Eagles. In our corporate event work, we met Presidents and Prime Ministers, but best of all we were fortunate to meet people just like us, all over the world. It really was a remarkable time, making lifelong friendships and great memories with those who shared our interests.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the simple answers is “investing in others”. We have been so fortunate to be surrounded by incredible teams of talented individuals that not only have done great work, but also made us better people. I firmly believe in the business principle of surrounding yourself with others who are smarter than you and provide strengths and skills to the organization that you do not have. I am the beneficiary of a lot of people throughout my career that have made me a better person. People like that stretch you and encourage you to do things you might not have done otherwise. Just because you’re an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you don’t need encouragement and positive influence. Sure, taking risks feels natural, but doing so usually requires some support and the participation of smart people around you, and my reputation has benefitted from some amazing people that have helped me accomplish what I’ve been able to.

While some people might see me as your typical entrepreneur, I personally see myself more as a renaissance entrepreneur with multiple interests. I’m always wanting to learn new things. I’m a lifelong musician and collect guitars. I’m an avid reader and enjoy photography and being outdoors. Woodworking is probably my favorite pastime. And thanks to some wonderful mentors who’ve invested in my life, I am a sailor and am happiest when captaining a boat on the ocean.

Besides my family, I am most proud of the entrepreneurial opportunities I’ve had to make a difference for others. For example, we turned a charitable fundraiser into an adventure, riding Harley Davidson motorcycles over 10,000 miles, from the tip of South America back to Kansas City. My career choice allowed me to visit more than 100 countries, mostly by volunteering our company’s services at many of the global disaster response sites over the past three decades. To me, entrepreneurship is about innovation, but it also comes with a requirement to step out of your comfort zone to do things for others, a bit differently, and hopefully just a bit better.

Contact Info:

• Website: plexpod.com
• Instagram: @plexpod @geraldsmith
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldwsmithsr
• Twitter: @plexpod @geraldsmith