The One-Hour Podcast Every Workplace Leader Should Listen To

Our co-founder, Elizabeth Dukes, knows a thing or two about growing a business. She and our CEO, Don Traweek, started iOFFICE in 2002, when they discovered a need for an IWMS in the company they both worked for. Fast-forward nearly 15 years, and the company they founded is now the fastest growing 100% SaaS-based IWMS solution on the market. During these 14 years Elizabeth and Don came to understand how to run an effective workplace. In her most popular podcast of the year, Elizabeth reveals the trials and lessons that she’s gathered during their journey so far. And the importance of listening to your customer, and helping them find a solution to a problem they may not know they have. 

Go and Grow Podcast: How to Optimize The Workspace

Mike Chan and Elizabeth Dukes recently sat down to discuss what inspired iOFFICE, and how she and Don saw a need and turned it into an opportunity. What began as a missing tool for one company, evolved into a solution that solved various issues all workplaces seem to face. Our co-founders discovered that there was a real missing link in support for the office space. 

“Someone said, “I really need this tool and I can’t seem to find it. Can you build something for me?” That’s kind of how it started so we had a prototype going, and a concept going, and we used it to pitch.” – Elizabeth Dukes

What made their SaaS different from other IWMS products on the market, was it configured to each individual office. Our co-founders realized the importance and need for personalization, something that wasn’t readily available in the market yet. They saw an opportunity to expand beyond just space management, as they quickly realized every office required a “multitude of elements that allowed them to function”. There certainly was a need for more tech support for these areas too. So they created modules for those aspects, including move and service request management. 

A few years later, Don and Elizabeth found themselves in the midst of a shift in the workplace environment. Seemingly overnight, companies were being pressured to configure their structure to fit a variety of needs and a rapidly changing workforce. The Millennials were changing the workplace game for good and the iOFFICE team saw this as an opportunity to fulfill a need. So they created the OpenSpace module, for room reservations. The IWMS that iOFFICE provides is constantly updated and uniquely designed to help companies create the best workplace for their workforce, whatever that may be. 

“The big talk today is the ability for organizations to attract and maintain talent – and that has a big part to do with the type of workspaces they provide.” – Elizabeth Dukes 

Elizabeth and Don believe an effective IWMS allows workplace managers to focus on bigger things, and they set out to create a product that would help workplace managers provide their very best environment to employees. And they succeeded.

Want More Podcasts?  Check Out the Other 2016 Podcasts: 

Business Machines: Learning from Our Mistakes

Sweat Equity: How to Inspire Your Daughters to be Leaders

Want to know when the next podcast is released? Check out the iOFFICE Buzz page to learn more about what we’re doing in the industry, and what’s next on our agenda.