Taylor Jenisch’s transition from the solitude of remote work to the vibrant atmosphere at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) HotHouse in Downtown San Luis Obispo (SLO) was more than a mere change in location; it was a transformative experience that reenergized his professional life. 

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread shift to virtual, at-home work, Jenisch, founder and CEO of Burning Boat Films, found it difficult to deal with working remotely and its lonely quality. Despite the flexibility and freedom remote work offered, Jenisch felt a drop in productivity and the weight of isolation, he said. 

“I came to the HotHouse and immediately felt the energy of other people, especially the entrepreneurs,” Jenisch said. “Productivity picked up massively and I had a better mood from the people around and being able to talk to others.”    

Jenisch started Burning Boat Films, an entertainment company focused on creating documentary and narrative films, in Copenhagen. Eventually, he shifted his company’s base to SLO, engaging with independent contractors both locally and globally. 

Jenisch discovered the HotHouse through a mutual friend who was actively involved. Intrigued by the space, Jenisch decided to give it a try for a day, which has led to nearly a year of coworking. 

“The community and the people in the HotHouse were the biggest selling factor — they’ve got a really nice group of people,” Jenisch said. “Every day you get to meet someone new, which has helped me build solid business connections.” 

About a month after joining the HotHouse, Jenisch attended the CIE’s monthly Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) Coffee and Conversation where the SBDC brings in a guest speaker to provide advice about a specific expertise ranging from sales to marketing to general business strategies. Following this event, Jenisch received a full investment in one of his films. 

“Through one of the Coffee and Conversations, I received a full investment for a film, which is insane for that short of time at a coworking space,” Jenisch explained. “I realized there are a lot of untapped resources here,” Jenisch said. 

Having grown up in Europe, Jenisch initially struggled with how to structure a business in America. However, Jenisch said he received a lot of help from the CIE staff and other connections within the HotHouse. He described transitioning to the HotHouse as a “180-degree turn for the better.”

“If you’re finding it difficult to motivate yourself to put in a full day of work because you’re working in a room or have kids at home and are getting distracted, it’s a nice opportunity to come into a coworking space,” Jenisch said. “Get some socialization in and become fed by the motivation of other people.”

Many businesses are adopting remote working practices as more and more technologies can accommodate an online work style. Video by Emily Olstad.

Miles Hischier is the co-founder and Director of Sales at HiView Solutions, a Google Cloud partner that helps organizations improve their remote collaboration techniques and technologies.

Hischier founded HiView as an Information Technology (IT) company in late 2016 along with his co-founder and Director of Services, Narjit Patel. After deciding to centralize HiView around Google Cloud, they joined the Google Cloud Partner Program, which provides businesses with resources to leverage Google Cloud offerings.

The HiView founders then met Juan Morales in 2018. Morales, now the Director of Technical Services at HiView, was an engineer with a skill-set that aligned with the needs of the startup. Morales also knew several individuals with similar engineering know-how, all looking for employment opportunities where they could utilize their expertise.

The only issue: Morales and his colleagues were living in El Salvador.

Hischier, however, viewed the challenge as an opportunity to utilize the remote technology that his business is founded upon. He had Morales start working remotely for HiView from El Salvador, and HiView began to expand their teams across continents.

“That’s the company we’re looking to build,” Hischier said. “Our mission statement is, ‘Building your business for tomorrow,’ and we really feel that this remote, hybrid structure is here to stay.”

HiView continued to remotely scale up their El Salvador team over the next few years. Hischier didn’t meet his startup’s 15 El Salvadorian employees in-person until 2021 –– three years after they were initially hired.

The company operated efficiently despite its being completely remote, according to Hischier. The only challenge was “the socialization aspect,” he said.

To remedy the issue, Hischier spent a week in El Salvador, meeting and working alongside HiView’s Latin American team. Several employees from El Salvador also visited San Luis Obispo to visit the HiView base of operations, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) HotHouse. 

“We really believe that good work and good ideas can come from anywhere,” Hischier said. “You don’t have to be in a single company, corporate office.”

By Dylan Grant

HotHouse coworker Alisa Reynolds has revolutionized the desk to improve wellness while doing office work. Founder of the company Buddhi Boxx, Reynolds invented the world’s first floor-sitting to a standing desk to combat health problems associated with stationary living. Innovative and mindful of holistic wellness in the workplace, Reynold’s attributes some of her best ideas to inspiration drawn from the HotHouse coworking space.

“I don’t think I could do what I do without the interaction that I find in the coworking space,” she said.

The CIE created a community coworking space with the goal of providing an exceptional work environment for entrepreneurs. Local professionals are guaranteed to maximize productivity with access to business consulting and a collaborative atmosphere.

“My reason for coming out of the home office and into the HotHouse coworking space was to be a part of the community that I am serving and that I work with,” said Reynolds. “There’s no reason to be in my house while I’m doing my work instead of interacting with the amazing minds of people in this city.”

Join a community of entrepreneurs in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo by becoming a HotHouse coworker. Any business professional regardless of their affiliation with Cal Poly or a startup is more than welcome. Explore all-inclusive membership amenities and become a coworker. https://calpolycie.wpengine.com/coworking/