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Below is our recent interview with Reda Hicks, Founder of GotSpot:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to GotSpot?
A: Sure thing. GotSpot is short-term space for YOUR business. Think of it like Airbnb, but for all kinds of commercial spaces. We’re a company that exists to help enterprises & communities grow through an innovative sharing of resources. We’ve created a platform that connects small enterprises with available, commercial spaces being underutilized during off-peak hours. Small businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profits, start-ups and individuals can rent spots like conference rooms, restaurants, studios, classrooms–really any commercial space sitting unused–through a searchable, online, user-driven marketplace.
By making these connections, we help the entrepreneurs harness new opportunities and grow while generating a new revenue stream for the local spots they use to do it. We’re growing the local economy while building community resiliency.
GotSpot is making our communities stronger by connecting the spots. That’s what sets us apart, and what we’re most proud of: the community drives the market. Most of the short-term space options that exist are built environments, and almost all of them are based on the premise that every entrepreneur needs a desk. With GotSpot, however, we know that everything an entrepreneur needs is already here in the form of other local businesses. When we connect a spot seeker to a spot holder, everyone wins. Including the local economy!
Plus, the diversity of space made available when you capture the community means any entrepreneur can find what they need when they need it.
We believe there’s a spot for everyone, and GotSpot is here to help you find it.
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Q: Reda, tell us more about your background. What were you doing before GotSpot?
A: I wear a lot of hats! I’m the spouse of a retired Army Special Forces soldier, and I have three kids who are 8, 6, and 1. I’ve been a practicing attorney in Houston, Texas since 2005. I spent my first ten years in a litigation boutique called Diamond McCarthy, before becoming in-house counsel for a company called Panalpina. Panalpina is a global company that specializes in global shipping and logistics. It’s a global company, and I’m responsible for the Americas Region, particularly work on oil and gas matters and capital projects. I’m a military families advocate, working nationally and locally on initiatives aimed at making life better for the families of our service members and veterans. I serve on the Advisory Board of the Military Family Advisory Network, volunteer as a mentor for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Military Spouse Professional Network AMPLIFY Career Intensive, and am a founding member of the Military Spouse JD Network. I also do a ton of civic work in Texas through board service with the Texas Lyceum, Leadership Houston, the League of Women Voters Houston, Sketch City, and Code Park.
All of the hats I wear, the things I do, really boil down to one driver: connection. I love connecting people, and I love connecting people to the resources they need to succeed.
Q: How did you get the idea for GotSpot?
A: The inspiration for GotSpot really came from two places–my work with military families, and working as a logistics attorney in Houston. It was through my military families work that I learned about the huge number of spouses who are entrepreneurs. It makes sense when you think about it: you can’t have a traditional career when you move every 2-3 years. Between licensing challenges, and moving from place to place, it’s a nightmare convincing employers to take a chance on you! These problems can be avoided, though, if your hustle is fully portable. So many military spouses have home-based businesses. The only problem is that sometimes they’re offered opportunities that require more/better space than home offers, and if they can’t find it, they have to say “no,” and their businesses can’t grow.
I first started thinking around this “spot” problem almost two years ago. But I knew the solution would be technology, and I was afraid of it. I’m not a tech person; I didn’t think I could do it.
But then Hurricane Harvey hit. Being a logistics attorney, I received many calls from leaders desperate to find space: where do we put people? Where do we put relief goods? Where do we distribute relief goods? Where can we stage emergency and clean-up efforts? It was all right here in Houston, and no one could find it because there wasn’t one place to like to find exactly what was needed. Harvey moved me past afraid to compelled–I had to do something.
That’s how GotSpot was born. I called on local friends in tech to get me started, and I built our initial platform myself. The digital marketplace went live in June, and we’re celebrating with a formal launch this month.
Q: What are the benefits for small businesses and communities?
A: Small businesses and communities can think of GotSpot as a partner in helping them leverage what they’ve got in a more efficient way. One of the single biggest challenges for any business owner is brick & mortar space: if you’ve got it, you’ve got to fill it. If you don’t have it, at some point, you’ll have to find it, even if only for the short term. Either way, your business literally depends on it. GotSpot’s goal is to help realign the resources already in a local community with the people who have occasional temporary space needs, so that everyone wins! Businesses stay open. New businesses can take advantage of more opportunities. The local economy grows, which brings even more opportunity.
We’re also using GotSpot as a platform to help communities directly. When we onboard new spots, we ask whether they’re willing to be activated in case of an emergency, and if so, that becomes a searchable feature of their listing. That way, we’ve collected in one place a number of spaces who have already said “yes” before disaster strikes, and community leaders have one place to look for resources. We’re also collecting information on spots that give discounts to non-profits, to help local organizations find the space they need to do more good in the community.
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Q: As a successful entrepreneur what are the biggest lessons you’ve learnt so far?
A: The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is there’s no such thing as perfect. There’s no “just right.” Entrepreneurship is one big continuous improvement exercise. I wasted so much time trying to get things to work exactly the way I want them to, only to realize that things were going to change again almost immediately to address a new customer or a new need. The metric can’t be “is it perfect?” The metric really has to be “is it getting better all the time?” And even then, it’s not always a straight line. Learning to let go of perfect and adapt, though, is what made me nimble enough to meet the needs of my customers as they are, rather than how I’m assuming they will be. The other key thing I’ve learned is to ask for help. No one has all the answers, and sometimes seeking guidance with one issue helps you hack the five issues that follow it by following the advice of someone who has been there.
Q: What are your plans moving forward?
A: GotSpot is live in Houston, and we really want to grow this market in the coming year. But we’re also looking at several expansion markets. We’re starting with Texas, and particularly some of the cities that are near military installations so that GotSpot can be a tool in the arsenal of military spouses in building their businesses. Texas first, then everywhere; maybe even a city near you! And we’re always on the lookout for spots and spotseekers, so give us a shout if you have ideas about where we should be or who we should be talking to!
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