{"id":8178,"date":"2019-01-28T16:29:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T21:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=8178"},"modified":"2020-05-21T12:36:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T16:36:04","slug":"how-a-nyc-exec-and-brainstation-alum-is-changing-the-office-furniture-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/how-a-nyc-exec-and-brainstation-alum-is-changing-the-office-furniture-industry","title":{"rendered":"How a NYC Exec (and BrainStation Alum) is Changing the Office Furniture Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than a century, the office furniture industry has worked the same way: Companies have had to navigate furniture dealers, unclear pricing, large markups, and a complicated delivery and installation process.<\/p>\n

New York-based startup Bureau<\/a> is working to change that. Bureau sells directly to its customers and offers\u00a0free shipping, space planning, and assembly.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Greg Hayes, the C0-Founder and CEO of Bureau (and BrainStation alum) to find out\u00a0more about his company’s mission,\u00a0the importance of product management, and what makes a great office space.<\/p>\n

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Learn product management skills to boost your career \u2013 from home!<\/p>\n

BrainStation offers Online Live Certificate Courses<\/a> in data, design, development, marketing, and product management. Attend live classes and interact with Instructors and peers from anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

Speak to a Learning Advisor<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BrainStation: Where did the inspiration for Bureau come about? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Hayes: I\u2019d spent most of my career in the corporate real estate world but transitioned into the world of \u201cProptech\u201d in 2016. I was amazed at the rapid pace of change hitting the traditional real estate landscape, but couldn\u2019t believe that such a large (and problematic) section of the industry hadn\u2019t been disrupted at all. Bureau was the result of a realization that there was an opportunity to use technology to fix how companies experience office furniture. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Greg

Greg Hayes, Bureau<\/p><\/div>\n

You previously worked at Breather; how did that experience influence the founding of Bureau?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breather was a great experience. Beyond being a real estate technology company, the size of Breather\u2019s portfolio meant that we were also essentially running a furniture procurement business too. \u00a0I witnessed first hand the expensive and complicated nature of furnishing offices and saw that there was no good solution available. <\/span><\/p>\n

What would you say are some of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs today? <\/strong><\/p>\n

In our case, we\u2019re operating in a very traditional B2B market, and it\u2019s certainly a challenge to compete with businesses that have been controlling the industry for over a century. \u00a0I think this is a problem that every entrepreneur faces \u2013 it\u2019s very difficult to get people to change their behavior and take a risk on your new solution. <\/span><\/p>\n

Can you tell us a bit more about your day-to-day activities as the CEO of a growing startup? <\/strong><\/p>\n

My days consist of an interesting combination of things that people traditionally associate with CEOs (meeting with investors, hiring, long-term planning) and \u201cin-the-weeds\u201d tasks (assembling furniture, mopping the showroom floors, meeting with potential customers). I also spend a huge amount of time refining our operations and supply chain strategies, which are essential to making sure our customers get their furniture on time. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bureau offers an end-to-end service for companies looking to furnish their office space. How do digital initiatives \u2013 user experience design for example \u2013 play in a role in the company\u2019s offerings? <\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re creating a digital experience that has never before existed in this industry. Our competitors often don\u2019t offer much more than a landing page, so something as simple as our e-commerce experience is a huge step in the right direction. What will be more exciting is the customer\u2019s ability to easily manage all of their office furniture inventory from a centralized platform on Bureau\u2019s site.\u00a0It will completely change the way businesses interact with office furniture. <\/span><\/p>\n

What do you think makes a great office space?
\n<\/strong>
\n<\/span>A typical office employee spends upwards of 30 percent of their life in the office, so it\u2019s important to make it feel like a home away from home. Access to light, soft seating, collaboration zones, and of course beautiful, comfortable furnishings are the most important physical components, but these things mean nothing without a great company culture! <\/span><\/p>\n

What first attracted you to the Product Management course at BrainStation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was working at a large fund in a very traditional industry at the time. Many of my friends had begun tech careers, and some even had their own startups. I was itching to make a career move, and Brainstation’s product management course was the perfect platform to get me started.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i>What skills were you hoping to learn? <\/strong><\/p>\n

At that point in my career I knew nothing about working at a technology company, so first and foremost I wanted to learn the absolute basics. Beyond that, my goal was to develop a framework for launching a product. My ultimate goal was to start my own company, and though I didn\u2019t have a specific idea in mind at that time, I knew that BrainStation could provide me with the skills I would need to take an idea from conception to execution. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How have the skills and concepts covered in the course impacted you and your team\u2019s day-to-day work? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m able to communicate with my team using technical language and concepts that would have taken me years to grasp without the product management course. There\u2019s certainly a basic level of knowledge that\u2019s expected of me, so whether I\u2019m assisting with a wireframe exercise or simply discussing product strategy, my team appreciates that I get what they\u2019re doing and how they\u2019re trying to get there. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Was the learning experience different at BrainStation than your previous education? How so?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two things stood out about the learning experience at BrainStation. The first is that I was able to do it while working full time, which was a completely different experience than the immersive experience of University. The second is that the group work is set up in such a way that everyone participates and benefits. As anyone who\u2019s been through the traditional education system knows, group work typically turns into one or two people doing all of the work. This was never an issue at BrainStation. <\/span><\/p>\n

In your opinion, what is the most important skill an entrepreneur can have?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s less about skill and more about attitude. There\u2019s a fantastic book called Grit<\/em> by Angela Duckworth, in which she argues that people with incredible persistence and passion are far more likely to succeed in whatever they endeavor. I think this is especially true of entrepreneurs. Starting a business is harder than you expect, and without passion and persistence, it\u2019s even harder. <\/span><\/p>\n

In general, what skills do you think will be most important for the future? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The ability to think critically and creatively will continue to be incredibly important in the future. \u00a0Problems (and their solutions) are only becoming more complicated, and employers need to see that you have the ability to keep up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of the future, what do you envision for Bureau? What does the future have in store?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bureau is completely changing the way companies experience office furniture. We\u2019re applying the same pillars that consumers look for in their day to day lives \u2013 ease, value, and (increasingly) flexibility \u2013 to furnishing an office. \u00a0We envision a world where every furniture requirement, whether it be purchasing items, reporting damage, or recycling used pieces, is managed with a single click. <\/span><\/p>\n

Find out more about BrainStation’s Product Management certification courses<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We spoke to Greg Hayes, the Co-Founder and CEO of Bureau (and BrainStation alum) to find out\u00a0more about his company’s mission,\u00a0the importance of product management, and what makes a great office space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[228],"tags":[738,740,739,242,531,150,229],"yoast_head":"\nHow an NYC Exec (and BrainStation Alum) is Changing the Office Furniture Industry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New York-based startup Bureau is working to change the office furniture industry. 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