An Executive’s Guide to Personal Workspace

We’ve had the good fortune to tap leading entrepreneurial minds on the personal motivations and daily thought-process driving their businesses.

In the course of those conversations, we’ve learned that an important part of any entrepreneur’s routine is the space that enables their best work. It could be a creative space. Communal space. Private space. Or a different kind of space entirely.

Here we present a cross section of their ideal work spaces. In their own words.

Ideal Work Surfaces

Jerry Hum, Co-founder & CEO, Touch of Modern

“I like a big, big table. I come from a creative background, so I’m used to large worktables. I used to draw and sculpt on large worktables. I had large drafting tables as an architect. I still craft things from wood and leather as a hobby, so big tables are ideal for that too.”

Mark Josephson, CEO, Bitly

“I crave a clean desk, though you couldn’t tell most days. Plenty of chargers. I like to be close to my team so we can share ideas and learn from each other.  Open space, no offices. Oh, and coffee. Good coffee, and lots of it.”

Ideal Work Spaces

Beatrice Fischel-Boch, Co-Founder & CEO, Hutch

“Open floor plan where I can shout out to someone from a different department. I love the energy of an office with lots of voices and open communication. Sometimes it’s business related, and other times it’s butting in on a conversation happening across the room.”

Robert Pasin, CEO, Radio Flyer

“My ideal workspace features plenty of natural light and is designed to foster teamwork and interaction. We recently completed a LEED Platinum renovation of our 100-year-old building in Chicago to create a one-of-a-kind workplace that includes these features among others – such as informal gathering places for impromptu meetings, sit-to-stand desks for everyone, ample outdoor spaces and an open floor plan. For the first time in my 25 years at Radio Flyer, I’m not in a private office and I love it!”

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Andrew Jacobi, Co-owner, Untamed Sandwiches

“I love the camaraderie of restaurants, the preparation that goes into every day, the uncertainty of how each day will unfold, the team game required to roll with the punches of a lunch service to make it all work, and the feeling of shared success that comes after a good, hard day.

In what other profession does every single member of the team get to participate in the same activity and share in the clear success or failure of that activity every day?”

Mignon Gould, Chic Spy

“I can work anywhere, from a co-working space to a trendy café. But I recently revamped my office space to resemble a designer’s studio. My favorite features are those that inspire what I do, which include an abstract painting of Audrey Hepburn from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” hung over my desk, an invisible bookshelf filled with some of my favorite books, and a vintage-inspired wrought iron rolling rack, displaying a few of my favorite fashion pieces for the season.”

Abstract Work Spaces

Kevin Gibbon, Shyp

“It’s not really a physical space as much as it is a headspace. I generally do my best thinking when I’m walking around the city and listening to music.

If I’m hitting a wall mentally, I’ll take a lap around the block to clear my head and think. If I want to have a particularly productive brainstorm, I’ll ask someone to go on a walk with me, and we can volley the conversation back and forth in a low pressure environment, which frees us up to do some big thinking.”