Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Gee.
Hi Anthony, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career in venture capital. I have always been interested in entrepreneurship and how businesses grow and scale. The current real estate market is not friendly to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Building owners want five-year leases, perfect credit, large security deposits, and personal guarantees.
At Koncept House, we provide physical space and a community of like-minded individuals for creative entrepreneurs. We have everything from soap makers, candle makers, and vintage bike restoration companies to body butter/skin care product companies. We started off focusing on tech and media companies, and then the pandemic hit. Those companies no longer needed office space, they could work from home and we found that our converted warehouse was too raw for them. We then started getting e-commerce companies that were outgrowing their kitchens and living rooms and creatives that loved the raw space and could make it their own. Then they realized that wanted not just a place to make and ship their products from also a customized showroom that brought their brand vision to life. We also got content creators that loved the industrial look and feel.
Then many of those companies began creating these unique customer “experiences” instead of traditional retail/showrooms. Their customers wanted to actually make candles, perfumes, and soaps. Koncept House is unique in our ability to allow these entrepreneurs to expand on their initial vision with flexible space. Most entrepreneurs start with a small space, and as their business grows, they expand their space and need to take on additional larger spaces. This is unheard of with traditional building owners.
We now have a waitlist and are opening our second location this year and will have food and beverage entrepreneurs in addition to standard creating and maker entrepreneurs.
We want to fill this gap by across the country!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have a tightly curated roster of companies and not enough space to house all the great companies that come to us. We are dealing with this through expansion. Traditional financing sources such as banks don’t understand our business model so identifying lenders has not been easy.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Koncept House?
We are known for the vibrant entrepreneurial environment that we have created. 90% of our entrepreneurs are women of color doing absolutely amazing things. Watching these primarily women entrepreneurs grow and expand their businesses at Koncept House is truly inspiring.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
We purchased an old warehouse in a state of disrepair and turned it into this incredible place for entrepreneurs to thrive. We used our personal capital to do this. We invested millions in purchases and renovations, not knowing if any of it would work. It worked and continues to work!
My perspective is generally start small. See if your business actually makes sense and if people want your product or service. Once you prove that through actual sales, then you can increase the investment and the risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: koncepthouse.com
- Instagram: @koncepthouse
- Linkedin: @anthonygee
Image Credits
J. Mynatt Photography LLC – photo of me Friday Films – other photos
