Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Haapaniemi.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michael. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a native of the Memorial / Spring Branch area, I attended The Kinkaid School before journeying off to Chicago. After graduating with an engineering degree from Northwestern University, I spent several years in Chicago at management consulting firm A.T. Kearney and later worked in mobile app development on a venture that ultimately crumbled. Experiencing the journey of a failed startup was perhaps the best education I could ever receive and positioned me for success in what ultimately became The Ranch Office.
Feeling an urge to return home to Texas, I decided to dive deeper into my fascination with Real Estate and opened the Ranch Office – a neighborhood coworking space designed around the concepts of home, family, and southern hospitality.
The lead up to the opening of The Ranch was a long, yet rewarding process. I believe that starting a business is a continuous ‘learn as you go’ experience, and I wore many different hats – from designer to general contractor to web developer. With the help of a community Manager, we took the Ranch from 1 pre-leased office to 70% occupied in 5 months!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. The first venture I participated in, an events discovery platform based in Chicago, folded after almost two years. Failing after putting so much time and energy into a project is a humbling experience. However, it is the best teacher out there, and I believe it shapes you into who you need to become in order to ultimately succeed. That experience has taught me more than anything I could learn in business school, and everything I learned from being a practitioner – branding, market dynamics, leadership, etc. – has paved the way for future success.
With regards to opening The Ranch – the biggest challenge we faced was filling up the offices once we opened. This is perhaps the most difficult part, the ‘chicken and the egg’ problem. How do you attract initial members to a coworking space when there’s no community yet? We tackled this and overcame it through three things: an attractive and unique brand, a beautiful space that sells itself, and most importantly, an overwhelmingly positive customer service experience.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ranch Office – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a coworking space. We offer private offices for individuals or teams up to 10, we offer conference rooms, and we offer event space! Based on the needs of each individual or company, we offer flexible, affordable memberships. Those who don’t need a private space can join our “Hot Desk” membership, and those who are looking for conference room space and a mailing address can join our most basic membership – the “Virtual Plus.”
While we’re technically in the business of real estate, what we’re really selling is happiness – it’s the experience that truly makes your day to day brighter.
People love The Ranch because it feels like a small family. As a neighborhood space, The Ranch is a smaller, more intimate setting, where the Texas decor and southern hospitality make you feel like you’re in a home away from home. We know we’re doing things right when we see the multitude of laughs and smiles every day.
With a prime location just off I-10 & Blalock between the Energy Corridor and Downtown, The Ranch is a neighborhood space without the commute hassles of other spaces – easily accessible off I-10, and free, plentiful parking.
We’re also known for our “Ted Talk Taco Tuesdays,” where we buy tacos for all the members and watch and discuss Ted Talks as a community. Favorite part of the week by far!.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We’re always exploring ways to enhance the experience, and spread this uniquely special thing we’ve created.
Although we just finished an outdoor deck accessible from our community space, we’re adding more outdoor space with a rooftop ‘recreation’ lawn – which can be used for anything from networking events to morning yoga.
We are indeed also exploring opportunities to expand to multiple locations!
Pricing:
- Single Private Office: $599/mo
- Team Private Office: $799/mo and up
- Hot Desk: $249/mo
- Virtual Plus: $69/mo
Contact Info:
- Address: 1220 Blalock Rd, #300
Houston, TX 77055 - Website: www.ranchoffice.com
- Phone: (832) 742 4749
- Email: michael@ranchoffice.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ranchoffice
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theranchoffice
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18659884
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