Meet Gina Schreck | Founder and CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gina Schreck and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After working alone from home for 15 years, I had built a team of 12 marketing professionals and we were looking for an office to come together at least a few days a week. Everywhere we looked was either bland, or cold and too corporate feeling. We were joking one day saying we should open our own shared workspace and only have fun entrepreneurs allowed to work with us. We wanted a workspace that felt like a home, was inviting for people who had to bring their kids to work at times, and was centered around hospitality and encouragement for other entrepreneurs. When you start the wheels in motion by talking about an idea, it starts growing roots and soon blooms into a real business. We started construction in 2019 and opened our doors 10 days before the pandemic on March 2, 2020! The perfect time to “gather people!” HAHA

What we have learned is that people NEED community! Entrepreneurs and those working from home want to collaborate, brainstorm or just have friends at work. We support, encourage, and celebrate with the members here at The Village Workspace. It is a family here and a magical place to connect with others and become your best self… professionally and personally.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Village Workspace is a magical place with over 80 offices and wellness studios, 14 meeting spaces, a 200-person ballroom for corporate events and personal celebrations, and over 300 incredible members who call the space ‘Home!’

After 20 years in marketing, I changed gears and created a space that I would want to come into each day. A space that focused on community and friendships that happened to have offices as well. Because we opened just BEFORE covid, we had a scary first year. I was sure I had just made the biggest and most expensive mistake of my life. But people need community! That fact is what brought people in and by the end of 2021, we were completely full and started planning our big expansion!

We added almost 50 offices and our event center in 2023 and we continue to look to the future — where will the next location be? Somewhere up north for sure.

I have learned so much in the past 5 years. The first lesson is regardless of your age, it is never too late to dust that dream off the back burner and get started. I opened our space at the age of 55. Now at 60+, I feel as if I am just getting started.

Another important lesson is, it will be hard. Everything worth doing is going to be hard at times. It was very hard trying to get funding and to work with contractors to go from 10,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet of office space, but I learned that I can do harder things that I had been giving myself credit for. So can you! Go bigger… Be bolder… Take the big risks and keep showing up day after day…. you will do amazing things!

Our focus on wellness and creating a space that inspires us all to do our best work is what makes us truly different. Life is short… work somewhere AWESOME!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Every member who believed in our dream from the beginning and to each person who walks in our giant work, wellness, and event space today and feels the special vibe that has been created by the members here.

Website: https://TheVillageWorkspace.com

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/TheVillageWorkspace

Linkedin: https://Linkedin.com/in/ginaschreck

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/TheVillageWorkspace

Image Credits
Photographer: Rachel Sorbet