Whilst working-from-home is the new norm for many professionals, tcube Members, Michel and Philip, still swear by the 45 minute commute!

By Aurora Biscaro & Elena Celadin

Read Time 2 minutes

Across Ireland, indeed, across the World, the COVID-19 pandemic has albeit eliminated the daily commute, saving employees countless hours of frustration and travel expense. Yet, there are people who are happy to go on as before. We spoke to two of our current members to hear their thoughts on why tcube’s central location is so important to them and one of their best business assets.

Michel, 35 year old Graphic Designer living in Skerries with his wife and two children

Michel is not the furthest coworking member we have in tcube; but even still, he makes a 45 minute journey by train to his desk. So, at a time when ‘working-from-home’ is the new norm, why is it that Michel sacrifices 90 minutes of his day to get to a workspace?

For the last 20 years, Michel, a freelance graphic designer, has been creating beautiful logos, artwork, layouts etc. through his company Monologue. But beauty aside, his clients ‘love’ their logos not just for how they look, but for what they represent.

Michel explains that despite having coworking spaces on his doorstep, tcube’s central location is a key component to developing relationships with his clients. Whilst some of them still work from home, being able to provide a location that is easy for them to meet, is very important to him. 

He said; “I like to meet my clients regularly because there is so much value in a personal relationship. You get to read unspoken signals, tease out problems with pencil and paper which leads to a better solution. As a boutique agency, it is critical for my clients to value the personal touch, because building trust means I’m able to foster long term relationships.

Being a freelancer, Michel has the luxury of choosing where he works, and splits his time between home and city centre. “I like the flexibility of being at home seeing my children develop, but I really do value my time in the city centre too - tcube’s central location makes my journey easy, but removes any barrier for my clients getting here too.”

Phil - 25 year old, Digital Marketer living alone in Gormanston, Co. Meath.

Michel’s view is echoed by Phil. Hailing from Gormanston in Co. Meath, Phil has recently founded his own company, Titan Digital, which specialises in creating and implementing digital marketing strategies for businesses in the tourism, hospitality and not-for-profit sectors.

Like Michel, Phil is keen to nurture his Client relationships with a hands-on approach, and being present in the city centre means he can quickly meet his clients and to prospect new business with face to face meetings. 

Working with clients such as HIV Ireland, Westport Cruisers and Reflection Training, most of Phil’s work revolves around producing and implementing SEO (search engine optimisation) PPC (pay per click) and SSM (social media marketing) strategies.

Phil told us; “As a fledgling startup, working on project execution is very important to me so I can maintain a positive cash flow and profitability. But, it’s even more important to be able to meet clients at short notice. Our core business is in Dublin city centre so being in walking distance to them, or being able to hop on a bus, Dart or Luas within minutes means I can avoid wasting valuable production time. The central location is what makes tcube an ideal workspace for me.

He added; “Also, after a long day at work I want to get home easily at night and tcube is in close proximity to my direct bus link.”

Check out Michel’s and Philip’s websites.

Monologue / Titan Digital