Colony Member Spotlight: OneUp

5 July 2023

Our member spotlight series is back with an introduction to Alex from OneUp: a start-up behind an exciting piece of tech that increases productivity, builds a culture and empowers workers.

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COLONY MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT BLOG: OneUp

"Colony gives me a sense of community, belonging and happiness. I'm very grateful to call Colony home."

Part of the team at OneUp, Alex Wiley joined the community at Colony as a remote worker having lived in Manchester for less than a week, taking advantage of the flexibility of a dedicated desk membership.

We sat down with Alex to talk about all things tech, including how the advancements of AI technology is changing the industry landscape.

Hi Alex, thank you for joining us today! Can you tell us a bit about your business and what you do?

"I lead the Product department at a tech start-up called OneUp. We've created a performance management platform to make it simple for companies to manage and motivate their sales teams.

"Working in Product is a very demanding role that requires several plates spinning at the same time. Although it can be crazy at times, I love the challenge and the speed we move at. Our team has recently grown from fifteen to forty, with plans to keep expanding next year."

To kick things off! When did your Manchester journey begin?

"I moved to Manchester from Birmingham in July 2022 as I fancied a change of scenery. One of the advantages of having a fully remote job is that I can work from pretty much anywhere!

"It's difficult to pin-point why I love Manchester, but the first time I came here I just fell in love with the city. The people are friendly, the bars are lively, and a stone's throw away from areas of natural beauty, such as the Lake and Peak Districts."

What do you love most about being a part of the Colony community?

"When I move to Manchester I didn't know anyone here and it was quite daunting! However, Colony came to the rescue. Lucy (Space & Community Manager) was my first point of contact and she has been one of my best friends in Manchester ever since.

"Over time, I've been introduced to the vast network of Colony members, many of whom have become good friends in Manchester (and I even live with one now!).

"Ultimately, Colony gave me a sense of community, belonging and happiness. I'm very grateful to call Colony home."

Alex is a desk member at Colony Piccadilly, but makes use of the multi-site access included in his membership.

Are there any challenges facing the tech industry at the moment?

"The tech industry has had a hard time recently. Luckily, OneUp has been sensible throughout but we're aware the market is uncertain at the moment. We're currently very embedded in the recruitment tech space, which has served us very well thus far.

"Moving forwards into 2023 and beyond, our big challenge is to see how we can expand out of this space into other markets to diversify our offering."

How do your role to evolve in the coming years?

"Product Management is an ever-evolving profession, which has seen a significant uplift in popularity in the past ten years.

"With the dawn of AI and tools such as ChatGPT, I see Product Managers having to adapt and integrate new ways of working into their daily life. For example, I've been using ChatGPT quite frequently to consolidate content into a easy-to-read format."

Given the requirements of your business, what made you choose to work from a coworking space?

"Creativity is absolutely vital for my line of work. I routinely have to solve very complex and challenging problems and that require the right environment to thrive.

"I wouldn't be able to do this as effectively in an office without culture or personality. Colony is a bustling community of creators and thinkers, it offers the perfect environment for me to have the space to do what I do best."

If you'd like to learn more about OneUp and Alex's role, head to their website. Or if you'd like to make a new friend, pop into Colony Piccadilly for a brew with Alex.