WRAP’s ‘Creation Myth’, As Told By Ed!
When people ask me how WRAP came to be, they often assume it started with a business idea. It didn't. It started with a life that wasn't quite working the way it should (or could) be.
In the days before WRAP I was working in London on construction projects and Sarah was doing Interior design. We were also doing lots of residential development projects, so life was very busy. Then in May 2017, we became parents for the first time.
When we decided to start a family, we agreed that we would share the parental responsibilities from the start - and I would be there to share those precious first months with our daughter. But as is the way with life, things didn’t quite go to plan.
In the months ahead, we had a stretch where everything seemed to collide at once – Southern Rail strikes, long days, constant disruption. I was often stuck in London managing a big project with long hours and a lot of pressure. I wasn’t around nearly as much as I wanted to be and Sarah was doing lots of solo parenting.
When that project finally finished, we took a step back. We took a year out and travelled around Europe and Scandinavia and really thought about what we wanted our life to look like. We knew we didn’t want to go back to how things were. We started thinking about a solution. I knew I didn’t want to go back to work in London or in Construction and I had been considering the idea of starting a new business in Brighton for a while.
Gradually an idea formed to create a space where we could work and our children could be cared for in the same place, so that we could take any opportunity to spend time together. This seemed like something that would work amazingly well for us - and all of our fellow parents of young children agreed.
So the idea of WRAP was born, and we decided to build it.
WRAP was incorporated in May 2019. The rollercoaster ride had begun. We had 2 lead investors and we were gaining momentum…then Covid struck. Over the next 18 months or so, we lost our original investors and had to start again.
We started a crowd funding campaign in the autumn of 2020, as the world was coming to terms with the ‘new normal’ post Covid - and managed to achieve our target just before Christmas.
We opened our doors to our first members in July ‘21. But after an initial 6 month grace period, the start-up cash was running very low and the reality set in that we really had no idea about how to run a coworking space, let alone a Nursery and a Cafe.
Two of the most stressful years of our lives followed and we came close to losing it all.
But we stuck to our guns and kept on fighting for it and gradually, with a little help and guidance from some amazing new friends and mentors in the Brighton business community, we turned things around.
Today, WRAP is a bustling workspace and Nursery right next to Brighton Station, with over 300 business centre members and 95 registered families attending our nursery. Our Queens Rd site brings together coworking, offices, meeting and event spaces AND an on-site nursery, all under one roof.
You see families arriving together in the morning, parents dropping their little ones downstairs before grabbing a coffee and starting work, then all heading home together in the evening. We’ve got community members and team members who are new mums, working upstairs and going down to feed their babies during the day. Sometimes the babies even join our team meetings!
It all just works and feels right. And this is really what WRAP is about, making everyday life a bit more manageable, and a bit more balanced for many young families. And also for our wider community of members, many of whom just come to WRAP because they love the space, the people and the vibe without any need for the child care element.
It has become much more than just a workspace and Nursery. Between us and the team, we have developed an amazing community that we are really proud of…..and we now feel ready to find and open WRAP number 2 in the near future!
