To stay productive, I try not to over-schedule my day. When I am always trying to catch up, I feel like I never find time to breathe, which is key to staying centered and productive throughout the day.
Frank Bistrian is the Founder and CEO of work well win, an evolution in collaborative workspaces: well-working that emphasizes wellness at the workplace. work well win creates a better, healthier, happier and more productive work environment for everyone from freelancers to Fortune 100 companies. Prior to founding work well win, Frank was the Head of Domestic Development for WeWork, where he quadrupled the number of locations during his tenure and was responsible for all aspects of the real-estate development life cycle. Frank is an expert in workplace space planning, having overseen the construction and activation of millions of square feet of collaborative workspaces. Now he is drawing on his experience to evolve the model. Frank was recruited to WeWork from JP Morgan Chase, where he was a member of the Global Real Estate Team. In this position, his responsibilities included large construction, energy sustainability initiatives and disaster recovery. Frank led the construction of JPMC’s new “High Performance Workplace,” JP Morgan’s internal version of collaborative workspace. In 2008, Frank was Head of Construction for Goldman Properties, working directly with developer Tony Goldman on multiple projects in SoHo, South Beach and Wynwood.
Where did the idea for work well win come from?
All roads have led to work well win. Having worked in all facets of the real estate industry, I understand the challenges and opportunities, especially in corporate real estate. Let’s face it: the workplace has changed, and it will only continue to do so. Currently, work-life balance is barely mentioned in collaborative workplaces, because everyone is always locked into their smartphones, accessible 24/7, blurring the boundaries between time on and time off. If we cannot solve the work-life balance conundrum, we can improve wellness at the workplace. work well win is based on the premise that we need to do better.
Most of us have become aware of improving our health at home, but that’s only a fraction of our time. Mostly, we are beholden to employers or landlords. work well win weaves wellness into the workday, flipping the equation by enabling health and balance to permeate the time we spend at work.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I’m often on the road, but when I’m not, my non-travel days start by driving my 12-year-old daughter Brooke, to school. In the office, I meet with the work well win team to review locations under construction, go over layouts, meet with vendors and reach out to enterprise clients. I try to get out and walk or just step away and breath for a couple of minutes a few times each day. Afternoons I explore new markets, meet with potential partners and tackle whatever our team needs from me. I try and get a workout in before taking my 10-year-old son Bass, to hockey practice, and then home for dinner. I check in with our West Coast team before wrapping up for the day.
To stay productive, I try not to over-schedule my day. When I am always trying to catch up, I feel like I never find time to breathe, which is key to staying centered and productive throughout the day. I also try and drink plenty of water and juices and eat as healthy as I can. That is sometimes tough when I am on the run, but there are always great things to snack on at our office!
How do you bring ideas to life?
I have a great team who is as excited as I am about work well win. Every day we learn more about advancements in workplace wellness. Ideas and new information are always flying around, and we are poised to execute on new ideas to improve health and innovate a more relaxing, rejuvenating, non-toxic workplace. We pride ourselves on curiosity and flexibility, both of which energize us and keep the ball moving.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Well-working! By that, we mean wellness in the workplace: office as a grounded reprieve rather than a stifling hive. The benefits of natural light, purified water, purified air, indoor plants, pesticide-free food and other health-giving design elements have been well-documented. Never have they been put together in the way that work well win envisions. Stress and burnout are at epidemic levels. We’ve designed the type of space to offset agitation, and enable hard workers to win in all aspects of life. Work different. Work well.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Gratitude. It is critical.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to fail.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
There’s a popular assumption that the workplace will never be somewhere people actually want to go, that it’s impossible to leave a workspace feeling better than when you arrived. I think that assumption is wrong. The reason nobody believes that a restorative workplace is possible is that nobody has designed that kind of space. work well win is accomplishing that very goal. It is hard work, but ultimately worthy–and contradicting the notion that no workplace can possibly be regenerative.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Prepare. Do you homework. Strive to know more about the subject that drives you. For me, this is well-working, and the knowledge of how to create the optimal work environment to win in all areas of life.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Being open to opportunities in any form with a certain degree of flexibility. I have identified open opportunities in the real-estate space by noticing the needs of clients and providing turnkey solutions, and improving the offering all the time.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Let’s just say our first pitch deck and the deck that closed the seed funding were two very different decks.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Collaborative retail space.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
Taking two hours in the middle of SXSW to visit the Giant Wave Park for a quick surf in the middle of Texas. It forced me to clear my head and live in the moment.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Ride-sharing software – it’s quickly gets me and the team from place-to-place since we’re so often on the go.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
“Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven
What is your favorite quote?
“The key to success is failure.” -Michael Jordan
Key Learnings:
● Try not to over-schedule your day. When you are always trying to catch up, it will feel like you never have time to breathe, which is key to staying centered and productive throughout the day.
● Most of us have become aware of improving their health at home, but that’s only a fraction of our time. The path to wellness runs through the workplace as well.
● Prepare. Do you homework. Strive to know more about the subject that drives you.
Connect:
Frank Bistrian on Linkedin:
Frank Bistrian on Twitter:
Carlyn runs the day-to-day publishing operation here at ideamensch and interacts with our awesome customers and entrepreneurs. She is likely editing this with a cat on her lap.