Meet Vaughan Wilson from Digital Nomad

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in Wellington, and the coworking trend offers an exciting opportunity to grow ideas into booming businesses. 

Vaughan Wilson - founder of Digital Nomad coworking space, is a Wellington local who has built his business from the ground up. He saw the need for a boutique coworking space in Wellington and has turned that vision into a reality with Digital Nomad. Using many years of entrepreneurial experience, he has thoughtfully designed a dynamic environment including everything you need to succeed, with productivity and community in mind. 

We chat to Vaughan about his own venture creating a coworking facility, along with operating a successful property consultancy business across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

What inspired you to set up your coworking space?

Initially, we needed some new space for our property consultancy business. We found the space in the form of a brand new development in the Wellington CBD, and a beautiful office space on the top floor. However, it was much larger than we required so we set up Digital Nomad as a premium new coworking business, so that we could rent out the surplus. This allowed us to move to a better space, and provided us with the flexibility for growth in the future.    

What is your favourite part of the space and why?

The deck - it is a large space with a soffit for Wellington weather, and it faces the sun. It has plenty of colourful outdoor furniture, a BBQ and even a golf hole. Our staff and tenants love it.  

Why do you think working from a coworking space helps people thrive?

It allows individuals and companies flexible tenure, scalable premises for them to grow (or shrink) and provides a collaborative environment with other companies.   

Please tell us a bit about what other ventures you are also involved with.

We operate a property consultancy business that began in 2006. It operates in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with over 45 staff. In Wellington in the coworking space, we have 16 staff working for a large range of government and private clients. 

Who has been the most interesting resident in your space? 

To be honest they all are, no two are alike and they all have something to add to the space. I'd say the most interesting thing is the variety of skills and knowledge they all bring into the space. 

Can you describe the community and types of businesses within your space?

We have a very social environment with regular morning teas, lunches, after work drinks, dessert competitions and the obligatory twice a day Stuff Trivia. We have an IT company, consultants, project managers, a training company, a structural engineering company, a film/video company and a billboard company. 

If you could pick any three people in the world to work in your space, who would it be and why?

George Clooney - because his professional life seems so interesting and he would entertain us with his latest acting stories and adventures. 

Barrack Obama - because he knows so many interesting people and he is so intelligent, he would be great at trivia.

Elon Musk - because he is so inventive and hectic, it would add drive and excitement to the office.  

What tips would you pass on to someone thinking about starting their own coworking space?

Make sure you know down to the cent, what the true costs are of setting up and operating a coworking facility. 

Can you describe your life outside of work?

Family based with my wife and kids, with plenty of travel and outdoor sports such as rafting, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking. 

What are the most played songs in your office playlist?

It varies a lot from indie pop, soft rock to ballads. We have a varied appetite and we try to cater for all. Having said that, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go always gets everyone singing along.

*All images used in this article are owned by Digital Nomad.  

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