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- Co-Founded's Success Story
Co-Founded's Success Story
The idea that grew legs
Co-founders Jon Ditchburn, Jon Crowe, and Chris Ford didn’t originally set out to open a co-working space. They were simply trying to find somewhere to base their digital marketing agency, FORJ Digital. The options were frustratingly limited; cramped small offices, too large spaces, or out-of-town business parks.
So they flipped the question: what if they took a bigger space and ran a co-working business alongside the agency? Finding the right building took persistence but their agent, Andy from Cooper Green Pooks, kept steering them back to a town centre space they'd dismissed more than once. Eventually, with landlord Morris Properties, the pieces fell into place.
"Every barrier we threw up, Andy came back with a solution. Eventually it all just fit."
— Jon Crowe, Co-Founded
Why the town centre?
For the Co-Founded team, location was never just a practical decision. Business parks might offer square footage, but they can't offer everything that makes working in a town worthwhile. One early job applicant almost withdrew her application because she assumed, from their registered address, that the office was out of town, the moment she heard it was town centre, she was back on board.
"We've got five car parks within half a mile, every amenity on the doorstep, and you can step out for a meeting in a coffee shop and be back at your desk in 20 minutes. You just can't do that on a business park."
— Jon Ditchburn, Co-Founded
That connection to the town's independents is something Co-Founded is actively building on. They've already negotiated member discounts with nearby businesses including Patch’s Coffee and Ottolive, with more partnerships in the pipeline. The vision is for Co-Founded to be woven into the fabric of the town centre, not just occupy a corner of it.
Who's working here?
The community taking shape at Co-Founded is a diverse one.
Freelancers in digital marketing and design sit alongside the owner of a large international e-commerce business who simply happens to live in Shrewsbury, and an agricultural professional who drops in between trips to Dubai. Others are remote workers for agencies in Manchester or London, who moved here for the lifestyle and are finally finding a professional home outside the home.
"A lot of people come out of London because they want to raise their kids here. They've been invisible, working from home. Co-Founded gives them somewhere to belong."
The space
Co-Founded offers flexible options for every kind of worker:
- A boardroom for up to 12, bookable by the morning, afternoon or full day
- A six-person meeting room, available hourly or for longer sessions
- Two-to-four-person soundproofed pods for smaller calls and catch-ups
- Private phone booths - free for members, from £2.50 for day visitors
Membership includes breakfast until 10:30am, a premium coffee machine, snacks, soft drinks and gigabit Wi-Fi, 24’ desk monitor, ergonomic chairs, Friday happy hour, all included in the package.
Meeting rooms are also available to non-members, something that's already proving a useful front door: a group who booked the boardroom for the day after travelling from London liked it so much that one has since taken out a membership.
What's next?
Co-Founded has ambitions beyond hot desks. The team are planning to host events in the space, using their expertise at FORJ Digital to run digital marketing workshops open to the wider business community.
Longer term, they want to build a directory of services within their membership, connecting members with accountants, creatives and specialists, so that Co-Founded becomes a genuine hub for Shrewsbury's independent business scene.
Co-Founded's Shrewsbury favourites
Coffee & Lunch
Patch’s Coffee, Ottolive and Cat's Pyjamas are firm favourites for stepping away from the desk. Along with Caffé Oro for a lunchtime bite and The Bird's Nest for something a little different.
Hidden Gem
Shrewsbury Market Hall. "There's just so much there, it never gets old."
Local Creative Partner
Aaron at Highly Flammable – a photographer and videographer who has shot both the FORJ Digital team and the Co-Founded interior, with podcast recording sessions in the pipeline too.
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