Grind: A 22nd-century platform for the future of work

 

SITUATION

This start-up of talented and passionate entrepreneurs was in need of an inspiring brand and a transformative business model. With deep knowledge of the real-estate business, they had found a compelling market opportunity that would capitalize on an emerging workforce of untethered workers—workers primarily made up of mobile professionals and the creative class. This emerging class, which we dubbed “Free Radicals,” had limited and unappealing options (home, coffee shops, cube farms, or techie incubators) for getting work done. 

We set out not just to create a space that would empower these Free Radicals, but to create a new community for them.

STRATEGY

Our main goal for Grind was to make it the one place that removed all barriers from getting great work done, encouraging fluid productivity. To keep this at the forefront of our minds we created the phrase “Work Liquid,” which would act as our mantra when defining our offering. This phrase became so powerful that it worked its way into the Quest for the business, which was “Liberate Free Radicals to Work Liquid.”

We would accomplish this Quest by creating a 22nd-century platform (physical and digital) to enable friction-free access to the future of work. This strategy was crucial during a time when both the economy and technology were transforming the structures and processes of the modern workplace.

 

ACTIONS

 

01. Define an
Iconoclastic brand
for Free Radicals

Create the distinctive brand identity starting with the name: Grind. Develop the irreverent tone and approach to the future of work. Define the frictionless philosophy that imbues everything Grind does, from services to equipment to technology. 

 
 

02. Launch
the Agora

Conceive and launch version 1.0 of Agora, an internal digital marketplace that allows Grindists to exchange expertise and value directly and easily.

 
 

03. Create
Buzz-worthy Experiences

Establish iconic or creative experiences in each Grind location. At Grind Park Avenue, the “Gallery Wall” was created in collaboration with Breakfast. “Slice of Death” at Grind Broadway and “The Chandelier of the unenlightened” at Grind LaSalle were both created in collaboration with RND.