Founder Spotlight: Mario Berta of FlySpaces
Mario Berta
Founder Spotlight: Mario
Berta of FlySpaces
Providing the right space and
reaching great heights
By Michaela Villaroman
To ensure efficiency and innovation in any venture,
it is necessary to have both the right materials and the right people present
for the job. But another important element that contributes to the quality of
work and output is having a suitable place to get the task done. An office
space that is conducive to productivity will no doubt inspire creativity and
encourage diligence.
The Philippines is currently among the top-ranking
countries that have continuously been successful participating in the global
property market. There is an ongoing increase of demand for office space and
the Philippines takes great action in providing for it. BPOs, who seek to rent
a work space for their companies, often look to the country for potential
offices. The need for office space has reached such massive heights that new
establishments still undergoing construction are already flooded with
pre-committed agreements with companies who are in dire need of a place.
Most look for office space in the Philippines
because not only does the country offer a significantly cheaper rate compared
to other countries, but also the workforce available is cheap and effective,
too. These factors fuel the already enticing conditions that make the
Philippines seem like a great spot for businesses to settle.
With demands going off the charts, there is a great
scramble among companies looking for their own place. The cost
of space in the Philippines may be less than that of the other countries, but
it is also prone to inflate exponentially as a result of the growing scarcity
of venues.
WHAT
THIS MEANS
For businesses, this is really bad news. Considering that most startups are not completely established yet, they are only just beginning to get a handle on what they need as an organization. Their starting period is prone to change; they need room for development and adjustment.
Startups need flexibility in their work space to be
able to discover what they need and what they don’t; they need an office that could
adjust to their liking and necessities. Most offers in the market bind
companies to contracts that would commit them to a space for years. It also
costs a lot. These contracts usually limit startups as they are tied into
agreements that are not suitable for their state. They need a place that would
push their growth, not limit it.
SMEs share a similar problem. The size and need of SMEs
oftentimes do not call for a permanent or enormous space. Like startups, the
ideal office they need is one that could be tailor-fit to their wants. But
where can you find an office space that would entertain distinct requests of
companies?
COMING
UP WITH A PLAN
Mario Berta offers a great solution. As founder and CEO of FlySpaces, it is clear Mario knows quite a lot about the entrepreneurial field. His experiences in his career ranges from him training sales and operations teams all over the globe to managing and leading numerous businesses to success.
One of his major feats is establishing Easy Taxi, a
mobile application that specializes in booking taxis. He was CEO
of the company and he helped it claim the title as Asia’s biggest taxi
application operating in over 9 countries. Easy Taxi is backed by the largest
ecommerce incubator in the world, Rocket Internet. It was here that Mario first
thought of the idea to try and set up a company that would cater to office
space needs.
“In Rocket, I had to find a lot of office spaces myself,” he shares, “It was painful to find office space as a startup. There were so many demands and they shortlist companies; startups are not very welcome as they have a high chance of failure.”
Mario then worked on his idea and was joined by his
co-founder and COO, Guillaume Martin, who saw his vision and wanted to be a
part of it.
Also having worked as a government consultant in the
Philippines, Mario thought to set up base camp in the Philippines first. He
also remarked how it was the market he knew the most and that his team was
already here. Having started in Manila, the company has since then branched off
to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong, and
Jakarta.
FlySpaces has indeed proved to be a successful
venture for Mario. It addresses the growing need and demand of many clients. FlySpaces
has been focused on empowering businesses by providing them with short-term
work and meeting space solutions. Gone are the rigid contracts and steep rates
of down payments. The company provides its clients with spaces that cater to
what they need and what they want.
This innovative idea has supplied entrepreneurs with
a great deal and opportunity. It is quite evident that FlySpaces has Mario’s
own principles embedded in its core values. “We want to make an impact on
corporations and help them save money,” Mario stated, “we want to be recognized
as a true regional brand to go to when you look for office space.”
GREAT
SUCCESS
Businesses do need a lot of hard work to maintain.
It takes a lot of effort for Mario and his team to keep FlySpaces delivering its
quality service to clients. He shared with us the key factors he kept in mind
when he started the company.
He explained that the ingredients to triumph are the
team, concept of micromanagement, and relationships. “One, the team has to be
very solid because you can have the most amazing technology in the planet, but
you need to have a team that executes well. Second is the concept of
micromanagement; the employees still require a lot of training. And three is
relationship. The employees have to love you; the partners have to love you;
the suppliers have to love you; and the clients have to love you much more than
anyone else in the world. Everything is relationship related,” he shared with
us.
With all these in mind, it is apparent that Mario
has it all set. He jokingly said in his interview that his current life goal is
a billion dollars. “Not to own a billion dollars in the bank, but running a billion-dollar company
is fine,” he laughed.
It seems though that at the rate they’re going, it could
be the plausible in FlySpaces’ future. We can definitely expect them to achieve
greater heights!
Are you a startup, investor or corporation? Or do you just enjoy talking about startups? There are many ways that you can work with TechShake.
We’d love to hear from you!