One of the most distinctive things about Knoxville is the old, classical brick buildings. Inside 121 Tech Hub, however, these rustic brick walls contrast beautifully with a bright, modern interior. This is a coworking space—a place for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and anyone else who might need somewhere to work. It’s a collaborative place where professionals from different businesses and industries come together in a large, open workspace.
Today, I’m here to meet one such professional: Cody Blankenship, founder of Flock Analytics, a church management software that tracks growth trends and helps visualize impact within a community. I call Cody to let him know I’m here, and he answers the door. He is a young man with blond hair and a welcoming smile.
Working our way through the space, we pass standing desks where two men chat over a computer and a bright orange sofa where someone reclines with his laptop. 121 Tech Hub is a comfortable place and one where you could envision sitting down to get things done in your business or job. Cody and I reach the glass-walled conference room and take our seats in one of the eight rolling chairs. Cody then begins his story.
A Knoxville native, Cody graduated from the University of Tennessee in May. During the summer, he was part of the Knoxville Entrepreneurship Center’s WORKS Startup Accelerator Program where he was mentored by Brandon Bruce, one of the founders of 121 Tech Hub. For the past 18 months, he’s been working hard on his company, Flock Analytics.
When asked wat gave him this idea, Cody explains that, as a Christian, he’s heavily involved with his church. His father-in-law is a pastor at Park West Church, and volunteering with them has given him an inside perspective on the kind of things churches need.
“Helping churches is close to my heart,” Cody says. Right now, his company services five churches and one regional organization. His ideal clients are churches with at least 250 regular attendees.
He’s only been coworking at 121 Tech Hub for a week and a half—but that’s not too surprising as the space itself has only been open for about a month. (Technically, their grand opening isn’t until October 2.) After graduating college, he missed having a community to work with, so he joined 121 Tech Hub. He’s already on a first-name basis with all 12 other members.
“Being here working with the other founders has been awesome,” Cody says. “I get to talk with people every day, bounce ideas off of everybody. It’s just great to have a community.” He also explains how it’s nice to get out of the house.
“I’m just so much happier being here,” Cody says. “It’s easy to focus and get in the mindset to work… Being here, I feel great every day. I’m happy to be here, and I get more done because of that.” He also loves getting to talk to people in other areas of expertise. It’s worth the price to him.
He explains that this isn’t just office space. People greet each other, talk about their businesses, and grab lunch together regularly. This is reflected by the layout of the space which is primarily open and shared as opposed to a series of small cubicles. They don’t even have assigned spaces to work.
When asked if there are any challenges or disadvantages to working here, Cody takes a long moment to consider. “I think the challenges might be future challenges… We could easily, maybe, run into a space problem at some point, but they have plans to expand downstairs, and I think that would take care of it. In the meantime… the only downside is that it’s new. [There are] growing pains… but it doesn’t bother me.”
For people considering whether or not to join a coworking space, Cody says, “If you’re just looking for a place that’s super quiet to just get work done, like a library kind of feel, this isn’t the space for you. If you’re looking to go somewhere where you can be collaborative, where you can talk… to other people, where you can give and get advice, then the Tech Hub is perfect for that.”
When asked what coworking spaces can do to grow, Cody says he believes Tech Hub is primed to explode in membership. “I think they’re doing all the right things,” he says.
One critical part of coworking is the members can support one another, so I ask Cody how he supports other coworkers. He answers that he’s happy to listen to startup ideas and give advice.
“I’m just happy to network with anybody who’s interested,” he says.
As for how the coworking community can help him, Cody gives a similar answer: “I would love to connect with other founders and grow my network. I’m always excited to meet other entrepreneurs!”
If you’re curious about joining a coworking space, Cody recommends contacting Brandon Bruce for a tour: Brandon@121techhub.com.
