The two friends took a chance on a 20,000 sq. ft. property in Chicago dubbed the “problem child” by its owner. They raised $1 million among 80 investors to cover the first year’s expenses, spent a whirlwind weekend mapping out a business plan in Puerto Rico, and put an ad on Craigslist to promote the newly-named Industrious. They soon received hundreds of inquiries, enabling them to open the location with 100% occupancy in 2013.
After successfully replicating this same formula eight times in other markets, Jamie and Justin finally decided to quit their day jobs and devote themselves to Industrious. Today, Industrious has more than 100 locations in 50-plus cities around the country, the highest member satisfaction score in the industry, and was named one of the 500 fastest-growing companies by Inc. in 2020.