Mychal Connolly never planned to get a private office at Venture X Holyoke. The owner of Stand Out Truck, who has worked with hundreds of different business owners across Massachusetts and Connecticut, toured Venture X Holyoke solely to consider recommending the coworking space to others.
By the end of the tour, he realized how Stand Out Truck could benefit from his office being at Venture X Holyoke instead of his home.
“What I couldn’t do at my own house is the accidental networking,” he said, witnessing the number of varied business owners who fill the space.
What his home also didn’t provide was a dedicated staff, who greet new arrivals and are ready to offer a beverage or let them know if he was going to be running behind for a meeting.
“I’ve got a built-in team. It’s a really cool space,” Connolly said.
On paper, Stand Out Truck is a digital mobile billboard. It’s what Connolly provides to his clients that goes beyond a simple piece of advertising. He applies more than three decades of marketing experience to advise his clients on their marketing plans and how to integrate the truck’s advertising into other marketing tools or promotions.
“It’s that experience and understanding how to convert prospects into customers, not only for myself but for my clients,” Connolly said. “No pun intended, the vehicle that brings them to me is the truck.”
“The marketing is what they really come for,” he added. “The truck is just the cherry on top.”
Clients can choose to put their message on one or two trucks, then they determine the time of day, days of the week and geographic route where their message will be displayed. Connolly promotes that the message can be used for initial awareness or a call to action, and is a perfect complement to other advertising or marketing mix.
“It’s really a great way to spread the word fast. Simple ads work,” he said.
The ads have also been used by individuals out of care or celebration, fueled by Connolly having to quickly pivot after starting the company in March 2020. As businesses cut their advertising budgets, he approached schools with the idea to showcase expectant graduates. It was a special and unique way to recognize these students during lockdown.
“True entrepreneurs identify problems, and they create solutions for those problems, and they get paid for those solutions,” Connolly said.
One way Connolly advises other companies is through Marketing and Cupcakes, an event that he hosts with a small group of business-minded people to discuss marketing strategy and paths to success. He relies on the Venture X Holyoke conference rooms to host group meetings, another benefit that wasn’t possible while working from home.
The extra benefits that come from being a part of Venture X Holyoke are a big part of why Connolly decided to join. The private offices come furnished but Connolly has added a wall of photos, showcasing many of the advertisements that have graced his two trucks.
The staff at Venture X Holyoke greet his guests who arrive at the coworking space and can relay messages if he’s running late because his truck is stuck in traffic.
He also utilizes the Venture X Holyoke podcast room, a booth with everything necessary to create a podcast. “All I have to do is insert my SD card and hit record,” he said.
The primary benefit is the ease of growing in the future.
“As my office grows and my company grows, I can just get a bigger space in the building. I don’t have to move around, I don’t have to get a different address. It’s all right there,” Connolly said.
Book a Tour at Venture X Holyoke today and see for yourself how their many benefits can help your business thrive.