Jade Maddox is the founder of Bloom Co, a well-appointed co-working premise in The Lakes providing space for meetings, small events and office-based working. Jade sits on the Tauranga Business Chamber board and is involved in several networking groups. She’s a board member of Hanmer Clinic Tauranga, works for Alcohol Action NZ, and is a professional mentor for women in business.
The path has happened organically for Jade, who says that she learned the hard way about the importance of separating work life from family life when running a home-based business.
“I wanted to create a warm and welcoming spot where small business owners or independent practitioners could thrive. I love seeing the connections and growth that happen when self-employed people meet and work in proximity to others,” she says.
Jade’s passion for networking and creating connections stems from her early career in executive recruitment, helping people build the careers they always dreamed of. Putting her psychology degree to good use, Jade spent years as a national HR manager before jumping off the corporate ladder and into self-employment.
“Waking up in 2-3 different cities a week wasn’t conducive to parenting two small boys, so I bought a small business and worked successfully from home for many years. Self-employment created much joy in my life, and at that stage, it worked well for our family.”
“But I also learned that the things you least expect to strike in business (like earthquakes) are the things that nearly wipe you out,” she explains.
“In what is, unfortunately, a bit of a common story these days, I pushed through an extended period of near burnout. Although my energy reserves kept the business afloat, change was needed. A year later we relocated to Tauranga and I introduced some very necessary changes to my life.”
Jade says that she chose to become happy, working hard to create the conditions for happiness to grow. Now, she uses what she learned personally to help to grow the happiness of others through Bloom Co and mentoring.
“Bloom Co is a happy place. I love coming here and providing a space where other people can be happy too. It’s a well-researched phenomenon that co-working creates connection and community. It offers flexibility, cost-effectiveness, collaboration opportunities and increased productivity. And networking does the same.”
Bloom Co hosts regular networking events, where it is hard to miss the laughter and warmth in the room.
“Good networking is powerful. It brings me the greatest joy and job satisfaction when I’m in a group and can see that magic happening, when the right people seem to connect at just the right time. It’s just so inspiring,” says Jade.
Related: BloomCo – A workspace revolution
