Meet Ramon Gonzalez | THRIVE |

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ramon Gonzalez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ramon, what do you attribute your success to?
RG: I love talking about risk but I also have a lot of passion about the success of our brand, because it allows me to talk about our philosophy as it relates to our team and our customers, and how radically we try to express our care, compassion and love for both. I love talking about that, and I do think it’s a differentiator for us.

When I think about the success of THRIVE | Coworking, I can’t help but think about all the stories that have come out of it that have, at least to me, been what’s indicative of success. For us, it’s not so much about the number of locations and bottom line and all of that. That’s not really how we primarily goal-set as a company. Obviously, there are metrics we want to hit, but we know that growing in locations and in revenue and bottom line is ultimately going to be a byproduct of the culture that we create and our expression of care and compassion and love for our team members and our customers. That’s real. I’m not saying that to sound all fluffy and nice. It’s really true.

I think about this one member we had who sent me an email that was so heartfelt, where she talked about how THRIVE literally changed her life. She moved from London to Alpharetta and had no friends and no family, no support system, and came to THRIVE struggling — starting a business, depressed, going through life’s difficulties. She said THRIVE and the community and the members that we have here, it’s what kept her going. It’s what kept her motivated. Beyond that, she made some connections and relationships that actually helped in her efforts. Man, that’s success because, honestly, at the end of the day, what does it really matter if you grow the company to a certain size and make a certain amount of money? What, are you going to get a nicer car or have tastier food or live in a bigger house? Those things are immaterial when I think about success.

It’s like, how do we bless people? How do we make their lives better? How do we use THRIVE as a platform to do that? Our passion for that as a company is, I think, one of our biggest competitive advantages. I wish it wasn’t. I wish that more companies actually, authentically and truly cared sincerely about the people they’re serving.

Our mindset is that we serve our team members first. How do we lead them and bless them in every single possible way? How do we fill them up so much so that their interactions with our customers are just delightful and inspiring and life-affirming? That’s what I love about THRIVE. I think that’s what sets us apart and we’re excited to do more and more of it.

What should our readers know about your business?
RG: I would say that where I am today is not the final destination. There is still lots for me to learn and lots for me to do. But ultimately, what has gotten me this far has been a combination of not being afraid to take risks, having sort of an unrealistic understanding of my own capabilities. There’s a saying that I like: Never underestimate the person who overestimates themselves. So just this belief that I can kind of do anything, and then the determination to sort of stick with it, that’s helped me to overcome a lot of things, like the financial crisis of ’07, ’08, ’09, and to get through COVID and all the difficulty associated with that.

But also being sort of reflective. People often say never give up on your dream, and I don’t believe that. I think you should never give up on a dream that you still believe in. But man, there’s a time to pivot and a time to change course. And so having that philosophy and knowing when to jump ship. I was in real estate investment, and I was like, oh, wait a minute, this isn’t going to work, back in ’07 and ’08, and pivoting to property management.

And then looking at the dynamics there, and sort of pivoting again to coworking. Just, yeah, never giving up, sure. But always being reflective and critical of your own path and making sure it’s the best one.

So those are the things that I think have helped me to get this far. And then, of course, not to be redundant, but all of the elements as it relates to how I view business fundamentally, as a way to speak into people’s lives, and to bless them, and to serve them, and to care for them. That matters.

If you do that, you can build a team that buys into a vision, that will do the things it takes to survive during difficulties, or to really succeed in times of opportunity. You get the extra unit of effort out of people if they really genuinely believe that you care about them, that you love them, that their best interest is at the center of your focus in the organization. Doing that gets you a lot of really excited, really motivated employees, and ultimately, that’s what business is all about. So that’s, I think, how I’ve gotten here.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
RG: I’m a sucker for downtown Alpharetta. I live in downtown Alpharetta, I’ve been in Alpharetta for a long time, so I would probably start here. I’d take them to Off Leash, which is a cool little dog park/bar/restaurant — it’s a really good time if you’re a dog lover. Then we’d probably shoot over to my buddy’s restaurant, Fogón and Lions. Great Spanish tapas and just different dishes that you’re not going to get anywhere else in Atlanta. I love it.

I would probably end up across the street at the speakeasy Roaring Social. It’s a good late-night hangout. Great drinks. There’s a little mini bowling lane, and if you like to dance there’s a cool dance floor and great music.

So that’s how I’d do my Friday. Then I’d explore ITP [Inside the Perimeter] a little bit. If you like sports, I’d catch the Battery, watch a game, maybe go to PBR. PBR is a good time if you like a classic rowdy sports bar. It’s a lot of fun. I’m also a sucker for the Beltline, I love walking through, catching all that energy — people riding bikes, rollerblading. I just love walking down Piedmont Park. All that stuff is super fun to me. I’d probably also take them on Saturday to another little speakeasy in Smyrna, Propaganda. That’s a fun time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
RG: It’s my good friend Robert Locke. He’s the guy who challenged me to become a better man and a better Christian. And I think doing those two things has helped shape the vision that I’ve had for THRIVE and what it is as a company today. I met him when I was trying to buy his company. It was called Crown Property Management. And I was young, I was in my late 20s or early 30s, and he was maybe mid-60s, sort of that season where you’re thinking about retiring. And I was brash enough to get out there and make an offer on his company. And from that spawned a lifelong friendship.

Website: https://workatthrive.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/workatthrive/

Image Credits
THRIVE | Coworking