Community Spotlight: A conversation with Jaime Aoyagi

I recently had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with Toronto-based, Worksimply founder, Jaime Aoyagi. If you’ve booked an office, meeting room, or coworking space with us online in the past three months, you have used the platform Worksimply created. The added features and improved functionality, designed by Jaime and his team, provide a truly on-demand experience, enabling anyone in need of a flexible office solution to secure the office space — and duration — that fits their needs.

Lisa: Tell me a little about yourself.

Jaime: “I am the founder of Worksimply, a booking platform that helps space operators process on-demand bookings for anything related to tours, offices, and meeting rooms. I started the company at the end of 2019. We were in business for a couple of months before the pandemic hit. After the pandemic hit, we realized that there was going to be a lot of opportunities around on-demand workspace.”

Lisa: So Worksimply is a relatively new venture for you. What did you do before? 

Jaime: “I went to the University of Calgary and studied electrical engineering. After graduating, I worked in the oil and gas industry in Calgary for two years. Then I got a job as an instrumentation and controls engineer at a consulting company.”

Lisa: How did you go from electrical engineering to founding Worksimply?

Jaime: “I was not passionate about the work I was doing in the oil and gas industry. I thought, ‘This is definitely not for me. What am I doing?’ I needed to find something I liked that would also allow me to make a good living. I took several online courses with Udemy and discovered that I was a talented designer. I fell in love with design and realized that I needed to pursue a career in design, so I did a 3-month boot camp with Springboard. My background in engineering helped with the overlying aspects of being able to analyze data and use logic.”

Lisa: What's your favorite aspect of the work you do at Worksimply? 

Jaime: “As a user experience designer, one thing that I love about the work that we do is being able to create products from thin air…to design and code a product and add value to the market. I find that all quite fascinating and it’s all thanks to the internet. I like the challenge of creating and optimizing interfaces that get the user to convert. There’s not a lot of overlap but, obviously, if you’re able to design interfaces that can optimize conversion rates, there’s a lot of psychology, there’s a lot of analytical aspects that go into building that interface. It’s not about what looks good, but what makes users convert.”

Lisa: The Worksimply mission statement is “Workspace on your terms.” What does that mean?

Jaime: “Not only do we add value to space operators like WORKSPACE, but we also want to add value to the companies that are looking for office space. I think the future is flexible and the future is all around how can we tailor workspace solutions that make sense for you. How can we help clients find a workspace that works for them?”

Lisa: Describe your dream client? 

Jaime: “Clients that see the future of work similar to us. COVID changed the way we work and we all know that the future is flexible. Before flexible office space meant terms for a year. Now, flexible office space can mean a month, or a couple of days, or a couple of hours. Any client that sees the future of work as flexible would be the ideal client for us.”

Lisa: What personal or professional accomplishments are you most proud of? 

Jaime: “Starting and growing Enso Digital, a multidisciplinary design studio focused on building websites for enterprise clients and providing user experience services. I did that for two years and grew the business by 300%, then started Worksimply. I’m hoping that 2022 is the year Worksimply really grows.”

Lisa: How would your family and friends describe you?

Jaime: “They would describe me as a person who goes after what he wants — conscientious, detail-oriented, entrepreneurial.“

Lisa: What made-up word would you incorporate into the English language if you could?

Jaime: “Eventually, we are going to release a platform that will help companies have access to on-demand workspace — a B2B approach rather than a B2C approach. I’d like to coin the term ‘worksimply day’ for the days their employees have access to these on-demand workspaces.“

That last question was meant just for fun but Jaime’s quick and thoughtful response makes it clear that he has found his passion and is driven to make Worksimply a success. We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with him and are thrilled with the results. Check out workspacema.com or visit worksimply.com to see for yourself.