Kate Snell is a Glenwood mum-of-two who owns The Office, a shared co-working space in Morningside. It is a business she began as ‘an exit strategy’ for husband, Quintin, who works as a commercial diver in the offshore industry. For the past 14 years, Quintin has been away from his wife and two young daughters for nine months each year.
Two years ago, Kate birthed Project #BringDadHome. “The lightbulb moment came in mid-2016 when we moved into our home in Glenwood,” explains Kate. “The area had no internet coverage and I was running from coffee shop to coffee shop trying to get some work done. If only there was a professional place I could just go for a day to sort my e-mail, print candidate CVs and conduct interviews and training. The rest is history.”
“#BringDadHome was – and still is – a theme in our home. We talked to our kids about finances being tighter, about access to mom being less and more aftercare at school, all with the clear vision of having dad/husband free of the offshore industry commitment, free to stay home with us, to attend sports days and talent shows, here to celebrate birthdays and holidays. And here long enough to relax without the dreaded countdown until we have to drop him off at the airport again.”
The Office, situated in Innes Road, is a thriving facility that is popular with freelancers, consultants, mompreneurs and the likes.
“The fact that The Office is now up-and-running brings my daughters and I a step closer to having Quintin quit his offshore job and head home.”
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