Life & Work with Darby Mahon of Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darby Mahon.

Hi Darby, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I would LOVE to share our personal & professional story with you – we are so blessed, humbled and proud of our story at EZ Spaces – here is a little information about our journey!

John Mahon – Founding Partner / Co-Owner
Devon Dickinson – Co-Owner
Darby Mahon – COO
Team Members: January, Ashley, Susanne, Kara, Jennifer

My husband John is the brain child behind EZ Spaces. He runs his full time job out of EZ Spaces (Crown Internet LLC – a web design and hosting company since 1996) and before EZ Spaces existed he had to fly to meet a client in a different state sometime in 2012. The client meeting took place in a space a lot like ours now (A Professional Workspace that hosted conference rooms and sitting / standing desks, mailboxes, office supports etc) and he was absolutely fascinated by the professional workspace. At the time of this client meeting, John worked from home and we had four (4) little children – so there was LOTS of noise and chaos and all of his billing was also delivered to our house – which is not professional at all! He returned home from the business trip and began researching professional workspaces and the term “Coworking”. He was blessed to be introduced to a gentleman in the community that was open to partnering with us. The gentleman gave John a questionnaire that needed to be researched regarding opening a professional workspace and John took the next several months to provide due diligence to answer all of the questions in detail (we always say “every T was crossed and every I was dotted :)). He produced the complete business plan to the potential partner in process and EZ Spaces was underway!

At the time, there were only two (2) other Coworking spaces in the valley (Co+Hoots PHX) and another company that has since closed its doors, so EZ Spaces is now the 2nd established Coworking space in the Phoenix valley and EZ Spaces was the 1st Coworking space in the East Valley. The Owners of Co+Hoots came to our grand opening back in 2013 and we have been friends ever since! #BetterTogether is one of the biggest terms that “Coworkers” share because even if you run your own business out of a space, it is always better to network, communicate on the daily, build relationships and co-exist with other business owners or remote workers. An office buzz is a nice background and if you leave your home environment (kids, a dirty kitchen sink, dogs barking, a home address vs a professional mailing address, getting dressed and out the door vs working in your pajamas all day, etc) a person is typically more productive!

As John’s wife, I used to only volunteer at EZ Spaces (professionally I was a Social Worker and had a different job). Our Sister in Law Jennifer was hired as an actual team Member and she us get started on our journey. John and Jenny’s favorite story is that they used to turn on the big tv in the atrium and watch The Office while they waited for telephone inquiries and tours because they were the only people in the space :). Finally – the calls started coming in and EZ Spaces started to grow – YAY!

EZ Spaces steadily grew over the years and in 2018 was at full capacity in the shared space. An opportunity presented itself to expand. The Professional Coworking Workspace remained upstairs and we expanded into PRIVATE OFFICES downstairs. It was an huge undertaking, but John, Jenny and the team did a GREAT job. Since we are family owned and operated we call EZ Spaces (Upstairs) and the Annex @ EZ Spaces (Downstairs) a two story house, because it is still the same “family” just now we have options to offer Members depending on business needs.

At the time of our expansion, I had recently quit my Social Work job and was enjoying staying at home with our children. Our full time team member at the time, Nadia, had moved out of state and John asked me to come and work at EZ Spaces to fill her spot. I LOVE people but I was not tech savvy. EZ Spaces had also grown so much over the years that I was not familiar with any of the members nor the day to day operations. I started my new job kicking and screaming (and probably crying too) because I did not want to work at EZ Spaces. However, I came in and started real training. It took me time to get the hang of this new position and all of the details that now surrounded EZ Spaces, but I finally got the hang of it. I can happily say that I LOVE MY JOB. I LOVE the Members at EZ Spaces and I love what I do! In my entire life, I don’t think I have ever grown so much as a person professionally as I have from all the learning and growth I have experienced at EZ Spaces.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!

As a small business and as a family owned and operated business – I don’t think anyone should ever have the expectations that it will be a smooth road. Owning and operating your own small business is hard work. HARD. You eat, breathe and sleep your business. I remember once someone said to me, “Wow – this space is really clean”! And I said “Thank You! We work really hard to keep this space clean on a daily basis”!. There was always an additional cleaning team that came on site in the evenings but the entire EZ Spaces team takes a lot of time and pride in making sure that this space is spotless on a regular basis.

Also – working with your spouse and learning to navigate a marriage partnership and business partnership can also be hard. I’d say 75% of the time its been great and 25% of the time, we have walked out on each other because we were mad 🙂 – it makes for funny stories – that is for sure!

When it is your small business you are responsible for the care of your Members. You are responsible for taking care of their needs and requests and providing good services for them. You are also responsible for all the expenses that it takes to run a small business. EZ Spaces is expensive! Looking back, EZ Spaces has paid all of its bills since the day it opened. Only once did we ask for help during the pandemic – in which John was told that we could receive assistance but had to pay back the assistance at an enormous interest rate by our landlord and so he declined the assistance and we kept putting one foot in front of the other. We never raised the white flag to give up – even during the pandemic.

Speaking of the pandemic – we lost about 70% of our business in 2020. Members had to make changes to care for their children. Members had to switch up their business models. Members had to figure out how to survive in the pandemic , keep working themselves, but no longer wanted to work in a shared space. It was devastating and our marriage was on the rocks over all the stress that the pandemic caused on us as a family owned and operated business, especially because as a married couple – we also worked together daily and had to learn how to navigate a pandemic, a business, our family and our marriage. It was not fun. It was awful actually. People have often asked how we made it and my reply is always the same “we kept putting one foot in front of the other and never gave up – its all we could do to survive”. As time continued to pass and the community and world returned to normal, we became a witness to Members no longer wanting to work at home and returning to both the Professional Coworking Space upstairs as well as the Private office space downstairs. After time, we also noticed that calls and inquiries increased because people in the community no longer wished to be isolated at home. It was wonderful and we are so thankful to have made it through to the other side!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
EZ Spaces is a creative, innovative and inspiring coworking space designed for small businesses, startups, freelancers, remote workers and independent professionals. It is created to be a better solution to the traditional executive suites, home offices and coffee shops. Strategically position your business in the heart of Gilbert Arizona, while benefiting from simple month to month pricing and amenities. EZ Spaces provides you with an enjoyable workspace that gives your company the best opportunity for success.

We are VERY proud of the fact that we are a married couple that works together daily. We laugh and say that John works on one side of the space and I work at the other side of the space. However, our strengths and weaknesses also compliment each other and THAT is why EZ Spaces is operating at the quality that it is – because we work together to offer the best services we can to Members at EZ Spaces.

EZ Spaces is set apart from other spaces like ours because of the personal care and excellent service we offer our Members. EZ Spaces IS a family. We might not be a high scale operation like these other big name / national spaces around the valley (or country) can offer but we offer quality care, quality service, excellent business services and a safe, clean environment. EZ Space will NOT nickel and dime you or bait and switch you with shiny pricing and then increased bills. The pricing at EZ Spaces is what it is and we are here to support the budgets of our Members.

EZ Spaces hosts a shared professional workspace upstairs, which includes four (4) conference rooms, four (4) telephone booths, sitting and standing desks, USPS Mailbox services, excellent wifi, office supports, lockers, hot/cold beverages plus snacks, and the availability of 24/7 access. EZ Spaces hosts Community or Membership options to meet any business needs.

EZ Spaces @ the Annex is located downstairs and hosts private offices, a large conference room, office supports, excellent wifi, 24/7 access, and a kitchen that hosts hot/cold beverages plus snacks.

Please feel free to call and schedule a tour, or stop by EZ Spaces Monday – Friday, 8am-4pm. During the tour you are also welcome to utilize a complimentary Day Pass to trial the space, work and be productive! If you have any questions, please call #480-207-1200.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
A professional workspace seems to be resilient to whatever the economy happens to be. People will always need places to work. Our greatest hope is that they look past the marketing ads for these big National companies and find local, family owned and operated business that can offer personalized touches, EXCELLENT customer service, HONEST care with pricing and budgets affordable for every businesses needs.

Pricing:

• Upstairs (Professional Shared Space) is month to month and the range is $225 – $475.
• Downstairs (Private Offices) is annual terms and pricing begins at $1,250 and goes up depending on office size
• EZ Spaces is ALL inclusive. We DO NOT nickel and dime anyone or bait and switch anyone with shiny prices and hidden fees.
• EZ Spaces is generous with our inclusions. We provide conference room hours on every Member account;

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ezspaces.com
• Instagram: ezspaces
• Facebook: EZ Spaces – Coworking in Gilbert

Image Credits
The EZ Spaces Team has taken the photos for the space.