Founder Focus: Gene Powell of Seed Coworking and Spoke

Since hiVelocity first met Gene Powell last year, he's been on the move advancing his company Spoke, a digital marketing firm, and founding Seed Coworking, a coworking space in downtown Toledo. We caught up with Powell to see how things have been going.
 
Gene Powell has his finger on the pulse of Toledo’s entrepreneurial scene. The founder of Seed Coworking, located in downtown Toledo, and Spoke, which specializes in web and emerging media strategy, online development and branding, and digital platform management, spends his days (and nights) living and breathing all things Glass City.
 
“Spoke and Seed both continue to grow and exceed our expectations,” says Powell, “and this is from a team of people who set the bar pretty high for themselves.”

The growth in membership at Seed is particularly exciting to Powell, who says the coworking community has evolved into a “lightening rod” of entrepreneurial activities in the Toledo region. “We’re working to grow that into a full-fledged entrepreneurial ecosystem,” he says of Seed's future. “We’re also home to some continuing education opportunities,” alluding to co-founder Jamie Wright’s work on creating multi-week courses for members.
 
Running a company and being a driving force in Toledo’s startup community is no easy feat, and Powell admits to struggling with balancing his time, calling it a “juggling act” he’s not always good at. “But it’s gotten me this far,” he quips.
 
Recalling an article about a famous illustrator who learned to juggle to get a job, Powell says he believes balancing work and life isn’t about working smarter as much as it is about working harder. “Too much emphasis is placed on working smarter,” Powell says. “I think it’s overrated. Most times you just need to roll up your sleeves and work harder than anyone else around you.” Not coincidentally, Powell admires entrepreneurs who “worked the hours no one else wanted to, and who dug deeper than anyone else was willing.”
 
Anyone who might question Powell’s philosophy need only look at the community he’s helped build in Toledo. Powell talks about a “huge, pent-up demand” for startups, investment dollars, and human capital that has taken hold in Northwest Ohio. “For the first time since I relocated to Toledo in 1992, I’m witnessing an energy and interest in entrepreneurship that many business leaders older than me have described as unprecedented,” says Powell. “Startups [in Toledo] are now engaged with media outlets, government members, University of Toledo leaders, and other regional organizations in new ways.” Simply put, Powell and his colleagues are not waiting for a “rising tide to raise all ships.” They’re building the boat, the waterway, and anything else needed for a sustainable ecosystem.
 
Moving forward with Spoke, Powell is currently working on two new products that will be introduced later this year. One he describes as a “turnkey digital presence solution for the hospitality industry.” The other, he says, is an immersive process for developing future brands.

Along with the possibilities future endeavors hold, this vibrant young professional is constantly ignited by the opportunities for entrepreneurs in Toledo.
 
“We continue to sponsor and organize StartUp Toledo,” says Powell of the monthly networking event that gathers innovators, entrepreneurs, and other creative people within the community. "I encourage everyone who’s interested in seeing the current state of the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem to check it out.”