Franchise Spotlight: Dreamers Joshua and Ashley Shi

Joshua considers himself a dreamer. He’s always planning and dreaming about his next project. Owning an Office Evolution Franchise is just one of his many dreams and he’s made it a reality. Joshua and Ashley currently own and operate two Office Evolution locations in Illinois and they’re doing a great job.

Tell us a little about your background

I have a cybersecurity background and I’ve been working in the corporate world for the last 20 years. My wife Ashley was previously a piano teacher. We always wanted to do business together as a team, so we decided to open an Office Evolution Franchise. We have three kids, and in our free time, we like to travel. I like to be on the beach anytime can and I also like motorcycle racing and skydiving — that’s when I’m the happiest.

Why did you decide to open an Office Evolution franchise?

I definitely see a need for office space for people in business, plus, Office Evolution is all-inclusive and very easy to use. Secondly, I really like the Office Evolution Ohana culture. I like that we’re all in it together and the win-win situations as it definitely match my personality.

Tell us a bit about your Business Center Manager

Jen works in Naperville, IL and she is really nice and energetic. She’s very trustworthy and passionate about helping people with customer service. She does a great job of delivering what our customers need, and she always finds ways to think outside the box. She just started around a month ago, and she already represents Office Evolution with a big smile on her face.

Ashley and Lisa are working together at our Lisle, IL location. I’m able to go there when I’m not traveling. We’ve known Lisa for 20 years and she’s helping us a lot with our business. She’s very excited, and space helps give her that energy. She’s great at helping our clients with whatever they need, and she’s great at giving tours.

Tell us a bit about your members

We have a lot of attorneys, psychologists, authors, professionals in IT, marketing, and consulting. To highlight one member in particular, Phil Kirk, he’s very friendly and always comes over to say hi when he comes to work. He’s very flexible and knowledgeable and definitely has a win-win attitude.

What makes your locations unique?

Naperville has been rated “one of the best locations to start a family” by Money Magazine. The location is very modern, close to the highway, and has easy access to lots of restaurants, amenities, and a great park. It’s convenient for people that live in the area, and if they have kids, they can see them at the park from the office.

The Naperville location was an acquisition. It was a landlord owned building that we acquired and turned it into an Office Evolution. When we took it over we brought it up from about 60 percent occupancy to around 90 percent. When we first acquired it, we had to put a lot of TLC into space and we’re going to continue some renovations this year.

Lisle is a brand new build-out and it’s a beautiful, contemporary building with high ceilings and lots of lights. People always tell us it’s very high-end and beautiful. After people see the inside, they want to work here. It’s also an all-inclusive building so members get a free gym membership, access to 50 personal training rooms, and all the benefits that Office Evolution offers. It’s also close to the highway and a medical center, which members like. Right now it’s almost full, and there are only a couple of offices left!

How were you able to see success?

Building a relationship with prospects and existing members is very critical for me. Lisle is a brand new location and I feel like I know every single person very well. We share common interests and we respect each other and act professionally. It’s fun working together. 

Advice for future Office Evolution franchise owners?

I wouldn’t rush too quickly into it. Do your homework and take some time at first. I opened two locations at the same time, and that was pretty hectic. I don’t know if I’d open two at the same time again, but it was definitely a good decision. Having our locations open at the same time helped us a lot last year and because one was an acquisition, it made it a lot easier since we acquired some members.