How 2 Crises Enabled a Co-Working Revolution:
The Secret Sauce of a Serial Founder

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🤩🍿 I sat down for a conversation with with Magnus Øgård Meisal, the founder and Group CEO of the spectacular co-working space FOMO. The full episode our conversation on the Accelerated Learning podcast is available now, check it out!
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💡 Expect to learn more about the inspiring journey through the mind of the serial entrepreneur, Magnus Meisal, who has transformed challenges into opportunities with remarkable ingenuity. Expect to dive into the story of MyBox, where Magnus reimagined student housing using shipping containers, slashing costs and gaining global attention from Forbes, all sparked from a casual party conversation.
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You’ll uncover the rollercoaster of building Innovation Dock, a co-working space born from an oil crisis. How he took a big bet on FOMO, a vibrant community hub that thrived through Covid-19 by fulfilling our deep human need for connection.
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Magnus shares raw lessons on resilience, from rejecting million-dollar offers to navigating personal burnout, alongside his unconventional leadership philosophy, think ditching architects and budgets to slash construction costs tenfold. Packed with actionable insights on creativity, community-building, and scaling businesses like Slingshot, which created 450 jobs, this episode will leave you rethinking how to turn crises into catalysts and design space, and lives, that truly matter.
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🚀 By education Magnus is a civil engineer from the University of Stavanger (UiS). During his time at university, he led Start UiS, an organization that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship. While studying, he also developed the idea for MyBox, to use shipping containers for student housing. Later on, Magnus was also involved in the establishment of the co-working space Innovation Dock, in which he held a lead role for 2 years.
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After leaving, he founded and headed the extraordinary co-working space FOMO at Forus. FOMO has become a great success, now spanning 75 000sqm and is valued at more than 130 MUSD.
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💚 At heart, Magnus is an entrepreneur who values structure, but not when it hampers innovation, and his vision remains to foster communities, create meaningful experiences and environments.
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​Subscribe 🔔 to my YouTube channel to support the Accelerated Learning podcast, and to not miss out on the full episode.
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📣 What Marketing is All About

If you want to learn more, I can highly recommend the book
"The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" by Al Ries and Jack Trout
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How to Develop Grit in Order to Attain Long-Term Goals

“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina.​
​Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out,
not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years,
and working really hard to make that future a reality.“

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“Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance“ (2016) by Angela Duckworth is a highly recommended book that explores the idea of how perseverance and passion for long-term goals can lead to success. The book highlights the importance of grit (combination of passion & perseverance), and how it can be cultivated to achieve personal and professional goals. Drawing on extensive research and her own experiences, Duckworth provides readers with practical strategies for developing grit, including the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, finding your purpose, and developing a strong work ethic. Whether you are a student, athlete, or professional, the book offers valuable insights into how to achieve your goals and become more resilient in the face of challenges.

Since its publication in 2016, the book has had a significant impact on a wide range of readers. It has become a bestseller and has been praised by educators, business leaders, and psychologists for its insights into the nature of success. Duckworth’s concept of grit has been widely adopted by coaches, teachers, and trainers as a way to help individuals develop resilience and perseverance in pursuit of their goals. Additionally, the book has inspired a growing movement focused on the importance of developing grit in young people, with schools and community organizations incorporating Duckworth’s ideas into their curricula and programs.

Duckworth’s research has had a significant impact on the fields of psychology and education, earning her numerous awards and accolades.
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This article covers the book's key points, a great example story and the most significant quotes, as well as links to videos of Angela Duckworth's best talks.

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