Making Space from Thin Air: GotSpot Connects Entrepreneurs to Much-Needed Places

Got Spot CEO Reda Hicks (center), along with Sabrina Marshall-Wojtewicz, Marine Corps veteran spouse and Co-Founder of Bunker Labs Austin (left) and Kellie Artis, Army spouse and Communications Director for Millie (right).

In the last decade, the price of office space in urban centers has gone through the roof. Most people just shake their heads and bite the bullet—and many more are dissuaded altogether—but the team at GotSpot is determined to do something about it.

GotSpot is a digital marketplace that connects small enterprises in need of short-term space to existing brick-and-mortar businesses who have available, non-traditional space that could be better maximized. Think Airbnb, but for commercial spaces.

The idea for GotSpot came to Reda Hicks after Hurricane Harvey devastated large portions of Houston in 2017. As she helped with the relief efforts, she noticed that community leaders were desperate to find space—space to house evacuees, space to store and distribute goods, and space to stage emergency response units. “That’s when the whole idea hit me,” Hicks remembers. “I thought, why isn’t there a company that helps you find an affordable commercial space, when you need it most?”

When she explored the idea more, she started to discover entrepreneurs of all types who needed unique spaces in a pinch. There was the part-time chef who needed a commercial kitchen to make macarons for a wedding but had to settle for her kitchen. There was an estate planner who normally works from her home office, but needed a conference room to meet with a high-value client on short notice. “All these people ask, ‘Where do I go? I have money,’” Hicks explains. “They’ll pay for a space, but they just don’t know where to go.”

With extensive experience working at the local, state, and national level as an attorney, Hicks is an expert in forging connections and aggregating resources. That’s how she’s built GotSpot into a platform that facilitates temporary rental of commercial spaces of all shapes and sizes.

What makes GotSpot unique is the ability of space seekers to search by area, filter by features, and read reviews. Space holders can customize their profile, set available hours and pricing, and determine any restrictions. GotSpot is all about Hicks’ specialty—connecting people to the places they need.

Hicks is the spouse of a retired soldier, and notes that many military spouses are entrepreneurs. She explained how the spouses would start up, only to find themselves at a loss when they were relocated: “If you don’t have something you can take with you, you have a really big problem.” Businesses suffered when they couldn’t be easily picked up and taken along to the next location, but being able to find and leverage space goes a long way in helping address this challenge. GotSpot allows entrepreneurs to find space, for however long—or short—they need.

Hicks sees a connection between entrepreneurs and military out in the field: “Do they have the right weapons? Do they have the right armor?” GotSpot helps small businesses be best equipped for their battles.