Inside Cody’s B2B Enterprise Sales Evolution: From Individual Users to 50-Person Companies
Sometimes the clearest path to growth means completely reimagining your target customer. In a recent Category Visionaries episode, Cody CEO Christelle Rohaut revealed how her company transformed from serving individual remote workers to becoming the go-to workspace solution for growing companies.
Finding the Sweet Spot
Today, Cody focuses exclusively on B2B customers. As Christelle explains: “Today we’re completely b to b. So it’s only companies who can use Cody? No individuals like no freelancers… we’re really seeing Cody used by companies that have at least like ten people all the way. Our bread and butter though, is like a fast growing company that has around 50 folks.”
But this clarity about their ideal customer profile didn’t come immediately. It emerged through careful observation of market behavior and customer needs.
The Hub Pattern Emerges
A key insight came from watching how even remote-first companies approached physical spaces. Christelle shares the example of Airbyte: “They are publicly like a remote first company but they do use a Cody space full time here in San Francisco… we’re seeing that a lot more where companies that hit a certain threshold in terms of employee density, like you have more than ten people somewhere, they start to have a hub.”
This pattern helped Cody identify their ideal customer profile: companies reaching a certain scale where informal workspace arrangements no longer sufficed.
Moving Beyond Co-working
The company discovered a specific trigger point where companies outgrow traditional co-working solutions. “What we’re seeing more is like people typically come out of a rework and then come to Cody when they outgrow the co working situation,” Christelle notes. “So there’s kind of a minimum size that we’re seeing to get into Cody to have a need to have your private space instead of a co working space.”
The Hub-and-Spoke Evolution
As companies grew, Cody observed another pattern: the expansion from part-time to full-time spaces across multiple cities. “We have other clients that have grown from a part time hub in just San Francisco to then wanting a full time hub in New York City because that’s where they had most people after having period of time,” Christelle shares.
Reframing the Value Proposition
Moving upmarket required Cody to reframe their value proposition. Instead of just offering flexible space, they positioned themselves as a comprehensive solution to the operational complexities of office management. As Christelle explains: “When you get a direct lease or sublease, you think only on the base rent, right? But then you have utilities and then the deposits and all the upfront cost of purchasing furniture, and then cleaning and coffee and tea… There’s a lot of hidden costs and fees in running your own office.”
Key Lessons in Moving Upmarket
Cody’s evolution offers several valuable insights for founders considering similar moves:
- Watch for Customer Density Triggers Companies naturally hit points where their needs evolve. For Cody, it was when companies reached around 10 people in a location.
- Identify Migration Patterns Understanding where your customers come from (in Cody’s case, outgrowing co-working spaces) helps target marketing and sales efforts.
- Evolve with Customer Growth Be prepared to grow with your customers, as Cody did by expanding from part-time to full-time spaces and multiple cities.
- Reframe Value Based on Scale What matters to a 50-person company is different from what matters to an individual. Cody shifted from focusing on flexibility to addressing operational complexity.
The future looks promising for this approach. As Christelle shares: “Three to five years from today… I want Cody to be in more markets… I would assume that in three to five years, we are in multiple countries potentially.”
For founders considering moving upmarket, Cody’s journey shows the importance of identifying natural evolution points in customer needs and building solutions that grow with your customers.