The 95% Return Rate: Why Being Yourself Is Your Best Business Strategy with Ali Kakande
How a woman who connects with strangers on buses built sustainable community infrastructure through genuine relationship
Episode Summary
"I only want to work with people that I like... people who don't affect my nervous system. Some people will laugh and go, What? That's crazy. But I suppose what I'm really saying is I like to work with people who don't affect my nervous system, and that's really important."
This isn't community-building advice. This is a revolutionary business strategy.
Ali Kakande sits across from Bernie, explaining how she went from "sat on my bed writing funding applications on a piece of paper and phoning my Auntie, going, 'Have I got this budget right?'" to running Carib Eats—a community infrastructure project with a 95% return rate that people trust with keys to their buildings.
The transformation didn't happen through business courses or growth hacking. It happened because Ali figured out how to make a living by being genuinely herself.
"I can sit next to a stranger on the bus, and before you know it, they're telling me they had heart surgery two years ago," she explains. That's not a community-building technique—that's a superpower that became a sustainable business model.
Five years ago, Carib Eats started as a COVID-19 crisis response. Today, it's a permanent civic infrastructure operating across London through partnerships with Urban MBA, Black Cultural Centre in Islington, and multiple Hackney locations. The model is deceptively simple: food, connection, and being true to yourself.
But the real story isn't about community building. It's about economic agency through an authentic relationship. Ali demonstrates something coworking operators desperately need to understand: you can build a sustainable business by serving people genuinely, without compromising who you are or affecting your nervous system.
This conversation reveals why most community programming fails, how to design spaces where everyone belongs, and why your gut reaction to potential partners might be your best business advisor.
You'll leave understanding that the 95% return rate isn't just a community metric—it's proof that being yourself is the most sustainable business strategy available.
⏱ Timeline Highlights
[01:20] "I want to be known for connection and showing up as yourself. Not everybody can do that, unfortunately."
[02:28] The Urban MBA partnership origin: "On paper, you think, Oh, how's a 70-year-old lady from Grenada going to relate to being in this tech space? Very well, actually."
[04:45] The digital divide revelation: "I truly believe that our communities are being left behind. I had an assumption that everybody uses AI, but that's not the case."
[06:07] The Arsenal tour breakthrough: "She was able to be at that tour because of how much time AI was giving her back."
[08:17] From crisis to infrastructure: "We weren't a business. It wasn't anything. It was just a response to a call from the community about hunger."
[11:41] The full commitment moment: "There's got to come a point where you've got to have both feet in. I made that decision. It was really scary."
[13:02] The trust metric: "Carib Eats is trusted to get the keys. When somebody trusts you with keys and you've not burnt the place down, then somebody else goes, Oh, yeah, we can trust them."
[15:32] The connection superpower: "I can sit next to a stranger on the bus, and before you know it, they're telling me they had heart surgery two years ago. That's my world."
[18:20] The northern expansion call: "I want to do this north, so anybody's listening. I'm from Bolton or any surrounding area."
[19:45] The question everyone asks: "How do I get people to come to my thing?"
[26:27] The 95% return rate reveals: "I'm really proud to be able to say that we've got a 95% return rate. Most people come back."
[29:25] The nervous system business strategy: "I only want to work with people that I like... people who don't affect my nervous system."
The Nervous System Business Model
The moment that stops the conversation happens when Ali reveals her business philosophy: "I only want to work with people that I like." Bernie immediately recognises this isn't naive idealism—it's a sophisticated business strategy.
"People who don't affect my nervous system," Ali clarifies. "If I see their name come up on my phone and my gut is going off, that's a sign for me. I've had to say no to some opportunities. I'm glad I've done that because it would have affected my sanity."
This challenges everything coworking operators are told about growth and opportunity. Ali demonstrates that sustainable business comes from protecting your energy, not maximising your options. The 95% return rate isn't just community success—it's proof that nervous system management creates better business outcomes than traditional networking.
For coworking spaces struggling with difficult members or toxic partnerships, Ali's approach offers a different framework: your gut reaction might be your best business advisor.
From Crisis Response to Economic Agency
The real transformation story isn't about community building—it's about economic independence. Ali moved from "working five days, then working four days, then working three days, then working two days for someone else" to becoming what Bernie calls "an independent economic agent."
The transition happened through a relationship, not a strategy. "Very rarely do people come and knock on my door," Ali explains. She finds opportunities through newsletters, applies for residencies, proves the model works, and earns trust. "The proof is in the pudding."
But the foundation is a genuine connection. The 95% return rate exists because people feel seen, not served. The partnerships work because Ali only collaborates with people who don't affect her nervous system. The business sustains because it's built on an authentic relationship, not a transactional exchange.
This offers a different model for coworking operators: economic sustainability through genuine service, not growth hacking through manufactured community.
The Residency Revolution
Ali's expansion strategy reveals something coworking spaces should pay attention to: the residency model. Instead of building permanent locations, Carib Eats partners with existing spaces—Urban MBA, Black Cultural Centre, and various Hackney locations.
"What's really interesting is that Carib Eats is trusted to get the keys," Ali explains. The trust comes from consistent delivery, not marketing promises. "When somebody trusts you with keys and they can see what you've done and you've not burnt the place down, then somebody else goes, Oh, yeah, we can trust them."
Bernie's real-time realisation during the conversation captures the opportunity: "What you did in Urban MBA, where you come and cook and people get a lesson there, it's a very rock solid way of connecting with people in the local community that you would not otherwise have connected with."
For coworking operators, this suggests a different approach to community engagement. Instead of hoping local community members will become members, invite community organisations to use your space for programming that serves people who would never otherwise enter.
The Connection Superpower as Business Asset
"I can sit next to a stranger on the bus, and before you know it, they're telling me they had heart surgery two years ago. That's my world. But a lot of people's world, that's not."
Ali's connection ability isn't just personality—it's business infrastructure. The 95% return rate exists because people experience genuine interest, not professional networking.
The partnerships work because Ali approaches collaboration as a relationship, not a transaction.
"Give people the opportunity to connect, they will," she explains. "Often, I think people think, What do I have in common with somebody? Initially, you might not see it or think there is, but there is."
This challenges how most coworking spaces approach community programming. Events that start with networking or education often fail because they skip the belonging step. Ali's model suggests you need to create safety before asking for engagement.
Design for Belonging, Not Networking
The most practical insight comes from Ali's space design philosophy. "Everybody can see each other, and where our tables are set up, everybody can see each other.
You can be a really quiet character in the Caribbean and benefit from the laughter and the joy and the fun. Or you could be one of those loud characters. But it's how you are greeted."
The greeting protocol isn't customer service—it's belonging infrastructure. "When somebody comes through that door, make sure you say hello. Do you want a cup of tea? Take a seat."
Ali's 95% return rate proves this works. "Most people come back, and the ones that don't come back, I can normally see they're not going to come back because it's probably not the space for them because it is Carib Eats. That's what we do."
For coworking operators, this suggests focusing on consistent welcome protocols over sophisticated community programming. The greeting matters more than the agenda.
The Wisdom Exchange Model
One of Ali's most innovative projects gets mentioned almost in passing: the Wisdom Exchange, bringing young people into conversation with elders for knowledge sharing. "It doesn't matter what the exchange is. It could be anything."
This reveals something profound about community programming: the content matters less than the connection. Whether it's AI literacy, cooking skills, or life experience, the real value is in creating conditions for intergenerational relationship building.
The model translates directly to coworking contexts. Instead of age-segregated programming (young entrepreneur meetups, senior professional networks), what happens when you intentionally mix generations around shared learning?
The Trust Economy in Practice
Ali's business model operates in what economists call the trust economy—value created through relationship rather than transaction. The 95% return rate, the keys to buildings, and the word-of-mouth expansion all demonstrate trust as a measurable business asset.
"The proof is in the pudding," Ali explains. Success comes from consistent delivery, not marketing promises. People return because they feel genuinely served, not professionally networked.
For coworking operators struggling with member retention, Ali's approach offers a different framework: focus on genuine service over growth metrics. The return rate follows the relationship quality.
From Mutual Aid to Sustainable Business
The most challenging part of Ali's journey isn't the community building—it's the business building. Moving from crisis response to sustainable infrastructure requires different skills, different thinking, different relationships with money and growth.
"At the start, it's a response. You're responding and reacting to a need," Ali reflects. "But then I had to build a business around that. Then it becomes less reactive and more. Okay, what are we doing?"
The solution involves multiple revenue streams—canteens, workshops, consulting, and speaking—but the core remains community-led programming that serves people the market economy often overlooks.
The lesson for coworking operators: sustainable community programming requires business model innovation, not just good intentions. You need revenue streams that align with community values, not compromise them.
🔗 Links & Resources
- Carib Eat's main website
- Carib Eat’s on Instagram
- Black Cultural Centre
- Connect with Ali on LinkedIn
- Urban MBA
Projects & Community
- Join this and other conversations with people in the LinkedIn Coworking Group
- Unreasonable Connection Monthly online gatherings for Coworking Community Builders.
- FLOC LinkedIn Coworking Recognition Campaign
- European Coworking Day May 2026
- London Coworking Assembly
- European Coworking Assembly
Bernie's Projects
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