What if you didn’t have to choose between being present for your baby and being present at work? That’s the idea Lauren Perrett turned into a business in 2022, and it’s one that’s clearly struck a chord.
Founded on the Central Coast NSW, BubbaDesk is Australia’s first coworking space with onsite childcare, designed for working parents who want to stay close to their baby while getting the job done. Every space is built on transparency: parents remain onsite, carers are thoroughly vetted, and every area is visible. Demand has grown fast, and BubbaDesk now has eight locations across NSW and the ACT, with many more national sites in the pipeline.
Moving beyond the DIY phase
Scaling a business is a juggle at the best of times. When your model involves building physical environments that support families during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, the stakes are even higher.
Opening a new BubbaDesk location isn’t just about finding a space. It’s about creating something warm, considered, and ready for families before the doors open. In the early days, that meant leadership doing much of it themselves: building cots, assembling furniture, leaning on personal networks.
“That model works in a very early startup phase, but not when you’re opening multiple locations and need to move quickly without burning out your core team,” says Lauren Perrett, Founder of BubbaDesk.
Airtasker became the solution. Rather than relying on expensive contractors or stretched internal staff, BubbaDesk now mobilises local Taskers to handle the practical elements of each launch: hanging artwork, setting up screens, removing rubbish, and getting each new space ready to welcome families.
Not just boots on the ground
What sets BubbaDesk’s use of Airtasker apart is the breadth of tasks they post. Alongside the physical setup work, they also use the platform for financial modelling support, target region research, and ad hoc strategic analysis.
“For things like financial modelling or market research, I don’t need a full-time hire,” says Lauren. “Airtasker lets me plug in exactly the capability I need, when I need it.”
It’s on-demand expertise: specific capabilities at exactly the right moment during a growth phase, without the long-term commitment of growing the headcount.
The benefits of an agile workforce
For a business opening locations in quick succession, three things matter most:
- Speed: when a new site opens, timelines don’t wait. Being able to mobilise quickly keeps momentum moving.
- Diverse skill sets: from data analysis to hands-on labour, one platform covers a wide range of business needs.
- Cost-effective execution: local Taskers in each new region reduce the need for travel and high-overhead contractors.
What’s next
As BubbaDesk continues to grow, their planned use of Airtasker is expanding too: event setup and pack-down, light renovations, photography shoots, and operational audits.
By treating Airtasker as a strategic resourcing platform rather than just a task tool, BubbaDesk is proving that building a big footprint doesn’t require a big internal team. And for a business growing in response to genuine community need, that flexibility is what keeps the doors opening.
Featured Tasker
Name: Sol
Location: Wollongong
“Sol has been an integral part of BubbaDesk Team Wollongong. He’s assisted with various tasks – from assembling cots, mounting artwork, fixing cameras, disposing rubbish, and building shelves. It’s great to have a known Airtasker to jump in and help with jobs that sit outside of our core teams remit.”
Airtasker launches the Side Hustle Calculator
Demand for cleaning tasks spike on Airtasker
Airtasker Year in Review 2022
Redefining the community spirit
Airtasker Awards: Top Taskers share their success stories
