Pop Desks designed for those working from home

A COUNTY Mayo company has turned the Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity for those forced to work from home, writes Tom Gillespie.

Conor Gibbons and Simon Killeen designed an innovative, easy-to-assemble desk for Simon’s fiancé, Aoife, who had been working at home for two years but could not find an affordable or suitable standing desk. And so Pop Desks was born.

The enterprise has been a welcome distraction for cabinet-maker Conor, from Castlebar, as he and his fiancé, Emer, have recently had to postpone their wedding due to Covid-19. They were due to get married over Easter. Currently working in Advanced Safety, Conor also runs a part-time business, Connacht Ply Lining, from home, specialising in panelling and shelving units for vans.

Simon, from Roundfort, is a website manager and designer who is temporarily laid off due to the pandemic. He lives in Headford with fiancé Aoife.

Conor explained how the company was conceived: “Pop Desks came about due to Simon’s fiancé Aoife working at home for two years and not being able to find an affordable or suitable standing desk.

“Simon came up with some designs and told me the type of desk that Aoife wanted. I engineered the desk exactly how Simon had designed it and so Pop Desks was born. The desk was incredibly easy to set up and Aoife was able to alter it to sit or stand as she needed to throughout the day.

“We decided that we could start creating and selling Pop Desks to others working from home during Covid-19. We went ahead and created a website with Shopify, as they are offering a three-month free trial to all entrepreneurs during this current crisis.”

Simon added: “Neither of us have had experience running a website before, so creating PopDesks.com has been a big change but every day is a learning curve and we are really enjoying the challenge.

“The business is currently running remotely online. Trying to work together on product design and taking product photos with our smartphones has been tough, but we are making the best of the situation.

“We believe the Pop Desks are a fantastic and affordable option for people who are currently working from home due to Covid-19.

“Working life as we know it is changing, our idea has grown and now we know that we can help people change how they work.

“We have designed and manufactured everything right here in Mayo, and we believe that if people had a choice to buy from overseas or from a locally sourced and manufactured product from Ireland, they would choose Ireland nine times out of ten.”

Conor explained: “The product itself is cleverly designed and our slogan ‘7 steps to Pop your Desk’ is true! There are no tools or screws. You simply pop your desk up and get working right away. Pop Desks can be adjusted to suit your height. They allow you to choose the way you want to work and let you alter your position throughout your working day.

“Pop Desks are unique as they can be used for both sitting and standing, and work with a variety of devices including laptops, monitors and keyboards.”

Currently they have three colour options available for pop desks - white, walnut and timber.

Shipping is free on the island of Ireland and there is 10% off while Covid-19 restrictions continue.

Simon said: “Our aim is to offer a product to improve your work flow and your working way of life. Not only have we got the trendiest standing desks on the market, but we can also guarantee that they are the finest quality.

“Pop desks are designed for simple, quick assembly and they will turn any flat surface into a standing desk. There are no screws, glue or tools required. There are just seven simple steps to ‘pop your desk’, allowing you to pop your desk anywhere in your home or office.

“Pop Desks will allow you to correct your posture and adjust your computer and keyboard to any height that is comfortable for you.

“Our goal is to offer our customers the best shipping options no matter where you live in Ireland or the UK.”

For further details, visit https://popdesks.com/products/pop-desk.