Landan Laurusaitis defies stereotypes, in that he embodies them all. The high school jock, the theater kid, and the free spirit. HanaHaus loves this type of diverse character, it shows the range of people the space serves. Landan is not running a technology startup, but a personal fitness brand built around the intensity and energy he so effortlessly emits. A former division one football player and student of improv acting, Landan uses his love of fitness, and passion for film to create workout classes that he refers to as “performances” rather than exercise. This playful approach to getting in shape is what draws his clients. He has worked in personal training, and workout classes, with attendance rates filling warehouses and parking lots.
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Name: Landan Laurusaitis
Origin: Hillsborough, California
HanaHaus Visitor Since: HanaHaus open (2015)
Job: Fitness Entrepreneur
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My Job in Silicon Valley is about…
Escapism, plus exercise.
Got to know HanaHaus…
“I was living two blocks away at the bottom of University avenue when HanaHaus was being designed, and opened up. I was in a transition period between being a ‘fitness powerhouse guy’ and just quit to take a year off to do more entrepreneurial stuff, and this was the hot new place opening up with the big marquee. It looked beautiful, so I’ve been there since it opened. Being in the courtyard and in the workspace and playing around with the feel of the spaces, taking walks and coming back. I do a bit of a circuit, doing work, then taking a walk to go get a salad and circling back.”
“It’s professional here, this is the one area in my life that I am professional.”
Comes to HanaHaus…
To read in the open space, with some background noise so that he can focus. “I do run into some people that I like to see and talk with them. I do visual and marketing materials, value formulation for my new business endeavor and marketing campaign artwork. Working a lot with my digital artwork for my next project. Junk YouTube video watching and getting my eggs and bacon, it’s also a decompression zone for me. It’s professional here, this is the one area in my life that I am professional.”
Started my own business because…
“I started to spend time around all of the entrepreneurs and founders in the Valley and became more entrepreneurial, so I’m very sticky. Whoever I’m spending a lot of time with I’m falling into that; a lot of my clients are entrepreneurs.” Landan also started a small gym and cryotherapy studio. He has recently moved on from this project building on larger classes.
Landan leading one of his performances at a local studio in Palo Alto.
“I know there is an energy here that I can pull from, someone is looking into their future and reaching out for something to work on.”
HanaHaus is unique because…
“There’s little music playing in the public space here, other spaces are too loud for me. It’s more focused, you can tell people are here working. If I’m going to pay 3 dollars an hour, I justify it to be a little more focused than if I’m not paying. There’s a reason I don’t sit in the café. I know if I’m paying 3 dollars an hour, I’m going to get something out of the people, and to be in the space that’s more focused. This is more uniformed and structured. I know there is an energy here that I can pull from, someone is looking into their future and reaching out for something to work on. This environment is more focused and yet there is an energy of social dynamics on the sides of the room as well.”
The favorite spot at HanaHaus…
The Lounge Seat Group in the Open Space, where I can relax, be creative and maybe make use of the whiteboard.
In our blog series, People of HanaHaus, we present the folks that fill our workspace cafe with life: Start-Uppers, entrepreneurs, artists, founders, innovation managers, students, unicorns, venture capital investors and the people who make HanaHaus unique. We want to learn about their journeys and what brought them to Silicon Valley. We ask them to speak about their current projects and how they leverage HanaHaus for their business.