Episode 123: A neurodiverse workplace in the LEGO world -- with David Kokai and Lili Juhász from WE LOVE WHAT YOU BUILD (WLWYB)

If your employees spent their workdays engrossed in colorful LEGO® bricks, what would you think?

If you're David Kokai, you'd probably think that business is good!

David founded a company devoted to the LEGO® secondary market when he left the corporate world to start WE LOVE WHAT YOU BUILD (WLWYB), a LEGO® parts dealer. WLWYB operates their breakthrough platform, MOCHUB, which allows LEGO® builders to share their work and make money with their creations.

WLWYB is a neurodiverse workplace that employs autistic people in key parts of their business, and recognizes that the diversity within their teams makes their company stronger.

During this episode, David and Lili talk about:

• How David’s interest in data science inspired him to start a LEGO®-focused business
• Why they decided to create a neurodiverse and autism-friendly work environment at their company
• How they recruit and employ autistic people in key parts of their business and build a work environment that is safe, effective and a great place to grow for all of their employees
• How they adjusted their business operations during the pandemic lockdown with almost no interruptions in orders
• Advice for people who want to start their dream company

To find out more about WE LOVE WHAT YOU BUILD, visit their official website wlwyb.com and connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also contact David and Lili through the contact us page on the WLWYB website.

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!

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Click here for the episode transcript.

More about David Kokai, Founder of WE LOVE WHAT YOU BUILD (WLWYB):

David Kokai is the founder of WE LOVE WHAT YOU BUILD (WLWYB). He studied economics at the Corvinus University of Budapest (former University of Economics Budapest) and graduated from the University of Vienna.

He had been working in the IT sector at leading multinational companies for more than a decade in several managing roles based in Budapest and Vienna. After getting acquainted with the secondary market for LEGO® in 2010, he opened a LEGO® parts dealership called WE LOVE WHAT YOU BUILD (WLWYB). WLWYB's business innovation is that it has placed its operations in this segment in a unique way in the world based on strong data science, supporting key enterprise functions with a comprehensive, custom-developed business intelligence system; such as purchasing, inventory management, and pricing.

As a result of many years of systematic building, in addition to its position in the secondary market of LEGO®, WLWYB opened the world’s first marketplace in 2018 specializing in bespoke LEGO® creations, called MOCHUB. MOCHUB provides an opportunity for emerging and professional LEGO® builders to receive a royalty from the sale of the models they design. MOCHUB sold many thousands of bespoke LEGO® kits around the world in its first year of operation. After several years of work, the company became an autism friendly workplace in 2019.