Female Founders: Felena Hanson of Hera Hub On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Doug Noll
Ditch imposter syndrome — You will, from time to time, feel like a fraud. Note it, and get over it. Even some of the most successful women I’ve met tell me deep down that they fear being “figured out.” Dr. Valerie Young is a leading expert on the impostor syndrome and the author of the award-winning book “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It.” Boys are raised to bluff and exaggerate. Girls, on the other hand, learn early to distrust their opinions and stifle their voices. They discover the highest physical, behavioral, and intellectual standards judge them. Perfection becomes the goal, and every flaw, mistake, or criticism is internalized — slowly hollowing out self-confidence.
As a part of our series about Women Founders, we had the pleasure of interviewing Felena Hanson.
Felena is a long-time entrepreneur and marketing maven. Her latest venture, Hera Hub, is a spa-inspired shared workspace and business accelerator for female entrepreneurs. She has two company-owned locations in San Diego and licensed locations throughout the country. She’s on a mission to support thousands of women in the launch and growth of their businesses.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Hera Hub grew from my need for flexible work, meeting, and event space. I was pushed into entrepreneurship after being laid off from a marketing director position with a San Diego-based high-tech company in 2003. I launched a marketing strategy consulting firm, Perspective Marketing, and found it convenient and cost-effective to work from home. Yet, after a couple of years, I found working from home to be, at times, distracting and isolating. Shortly after launching my consulting practice, I took on a leadership position with several professional women’s organizations, including Women’s Global Network and Ladies Who Launch, San Diego. In this role, I was challenged to secure cost-effective, fitting event and workshop space for monthly meetings.
I was turned on to the concept of coworking in 2010 when I hosted a networking event at San Diego’s first coworking space, the Hive Haus. While the space was cool, it was clearly geared towards young, techie guys… completed with bean bags, ping-pong tables, foosball, and a keg. After looking at dozens of other spaces, I saw two ends of the spectrum… either a stuffy executive suite (chopped into small private offices) or the super-hip, urban coworking-frat house. I knew I needed to create something different.
It took me approximately 12 months from the time I decided to move forward with the launch of Hera Hub to the point where I completed my business plan, secured financing (which came from her personal savings and a loan from a family member), and solidified my first location. It wasn’t an easy process.
I knew I wanted to build something bigger than myself from day one. I was trading time for dollars in my prior business (doing marketing strategy consulting for small businesses). It’s the classic “eMyth” scenario. So I built three locations in Southern California in the first two years of business. I wanted to build it, break it, and build it again. I knew I needed a bulletproof business model before I could scale. After four years of operations, we licensed the business model, and I’ve since extended the brand across the country. www.HeraHub.com/locations.
I aim to support 20,000 women in the launch and growth of their businesses. As of the end of 2022, we’d supported over 13,000. I’m doing this through Hera Hub and our business accelerator programs. I’ve also been able to support people through my book: “Flight Club — Rebel, Reinvent, and Thrive: How to Launch Your Dream Business” http://amzn.com/0692674691
Can you share the most interesting story that has happened to you since you began leading your company?
When I first launched into securing the physical space for Hera Hub, little did I know that I was lining up for one of my biggest challenges — the commercial real estate process! Negotiating a lease was much more complex and challenging than I had imagined. I had two strikes against me — a new business and a concept. No one was willing to take a risk. To top off the experience, I was “patted on the head” by older men in this very traditional industry more times than I care to recall. I almost saw them thinking, “Oh, isn’t that cute… these little ladies want their own space.”
I spent three months negotiating my first deal directly with a building owner interested in the coworking model. I figured I could get by without a broker and use a real estate attorney. That blew up in the 11th hour when he decided to launch his coworking space — after I’d shared my extensive business plan and all my financials. Then history repeated itself (although this time, I was armed with a broker) when negotiating my second deal. We reached the point where I was obtaining a cashier’s check for the deposit and first month’s rent, only to have the building owner tell me he had found a better fit for the space. Six months wasted!
I was devastated. I remember thinking, “Maybe it isn’t meant to be after all!
As fate would have it, my third lease negotiation also got off to a rocky start. After submitting my proposal, I discovered the build was in escrow. My heart sank. I couldn’t keep this up much longer as I was already heavily marketing the concept to my community. Every day people ask, “When are you opening?”
After waiting four weeks for the new owner to respond, we finally had a chance to meet. Much to my delight, they knew about the coworking model and had visited the Hive Haus. Finally, someone who “gets it!”
After beginning the negotiation process on a ground-floor space (approximately 3,700 square feet), they received another bid from an existing tenant in an adjacent suite. All I can remember is thinking, “Seriously? I’m doomed!”
To my relief, the building owners came back with a suggestion to look at a suite in the sister building. The space was more than 8,000 square feet, which they agreed could be split. With a little vision, I sectioned off close to 5,000 square feet and proposed a new proposal. It was a big risk, much larger than the prior spaces. We pressed on with the back-forth process.
Ready, Fire, Aim
Because of what had happened in the prior two deals, I kept looking for other spaces while we continued negotiating. I learned first-hand that nothing is final until I have the keys.
I recently read a book by Michael Masterson (Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat), which drove me to try a different tactic. In early April 2011, I met Amy Mew- born, the recent franchisee for Xtend Barre (a popular form of ballet-meets-Pilates) She overheard me lamenting about the commercial real estate industry at a WGN networking event. She mentioned her newly launched location, which was not far from where I was looking to land, and invited me to look at her second studio, which she wasn’t yet utilizing.
I showed up at 9 a.m. the next morning to tour the 700-square-foot space, which boasts dark brown hardwood floors and aqua-colored walls — pretty much Hera Hub colors. I wrote her a check on the spot for a temporary lease. Within one week, we had the IKEA furniture and ambiance in place. We even set up a makeshift meeting room in a storage space. We made it work!
I officially opened the “temporary” Hera Hub on tax day, April 15, 2011 — just a little over a year from idea to doors open. Despite the mirrored walls and the intermittent sounds of women groaning through leg lifts in the next room, I created a space for collaboration and inspiration. It was finally coming together! We finished construction in early August, and I officially opened the doors on Monday, August 15, 2011.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve made many mistakes (or, as I like to call them, learning moments). One of my favorite phrases in business is, “Done is better than perfect.” We have a lot of inspirational quotes on the walls around Hera Hub. These are simple vinyl decals. I’m notorious for plowing through 14-hour days when I set up a new space… I just want to get it done. One of the last decals I put up at our recent La Jolla location was the quote, “Be the reason someone smiles today.” I should have waited until someone could help me tell if the lettering was straight, but it was late at night, and I just wanted to finish it. Sure enough, it was crooked! The next morning, my team came in and said, well, if someone doesn’t smile when they look at the crooked decal, then we know they don’t have a sense of humor. I smile every time I walk by.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful? Who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
In 2006 I met a talented attorney from Texas, Linda Lattimore, just as she was in the early stages of launching a professional organization, Women’s Global Network (WGN). WGN’s mission was to build local business connections while helping women in developing nations launch small businesses through micro-loans.
I liked Linda immediately. She had such a warm, welcoming way about her. I consider her one of my true mentors along my entrepreneurial path.
Linda returned to Texas for work a little over two years after launching WGN. She asked me to take over the San Diego chapter of WGN. Although I was a little nervous about my ability to lead such a wonderful, accomplished group of women, I accepted the nomination! Over the next two years, running WGN gave me great servant leadership experience and good visibility. It catapulted me into many new opportunities and greatly built my confidence.
In your opinion and experience, what is currently holding women back from founding companies?
Confidence and community. This is a gross generalization, but my experience is that men will take on things in business even when they are sure how to pull them off. Many have a say “yes” and figure it out mentality. Whereas women want to be prepared and ensure they have all the credentials needed to launch a new business. I tell women almost daily… “you don’t need more training, another degree, or one more certification… just go do it!”. This is where a strong community like Hera Hub comes in handy. When you surround yourself with other smart entrepreneurs, you know you can find the support needed to move your dream forward. Knowing you are not alone can build your confidence and mitigate imposter syndrome.
Many women have multiple demands on their time and end up trying to do it all. They get stretched thin and don’t have as much time to focus on networking and other critical aspects of business. Because many women hold a lot of responsibility, they may be afraid of making mistakes. They may feel too much is on the line, need to play it safe, and never really “go for it.”
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
Business accelerator programs designed for early-stage female start-ups can help more women break through these barriers. While things are changing, women are still not on equal footing regarding securing equity investors. We need more female funders in order to change that equation. My angel investor, Dr. Silvia Mah, is helping change that equation through her work at www.Stella.co and the www.WomensVentureSummit.com.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder, but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
We survey our members on a regular basis, and one question we like to ask is, why did you leave your job to launch your own business? Most people assume the number one answer is work/life balance, and while that answer is in the top 3, it’s not the number one reason. The number one reason women break out of the corporate machine is that they feel like their work did not have an impact and were not making a difference. Many women start businesses because they want to create a product or service that directly, positively impacts the lives of others.
Building a business is both challenging and rewarding. I’m learning and growing every day.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
“Build it, and they will come.”
Most entrepreneurs I meet underestimate how much time and money they will need to spend on marketing and sales. It’s a lot of work to build a business, and if someone is promising you six figures in 30 days, run the other direction. You need to have money saved and be prepared for the long haul. I find that many aspiring entrepreneurs don’t realize what it takes to make a business work, and they spend a lot of money in the wrong places.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder, and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
Not everyone is cut out to be a founder. As a business owner, you are making hundreds of decisions every day. Knowing that one wrong decision could tank the business can be nerve-wracking.
You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. As an employee, you have a significant safety net. In most cases, you have coworkers to support you if you drop the ball or make a mistake. You typically have checks and balances all the way to the finish line to make sure things don’t go wrong. As an entrepreneur, there is no net. You see what others don’t, test new ideas, seize new territory, and take risks. This requires courage, a thick skin, and the ability to keep going despite rejection and skepticism — daily!
You have to be willing to wear all 17 hats of a business. When you’re an employee, you can typically hone your skill set on a functional skill: accounting, law, marketing, HR, operations, admin, etc. As an entrepreneur, you wear every hat simultaneously unless you have the funds to outsource what you’re not good at or don’t want to do. This is one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs. They want to do what they do well and ignore the other areas of the business. You can be the best social media strategist, but you’ll be out of business in short order if you don’t bill and collect from your clients.
As an entrepreneur, you’d better learn to love numbers quickly because, ultimately, it’s your sales, costs, and (hopefully) profits that will determine if you survive or fail. Cash flow can be even more challenging — you might be profitable on paper, but your business can sink if you can’t float monthly (especially in a product-based business).
Final advice — Watch out for shiny object syndrome.
In today’s world of constant bombardment, it’s easy to be pulled off track. Everyone will try to advise you, whether you want it or not. This will be challenging for you if 1) you don’t have a solid business plan and 2) you are not confident in your direction. Women are natural people pleasers. On top of that, we are often more sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others. I’ve seen one comment sent by an entrepreneur on a completely different course.
Keep focused on your core business, and don’t let the dozens of other ideas that come your way pull you too far off track.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
Find community
Running a business is a tumultuous journey; some days, you will feel like you own the world, and some days you will want to hide from it. It’s crucial to have a network of like-minded people around you. This network can serve as a soundboard to new ideas, provide resources, and, most importantly, offer support. Find a networking group, women’s organization, coworking space, or mastermind group to plug into. Entrepreneurship can feel very isolating, so finding a like-minded community where you can foster relationships that will make you feel supported rather than alone is important.
Be Imperfect
As Voltaire famously wrote, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” — the perfect is the enemy of the good. You will paralyze yourself if you insist that everything has to be perfect before your launch your business. That’s why I love the “Lean” business methodology — because it encourages you to test as you launch versus waiting to unveil your masterpiece.
Follow your intuition
It’s often said that your first reaction to something is always right. I have found, along with other “cliché” sayings, that it is profoundly true. As a business owner, I receive requests all day long — emails and phone calls requesting to purchase a new project management system or other product requests to join groups or build strategic alliances, etc. Trusting your gut is always best; you can sense when someone is selling you an authentic product and detect someone’s caliber. If you are in doubt, there is usually a reason why, and more often than not, you will be right. Always have an open mind; I am not encouraging someone to live cautiously and not take risks, but to be aware of their gut reaction to pitches, requests, and offerings. This is invaluable when dealing with acquisitions, hiring new employees, or purchasing something for your closet. You know, when you’re purchasing something worth vs. something cheap, that will fall apart. You can inherently feel quality.
Set clear boundaries
You need to understand that you are not your business. I see this often when someone is consulting or providing a service — they have difficulty not feeling personally hurt when someone doesn’t accept a proposal or gives a bad review. Men are much, much better at this. They compartmentalize things, while women mix everything up into one big plate of spaghetti! Do not — I repeat, do not — take things personally! Business is business. Get up, brush yourself off, and move on.
This also relates to “scope creep” for those service providers. For example, a month or two into the project, the client starts asking for more than what was included in the original agreement. You say to yourself, “Oh, that’s just a small task; I’ll just do it and not charge for it.” That can add up quickly. Suddenly you’re doing twice the amount of work than was agreed on and not being paid a penny more! Set boundaries. Have a conversation with the client early and often.
Ditch imposter syndrome
You will, from time to time, feel like a fraud. Note it, and get over it. Even some of the most successful women I’ve met tell me deep down that they fear being “figured out.” Dr. Valerie Young is a leading expert on the impostor syndrome and the author of the award-winning book “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It.” Boys are raised to bluff and exaggerate. Girls, on the other hand, learn early to distrust their opinions and stifle their voices. They discover the highest physical, behavioral, and intellectual standards judge them. Perfection becomes the goal, and every flaw, mistake, or criticism is internalized — slowly hollowing out self-confidence.
“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’ “ — Maya Angelou
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Hera Hub is proud to be a Public Benefit Corporation. This is a relatively new form of legal corporate status in the United States for mission-driven companies. Traditional corporate companies have a duty to maximize shareholder value, even when it conflicts with their mission. A benefit corporation allows businesses to write their greater purpose and mission into the core fabric of their company.
Hera Hub has always been focused on making a positive impact on the community. We do this in three ways — programs to help people get back into the workforce, donation of space to non-profit organizations, and free business education and mentoring programming.
In the last twelve years, Hera Hub has supported over 13,000 women in the launch or growth of their businesses.
Learn more — https://herahub.com/benefit-corporation/
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would do the most good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would create a program/platform that teaches every high school student, who is interested, how to launch a business. If you know how to start a business, you will feel empowered and have economic opportunities, regardless of the job market.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I would love to have lunch with Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. I greatly admire her passion and tenacity. She not only came up with a great product but also had the guts and perseverance to make it a reality. And she has grown a wildly successful company.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.
