Overcoming fear and finding strength in your obstacles
How our FemGem 15 created the first women’s co-working space in Germany
Shaghayegh Karioon was working for a business solutions provider when a conversation with a female client gave birth to her idea for a women’s co-working space. Her entrepreneurial journey was full of ups and downs, but in 2018, Shaghayegh became the solo-founder of Wonder; the first women’s co-working space in Berlin and Germany. By looking for solutions, having confidence in herself, and asking for help, our FemGem 15 made her dreams a reality.
As a business solutions provider, Shaghayegh (a.k.a Shari) found herself working closely with many corporate clients, but noticed a huge discrepancy in the make-up of these companies. Over and over she saw corporations that were heavily male-dominated, some without even one woman on staff. She thought about the support she had received from women her entire life and realized the need for a space where women could pursue entrepreneurship with the support of a female community.
“The idea was to have a place where women come together and can learn from each other and support each other, because I think women are different from men when they work and when they found. We face other challenges.”
When Shaghayegh first thought about a women’s co-working space, she figured there would be one already. To her surprise she found only a few women’s co-working spaces, all of which were in the United States. She became fascinated with the energy of these spaces, but was intimidated by the huge investment, niche market, and the thought of being a solo-founder.
Despite these challenges, the idea continued to captivate her. The obstacles she saw were not bigger than her dream. So Shari started searching for ways she could make a women’s co-working space come to fruition. She explored the possibility of a smaller space, a different location, and fewer staff. While developing her business plan, she began to save money and apply for loans. For over two years, she prepared for the opening of the new co-working space. Then, fear got in the way.
Instead of opening thewomen’s co-working space she had been dreaming about for years, Shari opened a mixed one. She felt she had too much to learn about being self-employed and would not reach the niche market she needed in order to start a successful business.
Over the next few years, Shaghayegh’s mixed co-working space began to thrive. With the encouragement of her friends she decided that instead of being intimidated by the problem, she would create the solution.
“I am positive because I know in some way it will work. If it doesn’t work the way you planned, it will work in another way!”
On her journey, Shari discovered the many different aspects of being a solo-founder. While it was easy to make decisions, it was also lonely. There was no one with whom to share the difficult moments, but even harder, there was no one to celebrate with! In spite of these challenges, Shari persevered and successfully opened Wonder in July 2018.
However, this time was a little bit different. Shari had become a mother in the two years since founding her mixed co-working space and could not work the long hours she had before. Despite this new challenge, she believed in her abilities and found that overcoming obstacles made her more confident than ever before.
Her partner took parental leave, giving Shari the time she needed to bring Wonder to life. Her team members were another source of support; their loyalty provided our FemGem 15 the ability to stay home with the confidence that they would continue to do great work.
Shari’s journey in founding Wonder Co-working was not linear, but there is no right way to start a business. Let her story be a reminder to us that everyone is different, so all of our paths will be different as well. Own your way. While others can be a great source of inspiration, we have to pave our own way in both business and life! It takes courage to make mistakes and accept that every moment as part of your entrepreneurial journey. In the words of Guy Gavriel Kay, “There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk”.
Tune in to this insightful and uplifting conversation to learn more about Shaghayegh entrepreneurial journey and Wonder Coworking.
FemGems features rising female entrepreneurs from all over the world. Listen here. Get our MuseLetter!
Show me your love and support by following and leaving a review!
Share this article and give it 50 claps, so other people can get inspired!
P.S. If you’d love daily inspiration to keep dreaming big, you will find it on the FemGems Instagram channel.
