September 27, 2023 • 40 mins
Want to know the secret to coping through rough times and elevating your confidence to CEO level? It’s community. In this episode of the Content Rebels, Sarah Spence talks to Sheree Rubinstein, founder and CEO of the all female community, One Roof.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- Why pivoting is hard but can be your saving grace
- Why the relationships you form in business are so important
- Why the world needs more women leaders
- How there’s nothing like a rebrand to create great new marketing
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah Spence (00:01):
Are you a female leader in your industry? You've
probably worked your butt off toget where you are. And when you
look around, you might still notsee that many of you.
Thankfully, though, the worldreally is changing, just maybe
not as fast as we'd like. Istill wonder though, what do we
need to shake it up even faster?Can a village of like minded
(00:23):
peers offer enough support toactually break through those
ever present barriers? Let'stake a look together at the
impact that business communitiescan have on your career. And of
course, because this is amarketing podcast, particularly
on your marketing career.
Hi, I'm Sarah Spence. I grew aContent Agency from just me to
(00:45):
20 people inside two years. Soyou'd think I had all my shit
together. And even though I tryto come at everything with a
rebellious curiosity, I've beenso focused on growing this thing
that I'm a bit behind in thetrends. Join me on this journey
to find out what's actuallyhappening in the world of
marketing. Welcome to theContent Rebels.
(01:09):
Women in business, successfulwomen, women leaders, it
probably shouldn't feel asgroundbreaking as it
unfortunately does. But here weare in our modern world, still
pushing ahead and smashing thoseglass ceilings, in many ways
still for the first time. Sowhat happens when women start to
excel in traditionally maledominated areas, and how
(01:32):
important are the actions ofother women to help you make
that happen? Sheree Rubinsteinknows the power of lifting women
up.
Sheree Rubinstein (01:41):
Really what it is, is just surrounding
yourself with others who are ona similar journey.
Sarah Spence (01:46):
She is the founder and CEO of One Roof, a business
community for wildly ambitiouswomen, of which I'm proud to be
a member. But like so many, whatSheree first dreampt up, it's
not what the business looks likenow.
Sheree Rubinstein (01:59):
I spent the weekend thinking about it,
crying over it, and then calledthem all on a Monday and said,
"I'm returning every dollar toeach of you. I'm going to
pivot."
Sarah Spence (02:07):
More on that online pivot shortly. But first,
let's find out how One Roof cameto be.
Sheree Rubinstein (02:14):
I started my career in corporate law, which
probably wasn't right for me.But there I was. And I just very
quickly found that the messagingI received was that being a
career-driven and ambitiouswoman, being a woman in this
world can impact my chances ofsuccess. And I found that very
(02:36):
frustrating. And I kind of usedthat frustration and turned it
into a passion. And I realised,I started doing a lot of
volunteering work, in particularwith Fitted for Work and with
the Victorian Women's Trust, andthere are a few others.
What came to light for me wasthat entrepreneurship is an
incredible path for women to beable to gain financial
(02:59):
independence, to close thegender gap and to really create
spaces, environments, workplacesof diversity, and where women
can truly thrive. I guess thatwas the beginning. And so One
Roof really started as kind ofnetworking events, that was me
dipping my toes intoentrepreneurship by bringing
women together and creating aspace for women to chat and
(03:20):
learn. And then over time,turned into a co-working
operation through testing thisidea and running a test in an
Airbnb home and testing theconcept across Australia and the
US and building a global brand,global community.
Sarah Spence (03:36):
Awesome. Such a good reason for being. Who is
One Roof for these days inparticular?
Sheree Rubinstein (03:43):
Yeah, so it's shifted a lot in terms of what
we do and how we support peoplein the pandemic had a lot to do
with that change. We went frombeing the leading co-working
space in Australia, dedicated towomen led businesses to a fully
online digital communitymembership network. But the who
really has always been the same.The mission has always been the
(04:04):
same. We're all about closingthe gender gap in
entrepreneurship and supportingwomen to start, grow and stay in
business.
We targeted women with an idea,who have just launched a
business or looking to scaletheir business. And often what
we get are women who are lookingfor community, looking for
connection, looking to upskill,learn, grow their business,
(04:27):
surround themselves with a greatnetwork and great people and the
types of businesses and thestage of business is really
varied and we love that. Wethink it creates a real richness
of the community and theecosystem. And so you might be
put in breakout rooms and innetworking sessions with
e-commerce founders orservice-based providers or
people running online courses,podcasts, creatives, startups,
(04:51):
scale ups. Yeah. And so there'sa real diversity amongst the
types of women and businessesthat we attract.
Sarah Spence (04:59):
Can you give me some examples of what happens
when you see.... I mean, I'msure you've got so many success
stories of women supportingother women in business?
Sheree Rubinstein (05:06):
Yeah. So I guess, as an example, one of our
members, Verve Super, and theynow also run Verve Money. So
they are a Super Fund run byWomen for Women, they launched
the business at a pitch eventthat we ran a few years ago. And
we run an annual pitch event forwomen founders to create a
platform for them to share theirbusinesses and really kind of
(05:30):
grow their business and seekfunding and support from the
ecosystem. And they pretty muchlaunched their business at one
of our pitch events and hadgreat success, and have gone on
to, I think they've got over7,000 members now. I don't know
the exact number, but it'spretty huge with a huge number
of funds under management.They've launched another brand,
(05:53):
they've raised over $5 millionin funding, and they've really
lent on One Roof, and thecommunity to find when they've
got jobs open, to find mentorsor coaches or advisors in
different fields and areas ofexpertise so really leaning on
One Roof for the trustednetwork, and leaning on One Roof
(06:15):
to grow their brand, reach newcustomers. And so that's just
one example. There's thousands.And I think really what it is,
is just surrounding yourselfwith others who are on a similar
journey in entrepreneurship andlooking to collaborate and
support one another. And sotogether, we can help kind of
elevate one another and workthrough business challenges and
(06:36):
raise each other's brands.
Sarah Spence (06:38):
Yeah, cool. And that's so great. It's such a
good example of... it's not justthese kinds of communities. And
the need for community,particularly in women-led
businesses, it's not just forthat initial kernel of the idea,
or even just as they start toscale. But it sounds like for
Verve particularly, One Roof andthat community has been relevant
(06:59):
the whole way through thejourney.
Sheree Rubinstein (07:00):
That's right, exactly.
Sarah Spence (07:02):
But so how about for One Roof itself then? Who
are or were the women supportingyou? What did that support look
like?
Sheree Rubinstein (07:09):
Yeah, I think support is everything that
people around us have beeneverything. And I always say any
success I have had is becausesomeone has opened a door for
me. I put myself out there andover the years, I've done a lot
of networking, connecting withpeople, I've had lists of people
that I hope to reach out to oneday and connect with and then
(07:30):
eventually I do it. And so it'sbeen those people who have
supported me a lot, whetherit's, as an example, Catriona
Wallace, who ASX listedartificial intelligence company,
it was the second in ASX historyto have a female CEO and
chairperson. And so it's womenlike her who are way ahead of me
(07:54):
in the game, who I have theconfidence or find the way to
reach out to them and build arelationship. And then she's
been on my advisory board. Andthen she's also an unofficial
kind of mentor to me, who'ssomeone I can call on when I'm
going through challenges and askfor advice and support.
But I also lean on the communitya lot and ask for feedback from
(08:16):
our members. When I was probablyat the lowest in the business
journey, I pulled together agroup of friends, mentors, a few
members, like a kind ofcollective of different people
and held a meeting one night forthree hours and kind of unveiled
everything, my finances, thesituation, the challenges that I
was having. And I just said,"What do you think I should do?
(08:36):
Should I walk? Should I keepgoing? This is what's going on
and I'm not holding back." Andat the time, I had investors and
so I felt like I had to holdback on things that I was
saying, whereas in this room, itwas like, "Here's everything,
what should I do?" And socreating spaces like that has
been a game changer for me. Andso we try to do a lot of that
(08:57):
within the community; creatingspaces for members to be able to
test ideas or present challengesand seek feedback. Because
that's been everything for meand my journey.
Sarah Spence (09:08):
Yeah. Wow. That's so true. I love you said that,
every success you've had isbecause someone opened a door
for you. I challenge that andsay, "Yeah, sure someone opened
the door, but you're the one whowalks through it."
Sheree Rubinstein (09:19):
Yeah, you're 100% right. And actually, also,
I'm the one who's out therelooking for it and asking and
that's right, and I shouldn'tdiscount that. And one great
example is, when we set out OneRoof as a co-working space in
Southbank in Melbourne, I didn'thave the funding to do it. And
so I was just talking to anyoneand everyone I could and I had
(09:40):
this vision and this idea thatthere would be a landlord who
would offer us a discounted rentand people were like, "You're
crazy. Why would anyone offeryou a cheap rent situation?" And
I just kept asking, and then, loand behold, a landlord came
along who was like, "Well, we'vegot this space, we're going to
demolish it, we're waiting forpermits, what you're doing is
(10:02):
amazing. Let's talk about anagreement." And that was an
18-month lease that turned intofour years of building the
leading co-working space inAustralia for women. So you're
100%, right, that it's about usputting ourselves out there time
and time again, and thepersistence of it. But yet,
still, someone often opens thatdoor, and then we walk through
(10:25):
it.
Sarah Spence (10:26):
More power to those of us brave enough to walk
through those doors, howeverthey're opened. The fact is, the
world has always worked onrelationships. And it's often
those relationships that openthose doors, as we say, or just
offer encouragement, even. It'snever just as simple as one day
deciding you want something, andthen being able to buy it or
(10:50):
build it. Most businesses andcreative ventures are made with
the help of many ongoingrelationships, and a lot of
support. Alongside thoserelationships is also seizing
the opportunity. Because thetruth is, you can't even know
the doors are there unlessyou're looking for them. And
(11:10):
then someone might show you one,but you have to be the one brave
enough to walk through it. Nomatter what it looks like from
the outside, it's never easy forany of us. In fact, as you're
about to hear, for Sheree tocontinue to walk through those
doors, she was going to have tomake some really difficult
decisions. And that all startedwhen so many other businesses
(11:34):
had to pivot as well in 2020when that annoying virus COVID
hit.
Sheree Rubinstein (11:41):
We'd been really successful with this
space and had about 180 tenants,we had a 200-person event space,
we had like over 100,000 peoplein and out of the space every
year. So I turned something thatwas meant to only be an 18-month
lease which ended up being fouryears into this thriving kind of
hub for women, which wasincredible. And I had to work
(12:03):
really fast, because I neverknew when my time was up. So
maybe that worked in my favourin a way. And then off the back
of all of that I was able toraise capital. So I had a group
of incredible investors,predominantly who were mainly
women. And they were reallyexcited by what we were doing.
And so the funding was to go toopening a new flagship site in
(12:26):
Melbourne, and then to keepgrowing. And the idea was to
have spaces all aroundAustralia.
The issue that I then started torun into was, I couldn't land a
new site, probably because Ididn't raise enough capital and
rents were just going up. And Ifound myself struggling because
I had a vision that I wanted toachieve and it was going to be
(12:47):
epic. But then financially, Iwas struggling to kind of hit
that vision. And so basicallywhat happened was we were asked
to vacate the building, with our180 tenants and all of our
events going on and we hadn'tlanded a new location, which was
what I kept telling investors,don't worry, we'll have another
(13:07):
space, it's all going to befine. And we didn't. And within
a few months, I had to pack upeverything, I had help all our
members move somewhere else. Andwe literally went from a million
dollars in annual revenue tozero overnight. And then you can
imagine investors looking at megoing, "Cool. So we've invested
in a business that basically nolonger exists, you're now a
(13:28):
co-working operator with noco-working space. So what is
this business?"
And I just kept saying, "I cando this, I'm gonna make this
work." And then of course, I waspregnant about to have my first
child. And then I'd actuallysigned a heads of agreement on a
site in Cremorne. So it was likea really beautiful new building,
a lot of financial risk, to behonest. But I was ready to go
(13:49):
and then the pandemic hit, andthat just put a halt to
everything. And within a fewweeks of that, and then I had my
baby as well. Investors said tome, "Look, Sheree, obviously
these are unprecedented times,but you need to make a decision
like what are you doing with ourmoney?" And I couldn't put my
hand on my heart and say I'mconfident with what I'm doing
with your money. So I calledthem, I spent the weekend
(14:12):
thinking about it, crying overit, and then called them all on
a Monday and said, "I'mreturning every dollar to each
of you. I'm going to pivot to anonline membership. Everyone's on
Zoom right now I'm going to takefull advantage of that. I'm
going to start basically fromthe ground up, build revenue,
get members in and I don't needyour money for that and I'll
reach out to in the future ifI'm looking to raise capital
(14:34):
again."
Sarah Spence (14:34):
Did any of them stick around? Or did they say,
"We don't know what's happening,cool, we'll have our money back.
Thanks."
Sheree Rubinstein (14:39):
They were happy to take their money back
and then they were open toreinvesting in the future. But
at the time, I didn't have aclear business model. And so I
wasn't interested in taking ontheir money either. I needed to
pivot and build it and see whatit was before I could
confidently say, "Here's whatI'm going to spend your money on
(14:59):
and here's where gonna go withthe business." So it worked both
ways.
Sarah Spence (15:03):
Yeah. And rebuild your confidence to like, that's
just, yeah, this massive. I betlife obviously now feels very
different, One Roof's verydifferent. You guys have had
particularly a lot of changesthis year, 2023. You've just
rebranded, I'm loving the newbrand. Can you talk us through
that experience? How long agodid you start it?
Sheree Rubinstein (15:22):
The rebrand took a full year. So basically,
One Roof... So we went online,we launched as an online
membership for entrepreneurialwomen, it was very scrappy, it
was low code kind of plugins andthings. And we just realised
over time that it was clunky andthe member experience was
(15:43):
clunky, we really wanted to fixthat. And at the same time, we
wanted to create a much bettermember experience. And at the
same time, we felt like thebranding that we had was when we
were co-working. But now we'reonline, we're pretty much a
different business and brand. Soit's a great time to rebrand and
represent a new version of whowe are.
(16:03):
And so we went through with acompany called Formulaic, and
they actually did our newwebsite, our rebrand, and a new
member portal. So it was huge. Ithought it would be done in
three months. But mostentrepreneurs think they'll get
things done much quicker thanthey do, it took us a good year.
And even then, we werescrambling at the end to get it
(16:24):
live. But it's been anincredible experience. And we're
so happy with it. I think themost important thing for us was
showcasing the digital elementof who we are, showcasing a
grown up version of us that'sstill fun and playful and warm
and friendly, but just a bitmore consistent and a bit more
(16:45):
grown up. And then also creatinga much better and improved user
experience for our members.
So we now use a platform calledMighty Networks, which really
got the two key things that weoffer, which is the community
side and the education piece. Soin this platform, you can create
a profile, you can connect withother members, you can ask
(17:07):
questions like a Slack channeland chat through there, you can
register for all our events andmaster classes. You can find all
our master class recordings, youcan book calls with all our
coaches and experts. And there'sthis great platform that we can
just keep adding to so there'sjust constant content being
uploaded to this new portal allthe time. We're still in the
(17:27):
migration process, which ishuge. If anyone ever wants to
talk about migrating members orcustomers from one platform to
another, I know all about it.And that's been a lot, we've
probably still got about 300members to move over. So that's
a bit slow, but it's happeningand I'm really proud of what
we've done.
Sarah Spence (17:44):
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also sounds like
that change specifically movingeverything into a new portal,
into that new space is alsodecreasing the reliance on third
party channels like Facebook,because I know you also have a
thriving Facebook group. That'sawesome. But of course, all of
that data and all thatinteraction, all that community
is like building a house onquicksand because Facebook
(18:08):
changes the rules all the timeand you're not in control.
You're taking the back thatownership it seems.
Sheree Rubinstein (18:12):
That's exactly right. And at the
moment, we still have theFacebook group because it's
super engaged and we don't wantto jeopardise engagement. That's
number one for us. But yes, theidea is that this is an
all-in-one platform andeventually it'll be great if
everyone moves over to it anduses that solely as the place
and it really does haveeverything and gives us greater
(18:35):
ownership over it. Yes, all thecontent, everything that we're
doing and over our community.
Sarah Spence (18:39):
Very smart decision.
Sheree Rubinstein (18:41):
Thank you.
Sarah Spence (18:43):
Since the launch, particularly what's been working
for you guys in terms ofmarketing One Roof and driving
new memberships and things?
Sheree Rubinstein (18:49):
Yeah, we base our content year on marketing
campaigns, and we find that thatalways works really well. And we
know the kind of seasonal timeswhere we get more an increase in
membership signups. So forinstance, end of financial year
is a big time for us wherepeople are thinking about buying
business expenses, or kind ofgetting things in before the end
(19:11):
of financial year and putting itas a tax deduction. So we did a
big marketing campaign for that,we had photos redone and we kind
of focused on a particulartheme. So it was all about your
village and the idea that we allknow it takes a village to raise
a child, we hear that story,that saying all the time, but it
(19:33):
also takes a village to build abusiness. And so we had these
amazing photos down of womenbalancing the juggle of being on
their phone and their laptops,but also attending to a child or
a dog or shopping, all thedifferent kinds of things that
we juggle while building abusiness and then women being
(19:53):
there to support one another. Sothat was super successful.
And so yeah, those marketingcampaigns, always coming up with
different themes and conceptsand ideas, and then bringing our
members and our community intothose marketing campaigns is
what's most successful for us. Iam also looking at doing more of
(20:14):
a hybrid model next year. Wehave a bit of it now but I've
obviously said we're an onlinemembership. But we're not in the
pandemic anymore. People don'tjust want online, so there is
more opportunity for in person.And so we're looking at
launching a series of boot campsnext year, one day boot camps
that will be in person that willrun around the country. And we
see that as another way tosupport women, another revenue
(20:37):
stream and also a great kind oflead gen where people hear about
One Roof, they come in person,they feel the experience of us
supporting them through abusiness challenge or helping
them launch an idea. And thenhopefully, they want to join the
membership.
Sarah Spence (20:51):
That really beautifully supports the goals
you have for your communityanyway, which is to build
community to build support.
Sheree Rubinstein (20:57):
Exactly.
Sarah Spence (20:59):
As much as I don't mind it, but I think we're all a
wee bit tired of the Zoom. Andthe in person stuff. We
definitely don't want to do itall the time. But it's nice to
have it peppered throughout theyear.
Sheree Rubinstein (21:12):
Yeah, I think that hybrid approach is where
we're all going. We want to goto in person sometimes, we also
want to see things online whenwe can't get there, and we just
don't want...yeah, we want both.It's a constant lesson for us,
as I'm sure it is for mostpeople. We just have to keep
adapting. things just keepchanging, the consumer
(21:33):
behaviour, the way that weoperate, the way we work, the
way we interact with oneanother, the way we do business
keeps changing. So One Roof hasto keep changing. So we're just
constantly evolving.
Sarah Spence (21:43):
This year, we've seen a fairly significant
economic downturn. I know it'sparticularly hitting small
businesses pretty hard rightnow. In the context of the
rebrand, has that diminishedwhere you hoped it would land or
has actually helped becauseyou've been able to be a bit
more creative, or to kind ofpush the boundaries a bit more?
Sheree Rubinstein (22:02):
Yeah, it's probably a bit of both. I guess,
when I did the rebrand, I had afalse idea in my head that we'd
do this rebrand, launch it andthen thousands of women would
just join the membership, and Iwouldn't have to do anything.
And it's a very humblingreminder that business requires
the hustle. And it's so obviousto me that if I'm not out there
(22:25):
hustling, thinking of ideas tosell, doing these marketing
campaigns, trying to pushthings, get people into the
membership, it's not happeningorganically and it's not enough
to keep the business running. Sothat was a big reminder.
And that's probably alsocoinciding with the fact that
the market is more challenging,businesses, we have had members
(22:48):
close their business, we've hadmembers get part time jobs
again. And we'll see that allthe time. Like it's cyclical,
it's going to happen. Weobviously all post COVID went
through this wave of like, wow,business is going great. And
we're all just like, people havemoney to spend and there was so
much happening, and then nowit's all equalising a little bit
(23:08):
more. I do feel this is a pointin time where we just need to
weather the storm, we'redefinitely being impacted, our
members are definitely beingimpacted. So it does feel a bit
deflating. And it's a period oftime that we've just got to
manage through.
But I guess at the same time,I'm lucky that now it's an
online membership, I don't havea physical space. My overheads
(23:30):
aren't huge, it's not like itwas, I haven't invested a crazy
amount of money in the way thatI had to with co-working. And
we've got this new portal thatallows for scale and so we've
just got to keep coming back to.I think this is a time for us to
be laser focused. And I wouldsay that for most people, like
this time is all about gettinglaser focus, what do you offer?
(23:51):
What makes you different? Andstick to it. And don't say yes
to shiny objects and shiny,exciting things. Because it's
not the time for that. And ifit's not supporting the core
business, it's distraction. Sothat's what we're really trying
to drill into at the moment.
Sarah Spence (24:05):
Yeah, absolutely. Like, what can you let go? It's
almost like, did your mum everteach you that as you're growing
up, where if you're gettingready to go out for a night out,
you should like turn aroundquickly in a mirror, and you
should take off the three thingsthat dangle the most, or
whatever I think it was thatkind of saying. it's like,
always take off one thing, justto keep it a bit more
(24:28):
streamlined. And I think that weall need to do a twirl in front
of the mirror with ourbusinesses and go okay, what can
we unload for the moment becauseit is a period to tread water, I
think and to make it through,and there'll be good days again
in the future, which is goodtoo.
Sheree Rubinstein (24:46):
Very well said. I agree.
Sarah Spence (24:48):
Let's all do 12 marriage vows.
Sheree Rubinstein (24:51):
I'm gonna do it.
Sarah Spence (24:52):
Yet again. I've got completely off track with
some weird metaphor that hasgone a bit scewy. But anyway,
when the time comes again toperhaps not be so laser focused,
what's an area of marketing thatyou're keen to explore that you
haven't dipped your toe intoyet?
Sheree Rubinstein (25:10):
So a key area that we're looking at is AI, and
how can we use AI to bettertailor our platform and
resources to our members. Andalso, at the moment, we just
have one membership, but we'relooking at having a tiered level
of membership based on... andnot necessarily different
(25:32):
pricing just more of slightlydifferent offering based on a
different stage of business. Andso then it will be easier for
the content that we have to besuggested and tailored to where
you're at. So really, like aNetflix, where you finish
watching a show whether this isgood or bad for shows, I don't
(25:53):
know. But then it's like, here'ssome suggestions of what to
watch next. So I think that willbe really interesting.
And then we want to positionourselves as an aggregate of all
the resources out there thatsupport women in building
businesses, so not just our own.So something that we're really
trying to work on is gatheringprogrammes, podcasts, special
(26:17):
offers of others, and bringingthat into our portal to allow
for that concept of anall-in-one platform. Yep. So
there's some key things. Andthen as I said before that, the
series of in-person boot camps,and there'll be three streams, I
think. One will be if you'restarting a business, one will be
scaling your business, and thenthere will be an area for angel
(26:39):
investing, because we think thatcould be a really interesting
play as well for women to learnhow to get into angel investing,
and then to kind of give backand support other women-led
businesses.
Sarah Spence (26:49):
So perhaps if some of our listeners don't know, can
you explain kind of the workingsbehind angel investing and maybe
how that differs from otherkinds of investments as well?
Sheree Rubinstein (26:58):
Yeah, sure. So angel investing is seed
investing into an early stagebusiness and seed investing is
providing a small amount offunding to a business, to a
startup typically, to help themlaunch and then kind of scale.
(27:20):
And so founders who pitch toscale investors might get 100 to
$200,000 of investment, maybeeven less, maybe it's 50,000. So
it's kind of at the lower end ofthe investment journey. And it's
high risk because the businessis at the very early stages but
(27:40):
you're getting in at a goodprice, because they're going to
have a low valuation, it's veryearly on, and you're there to
kind of watch the business grow.So supporting women to
understand investing, and howthey can invest early on, even
if it's lower amounts and waysthat they can do that, I think
is a real game changer so thatover time we see more women
(28:04):
investors, and then that willlikely lead to more women-led
businesses being invested in.
Sarah Spence (28:14):
Of course, more women investors means more
women-led businesses. And morewomen-led businesses mean more
women in leadership, whichdoesn't just impact on the glass
ceiling or reduce the gender paygap. Although it does that too.
It means there are new ways tothink about how businesses are
run, and what they offer. Look,it might have happened anyway.
(28:35):
But my gut tells me we don't getbrands making period underwear,
without women in leadership. Wedon't see financial institutions
that care about people andprofit unless there are women
leading that charge. Having morewomen steering the ship in this
funny old world of ours is sovery important. And while I'm on
(28:56):
that, what about women leaders?Sheree spends a lot of her time
interacting with women who areleaders in one aspect or
another. I wondered what shethinks about female leaders and
whether they do fundamentallylead differently.
Sheree Rubinstein (29:10):
I think there is a feminine way of leadership
that a lot of women tend topossess that feminine way not to
say it's only women and not tosay it's all women, but
definitely there is thatfeminine way that is different.
And I think that that feminineway is very obviously more
(29:32):
empathetic, more compassionate,leaning kind of from the back
rather than from the front andbeing kind of aggressively,
outspoken and telling peoplewhat to do. It's more about
taking the back step andsupporting and guiding,
listening, caring.
(29:54):
And then I think when it's afeminine approach, it has a lot
more about impact, it's not justgrowth for growth's sake. And
there's a really good article Iread recently that talks about
the difference between a unicornand an elephant business, And a
unicorn is that, one in abillion business that is the
(30:19):
best at what it does, grows atall costs, go hard, money
driven. Whereas the elephant,which I think a lot of women
business owners will relate tois so much slower and more
considered an elephant, theylive a long life. And so it's
(30:42):
all about that longevity,they've got a really good
memory. And so they rememberkind of things about their
customers, their employees,they're very sociable creatures,
they are crucial to ourecosystem and to the animal
kingdom. And so they're not justthinking about themselves,
they're thinking about theworld, and how they fit in and
(31:04):
how they can support others. Andso I think that's a beautiful
metaphor that so many womenrelate to, and they're real
animals. And there's lots ofthem. And it's like, I think a
lot of women in the businessworld are wanting to build
sustainable businesses that haveimpact, that do good, that
support their staff, thatsupport their customers and
(31:24):
their members. And it's not justabout being that one in a
billion just for the sake of it.And I think that really speaks
to a lot of women and it'sreally indicative of what drives
us and the kind of leaders thatwe want to be.
Sarah Spence (31:37):
And the kind of businesses and the path of
business growth, I guess, aswell, because it takes a lot of
energy to grow. I know you wouldknow that from experience. And I
know that from experience,especially growing quickly. But
being that strong, steady,leader to lead through long-term
(32:00):
growth. You can't be a mythicalcreature, the unicorn, in order
to make that happen, you do needto be something more sturdy, You
need to have a sturdiness, aconfidence in yourself as well.
Sheree Rubinstein (32:10):
Absolutely.
Sarah Spence (32:11):
I'm hearing so much in our conversation here
about the importance ofrelationships. We talked about
the importance of connection andrelationships, not just between
women in women led businesses,but all around really. How do
you see that femalerelationships really positively
impacting beyond just memberssupporting one another? What do
(32:34):
relationships mean in the wholepicture, I guess?
Sheree Rubinstein (32:37):
I guess, relationships, as we've said,
are crucial to how you buildyour business. And you can't
build a business or a career insilo and think that you can be
an asshole and get by, or youdon't need to make friends and
get by. Yeah, I thinkrelationships are everything,
(33:00):
they really are, and how youkind of respond particularly to
situations where things gowrong. And I see this played out
in One Roof and between membersand things that happen, like if
you make a mistake, it's how youmanage that and how you deal
with those issues. It's how yousupport another member and open
(33:24):
up an opportunity for them.
I think a very feminine approachto relationships is about
understanding the other personand building rapport, not just
coming up to them pitchingsomething and saying, "This is
what I need from you." And so Ithink if we take that approach
to relationship building, youbuild these long, really
(33:46):
nurtured fruitful relationshipsthat you don't necessarily
looking for it to be strategicor get something out of it. But
often, that is what happens. AndI've seen that for myself over
and over again. Like, there'ssomeone I like, I want to
connect with them, I want tolearn about them, I want to be
friends with them. And overtime, maybe they've become an
(34:06):
investor, or maybe they'veopened a door for me, that
wasn't the intention. But that'sthe beauty of what can happen
from building theserelationships. I think if you go
into these things with an openmind, and a curiosity and an
interest in others, andunderstanding them and their
needs, and seeing everyrelationship as a opportunity to
(34:27):
connect and learn and supportone another, then that's where
the magic really can come from.
Sarah Spence (34:33):
Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like that is also the
direct opposite of, I guess,older networking styles that....
I mean, I was at an event lastyear, and it was an awards
announcement thing. And it wasvery lovely. And there was lots
of good chatting and lots ofgood mingling and everything.
(34:53):
And I don't know how thishappened. But this gentleman
then came up to myself and mycolleague while we were having a
conversation with another coupleof people, and said, "Oh, hi, my
name is... I can't remember whathis name was, and proceeded to
shove his hand into the groupand shake everybody's hands in
turn. And then as he come awayfrom shaking his hand, he'd hand
(35:14):
the business card over, and belike, "I'm here from this
company. This is what we do."And I was just like, "What?"
Sheree Rubinstein (35:20):
it feels deeply uncomfortable and it is
definitely not the way to buildrelationships and connections.
And most of us don't do it thatway. And it's funny, because I
think in the past, a lot of usfelt like, I'm not good at
networking, because I don't dosomething like that. But
actually that's the approachthat someone takes that turns
other people off where they go,"I'm not interested in
(35:44):
connecting with this person,this feels really inauthentic or
fake, just not right." And it'sa great example of when it
doesn't work.
I will say the flip side,though, and I think this is
really important is that whileyou're there open connecting,
building rapport relationships,it is important if someone in a
(36:05):
networking situation actuallyasks you, "What can I do for
you? How can I help you? What doyou need?" And often I hear
people say, "Oh, I don't know,or nothing," And we all need
something. So I think you'vealso got to have in your mind
ideas of what it is that you'reasking for when that opportunity
(36:25):
arises and taking advantage ofthat opportunity. And then the
relationship builds, not just inthe moment that you met, but
it's afterwards, it's thenurturing, it's the getting back
in touch with them and saying,"How're you going? What happened
there?" Or if somebody opens adoor for you, or makes it an
introduction, letting them knowwhat happened with that
introduction, and thanking them,giving them a gift if they
(36:45):
introduce you to a client. It'sthat ongoing level of connection
that where the magic really is.
Sarah Spence (36:54):
Absolutely. As you said before, it comes back to
actually just genuinely giving ashit about people and actually
just genuinely being curious andinterested and not always being
in it for yourself. Which Ithink is an interesting...
especially in this time, peopleneed things, people are feeling
(37:14):
the squeeze, but you can stillbe interested in others, and you
can still follow up and you canstill ask for what you need. I
mean, that's a great... I thinkeven at the very basic level
doesn't matter if we've got abusiness or if we're in house at
a brand or whatever. The basicthing that you can ask for if
someone says to you, "Hey, whatdo you need at a networking
event or something?" Just say,"Hey, can you give me a
(37:36):
recommendation on LinkedIn,?" Nomatter where you go in your
career, that's going to bebeneficial. And it's so easy,
it's much harder for someone tothink of someone they could
refer you to or share projectdetails with you or something
like that, but asking forsomething simple like that is a
good place to start too.
Sheree Rubinstein (37:54):
Yes, that's great. And being very specific.
We run these meetup groups wherewe get women to put them in
breakout rooms, and we do it inperson as well and they ask for
what they need. And we give tipson when you're asking for what
you need, make it so easy for aperson to help you. If they say
(38:16):
to you, I would love to make anintroduction to X, follow up
with them afterwards, send theman email and say thanks so much
for offering, here is the draftemail. So they don't need to
think about anything, you'vedone all the work for them,
written it in the third person,so that it's ready for them to
send. You need to make it soeasy for someone to support you
(38:37):
and help you and thenguaranteed... we all want to
help, we all want to serve.That's what makes us tick
really.
Sarah Spence (38:47):
Relationships, leaders, stepping up and helping
others. These are some of thebest reasons for women to be in
business communities together,aren't they? And when you look
at the One Roof story, startingfrom an all in person space, and
then moving to be solely online,it's those moments that make or
(39:10):
break us. And it's so often thestrength of the community behind
us that gives us that will to goon. That's the impact of a group
like One Roof, where women cantruly be themselves and talk
about their fears, theirknowledge gaps, the juggle of
life, in a really safe space.
(39:33):
They say it takes a village toraise a child. And I think many
of us wouldn't have oursuccessful business babies
without a strong village backingus through it all.
Thanks for joining me on thisjourney. If you want to stay
rebellious in how you practicemarketing, how you show up in
(39:53):
your workplace and how you liveyour life, please subscribe to
the Content Rebels wherever youlisten to your podcasts. This
podcast was recorded on Awabakaland Darkinjung country. Produced
by Pod and Pen Productions.
Are you a female leader in your industry? You've
probably worked your butt off toget where you are. And when you
look around, you might still notsee that many of you.
Thankfully, though, the worldreally is changing, just maybe
not as fast as we'd like. Istill wonder though, what do we
need to shake it up even faster?Can a village of like minded
(00:23):
peers offer enough support toactually break through those
ever present barriers? Let'stake a look together at the
impact that business communitiescan have on your career. And of
course, because this is amarketing podcast, particularly
on your marketing career.
Hi, I'm Sarah Spence. I grew aContent Agency from just me to
(00:45):
20 people inside two years. Soyou'd think I had all my shit
together. And even though I tryto come at everything with a
rebellious curiosity, I've beenso focused on growing this thing
that I'm a bit behind in thetrends. Join me on this journey
to find out what's actuallyhappening in the world of
marketing. Welcome to theContent Rebels.
(01:09):
Women in business, successfulwomen, women leaders, it
probably shouldn't feel asgroundbreaking as it
unfortunately does. But here weare in our modern world, still
pushing ahead and smashing thoseglass ceilings, in many ways
still for the first time. Sowhat happens when women start to
excel in traditionally maledominated areas, and how
(01:32):
important are the actions ofother women to help you make
that happen? Sheree Rubinsteinknows the power of lifting women
up.
Sheree Rubinstein (01:41):
Really what it is, is just surrounding
yourself with others who are ona similar journey.
Sarah Spence (01:46):
She is the founder and CEO of One Roof, a business
community for wildly ambitiouswomen, of which I'm proud to be
a member. But like so many, whatSheree first dreampt up, it's
not what the business looks likenow.
Sheree Rubinstein (01:59):
I spent the weekend thinking about it,
crying over it, and then calledthem all on a Monday and said,
"I'm returning every dollar toeach of you. I'm going to
pivot."
Sarah Spence (02:07):
More on that online pivot shortly. But first,
let's find out how One Roof cameto be.
Sheree Rubinstein (02:14):
I started my career in corporate law, which
probably wasn't right for me.But there I was. And I just very
quickly found that the messagingI received was that being a
career-driven and ambitiouswoman, being a woman in this
world can impact my chances ofsuccess. And I found that very
(02:36):
frustrating. And I kind of usedthat frustration and turned it
into a passion. And I realised,I started doing a lot of
volunteering work, in particularwith Fitted for Work and with
the Victorian Women's Trust, andthere are a few others.
What came to light for me wasthat entrepreneurship is an
incredible path for women to beable to gain financial
(02:59):
independence, to close thegender gap and to really create
spaces, environments, workplacesof diversity, and where women
can truly thrive. I guess thatwas the beginning. And so One
Roof really started as kind ofnetworking events, that was me
dipping my toes intoentrepreneurship by bringing
women together and creating aspace for women to chat and
(03:20):
learn. And then over time,turned into a co-working
operation through testing thisidea and running a test in an
Airbnb home and testing theconcept across Australia and the
US and building a global brand,global community.
Sarah Spence (03:36):
Awesome. Such a good reason for being. Who is
One Roof for these days inparticular?
Sheree Rubinstein (03:43):
Yeah, so it's shifted a lot in terms of what
we do and how we support peoplein the pandemic had a lot to do
with that change. We went frombeing the leading co-working
space in Australia, dedicated towomen led businesses to a fully
online digital communitymembership network. But the who
really has always been the same.The mission has always been the
(04:04):
same. We're all about closingthe gender gap in
entrepreneurship and supportingwomen to start, grow and stay in
business.
We targeted women with an idea,who have just launched a
business or looking to scaletheir business. And often what
we get are women who are lookingfor community, looking for
connection, looking to upskill,learn, grow their business,
(04:27):
surround themselves with a greatnetwork and great people and the
types of businesses and thestage of business is really
varied and we love that. Wethink it creates a real richness
of the community and theecosystem. And so you might be
put in breakout rooms and innetworking sessions with
e-commerce founders orservice-based providers or
people running online courses,podcasts, creatives, startups,
(04:51):
scale ups. Yeah. And so there'sa real diversity amongst the
types of women and businessesthat we attract.
Sarah Spence (04:59):
Can you give me some examples of what happens
when you see.... I mean, I'msure you've got so many success
stories of women supportingother women in business?
Sheree Rubinstein (05:06):
Yeah. So I guess, as an example, one of our
members, Verve Super, and theynow also run Verve Money. So
they are a Super Fund run byWomen for Women, they launched
the business at a pitch eventthat we ran a few years ago. And
we run an annual pitch event forwomen founders to create a
platform for them to share theirbusinesses and really kind of
(05:30):
grow their business and seekfunding and support from the
ecosystem. And they pretty muchlaunched their business at one
of our pitch events and hadgreat success, and have gone on
to, I think they've got over7,000 members now. I don't know
the exact number, but it'spretty huge with a huge number
of funds under management.They've launched another brand,
(05:53):
they've raised over $5 millionin funding, and they've really
lent on One Roof, and thecommunity to find when they've
got jobs open, to find mentorsor coaches or advisors in
different fields and areas ofexpertise so really leaning on
One Roof for the trustednetwork, and leaning on One Roof
(06:15):
to grow their brand, reach newcustomers. And so that's just
one example. There's thousands.And I think really what it is,
is just surrounding yourselfwith others who are on a similar
journey in entrepreneurship andlooking to collaborate and
support one another. And sotogether, we can help kind of
elevate one another and workthrough business challenges and
(06:36):
raise each other's brands.
Sarah Spence (06:38):
Yeah, cool. And that's so great. It's such a
good example of... it's not justthese kinds of communities. And
the need for community,particularly in women-led
businesses, it's not just forthat initial kernel of the idea,
or even just as they start toscale. But it sounds like for
Verve particularly, One Roof andthat community has been relevant
(06:59):
the whole way through thejourney.
Sheree Rubinstein (07:00):
That's right, exactly.
Sarah Spence (07:02):
But so how about for One Roof itself then? Who
are or were the women supportingyou? What did that support look
like?
Sheree Rubinstein (07:09):
Yeah, I think support is everything that
people around us have beeneverything. And I always say any
success I have had is becausesomeone has opened a door for
me. I put myself out there andover the years, I've done a lot
of networking, connecting withpeople, I've had lists of people
that I hope to reach out to oneday and connect with and then
(07:30):
eventually I do it. And so it'sbeen those people who have
supported me a lot, whetherit's, as an example, Catriona
Wallace, who ASX listedartificial intelligence company,
it was the second in ASX historyto have a female CEO and
chairperson. And so it's womenlike her who are way ahead of me
(07:54):
in the game, who I have theconfidence or find the way to
reach out to them and build arelationship. And then she's
been on my advisory board. Andthen she's also an unofficial
kind of mentor to me, who'ssomeone I can call on when I'm
going through challenges and askfor advice and support.
But I also lean on the communitya lot and ask for feedback from
(08:16):
our members. When I was probablyat the lowest in the business
journey, I pulled together agroup of friends, mentors, a few
members, like a kind ofcollective of different people
and held a meeting one night forthree hours and kind of unveiled
everything, my finances, thesituation, the challenges that I
was having. And I just said,"What do you think I should do?
(08:36):
Should I walk? Should I keepgoing? This is what's going on
and I'm not holding back." Andat the time, I had investors and
so I felt like I had to holdback on things that I was
saying, whereas in this room, itwas like, "Here's everything,
what should I do?" And socreating spaces like that has
been a game changer for me. Andso we try to do a lot of that
(08:57):
within the community; creatingspaces for members to be able to
test ideas or present challengesand seek feedback. Because
that's been everything for meand my journey.
Sarah Spence (09:08):
Yeah. Wow. That's so true. I love you said that,
every success you've had isbecause someone opened a door
for you. I challenge that andsay, "Yeah, sure someone opened
the door, but you're the one whowalks through it."
Sheree Rubinstein (09:19):
Yeah, you're 100% right. And actually, also,
I'm the one who's out therelooking for it and asking and
that's right, and I shouldn'tdiscount that. And one great
example is, when we set out OneRoof as a co-working space in
Southbank in Melbourne, I didn'thave the funding to do it. And
so I was just talking to anyoneand everyone I could and I had
(09:40):
this vision and this idea thatthere would be a landlord who
would offer us a discounted rentand people were like, "You're
crazy. Why would anyone offeryou a cheap rent situation?" And
I just kept asking, and then, loand behold, a landlord came
along who was like, "Well, we'vegot this space, we're going to
demolish it, we're waiting forpermits, what you're doing is
(10:02):
amazing. Let's talk about anagreement." And that was an
18-month lease that turned intofour years of building the
leading co-working space inAustralia for women. So you're
100%, right, that it's about usputting ourselves out there time
and time again, and thepersistence of it. But yet,
still, someone often opens thatdoor, and then we walk through
(10:25):
it.
Sarah Spence (10:26):
More power to those of us brave enough to walk
through those doors, howeverthey're opened. The fact is, the
world has always worked onrelationships. And it's often
those relationships that openthose doors, as we say, or just
offer encouragement, even. It'snever just as simple as one day
deciding you want something, andthen being able to buy it or
(10:50):
build it. Most businesses andcreative ventures are made with
the help of many ongoingrelationships, and a lot of
support. Alongside thoserelationships is also seizing
the opportunity. Because thetruth is, you can't even know
the doors are there unlessyou're looking for them. And
(11:10):
then someone might show you one,but you have to be the one brave
enough to walk through it. Nomatter what it looks like from
the outside, it's never easy forany of us. In fact, as you're
about to hear, for Sheree tocontinue to walk through those
doors, she was going to have tomake some really difficult
decisions. And that all startedwhen so many other businesses
(11:34):
had to pivot as well in 2020when that annoying virus COVID
hit.
Sheree Rubinstein (11:41):
We'd been really successful with this
space and had about 180 tenants,we had a 200-person event space,
we had like over 100,000 peoplein and out of the space every
year. So I turned something thatwas meant to only be an 18-month
lease which ended up being fouryears into this thriving kind of
hub for women, which wasincredible. And I had to work
(12:03):
really fast, because I neverknew when my time was up. So
maybe that worked in my favourin a way. And then off the back
of all of that I was able toraise capital. So I had a group
of incredible investors,predominantly who were mainly
women. And they were reallyexcited by what we were doing.
And so the funding was to go toopening a new flagship site in
(12:26):
Melbourne, and then to keepgrowing. And the idea was to
have spaces all aroundAustralia.
The issue that I then started torun into was, I couldn't land a
new site, probably because Ididn't raise enough capital and
rents were just going up. And Ifound myself struggling because
I had a vision that I wanted toachieve and it was going to be
(12:47):
epic. But then financially, Iwas struggling to kind of hit
that vision. And so basicallywhat happened was we were asked
to vacate the building, with our180 tenants and all of our
events going on and we hadn'tlanded a new location, which was
what I kept telling investors,don't worry, we'll have another
(13:07):
space, it's all going to befine. And we didn't. And within
a few months, I had to pack upeverything, I had help all our
members move somewhere else. Andwe literally went from a million
dollars in annual revenue tozero overnight. And then you can
imagine investors looking at megoing, "Cool. So we've invested
in a business that basically nolonger exists, you're now a
(13:28):
co-working operator with noco-working space. So what is
this business?"
And I just kept saying, "I cando this, I'm gonna make this
work." And then of course, I waspregnant about to have my first
child. And then I'd actuallysigned a heads of agreement on a
site in Cremorne. So it was likea really beautiful new building,
a lot of financial risk, to behonest. But I was ready to go
(13:49):
and then the pandemic hit, andthat just put a halt to
everything. And within a fewweeks of that, and then I had my
baby as well. Investors said tome, "Look, Sheree, obviously
these are unprecedented times,but you need to make a decision
like what are you doing with ourmoney?" And I couldn't put my
hand on my heart and say I'mconfident with what I'm doing
with your money. So I calledthem, I spent the weekend
(14:12):
thinking about it, crying overit, and then called them all on
a Monday and said, "I'mreturning every dollar to each
of you. I'm going to pivot to anonline membership. Everyone's on
Zoom right now I'm going to takefull advantage of that. I'm
going to start basically fromthe ground up, build revenue,
get members in and I don't needyour money for that and I'll
reach out to in the future ifI'm looking to raise capital
(14:34):
again."
Sarah Spence (14:34):
Did any of them stick around? Or did they say,
"We don't know what's happening,cool, we'll have our money back.
Thanks."
Sheree Rubinstein (14:39):
They were happy to take their money back
and then they were open toreinvesting in the future. But
at the time, I didn't have aclear business model. And so I
wasn't interested in taking ontheir money either. I needed to
pivot and build it and see whatit was before I could
confidently say, "Here's whatI'm going to spend your money on
(14:59):
and here's where gonna go withthe business." So it worked both
ways.
Sarah Spence (15:03):
Yeah. And rebuild your confidence to like, that's
just, yeah, this massive. I betlife obviously now feels very
different, One Roof's verydifferent. You guys have had
particularly a lot of changesthis year, 2023. You've just
rebranded, I'm loving the newbrand. Can you talk us through
that experience? How long agodid you start it?
Sheree Rubinstein (15:22):
The rebrand took a full year. So basically,
One Roof... So we went online,we launched as an online
membership for entrepreneurialwomen, it was very scrappy, it
was low code kind of plugins andthings. And we just realised
over time that it was clunky andthe member experience was
(15:43):
clunky, we really wanted to fixthat. And at the same time, we
wanted to create a much bettermember experience. And at the
same time, we felt like thebranding that we had was when we
were co-working. But now we'reonline, we're pretty much a
different business and brand. Soit's a great time to rebrand and
represent a new version of whowe are.
(16:03):
And so we went through with acompany called Formulaic, and
they actually did our newwebsite, our rebrand, and a new
member portal. So it was huge. Ithought it would be done in
three months. But mostentrepreneurs think they'll get
things done much quicker thanthey do, it took us a good year.
And even then, we werescrambling at the end to get it
(16:24):
live. But it's been anincredible experience. And we're
so happy with it. I think themost important thing for us was
showcasing the digital elementof who we are, showcasing a
grown up version of us that'sstill fun and playful and warm
and friendly, but just a bitmore consistent and a bit more
(16:45):
grown up. And then also creatinga much better and improved user
experience for our members.
So we now use a platform calledMighty Networks, which really
got the two key things that weoffer, which is the community
side and the education piece. Soin this platform, you can create
a profile, you can connect withother members, you can ask
(17:07):
questions like a Slack channeland chat through there, you can
register for all our events andmaster classes. You can find all
our master class recordings, youcan book calls with all our
coaches and experts. And there'sthis great platform that we can
just keep adding to so there'sjust constant content being
uploaded to this new portal allthe time. We're still in the
(17:27):
migration process, which ishuge. If anyone ever wants to
talk about migrating members orcustomers from one platform to
another, I know all about it.And that's been a lot, we've
probably still got about 300members to move over. So that's
a bit slow, but it's happeningand I'm really proud of what
we've done.
Sarah Spence (17:44):
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also sounds like
that change specifically movingeverything into a new portal,
into that new space is alsodecreasing the reliance on third
party channels like Facebook,because I know you also have a
thriving Facebook group. That'sawesome. But of course, all of
that data and all thatinteraction, all that community
is like building a house onquicksand because Facebook
(18:08):
changes the rules all the timeand you're not in control.
You're taking the back thatownership it seems.
Sheree Rubinstein (18:12):
That's exactly right. And at the
moment, we still have theFacebook group because it's
super engaged and we don't wantto jeopardise engagement. That's
number one for us. But yes, theidea is that this is an
all-in-one platform andeventually it'll be great if
everyone moves over to it anduses that solely as the place
and it really does haveeverything and gives us greater
(18:35):
ownership over it. Yes, all thecontent, everything that we're
doing and over our community.
Sarah Spence (18:39):
Very smart decision.
Sheree Rubinstein (18:41):
Thank you.
Sarah Spence (18:43):
Since the launch, particularly what's been working
for you guys in terms ofmarketing One Roof and driving
new memberships and things?
Sheree Rubinstein (18:49):
Yeah, we base our content year on marketing
campaigns, and we find that thatalways works really well. And we
know the kind of seasonal timeswhere we get more an increase in
membership signups. So forinstance, end of financial year
is a big time for us wherepeople are thinking about buying
business expenses, or kind ofgetting things in before the end
(19:11):
of financial year and putting itas a tax deduction. So we did a
big marketing campaign for that,we had photos redone and we kind
of focused on a particulartheme. So it was all about your
village and the idea that we allknow it takes a village to raise
a child, we hear that story,that saying all the time, but it
(19:33):
also takes a village to build abusiness. And so we had these
amazing photos down of womenbalancing the juggle of being on
their phone and their laptops,but also attending to a child or
a dog or shopping, all thedifferent kinds of things that
we juggle while building abusiness and then women being
(19:53):
there to support one another. Sothat was super successful.
And so yeah, those marketingcampaigns, always coming up with
different themes and conceptsand ideas, and then bringing our
members and our community intothose marketing campaigns is
what's most successful for us. Iam also looking at doing more of
(20:14):
a hybrid model next year. Wehave a bit of it now but I've
obviously said we're an onlinemembership. But we're not in the
pandemic anymore. People don'tjust want online, so there is
more opportunity for in person.And so we're looking at
launching a series of boot campsnext year, one day boot camps
that will be in person that willrun around the country. And we
see that as another way tosupport women, another revenue
(20:37):
stream and also a great kind oflead gen where people hear about
One Roof, they come in person,they feel the experience of us
supporting them through abusiness challenge or helping
them launch an idea. And thenhopefully, they want to join the
membership.
Sarah Spence (20:51):
That really beautifully supports the goals
you have for your communityanyway, which is to build
community to build support.
Sheree Rubinstein (20:57):
Exactly.
Sarah Spence (20:59):
As much as I don't mind it, but I think we're all a
wee bit tired of the Zoom. Andthe in person stuff. We
definitely don't want to do itall the time. But it's nice to
have it peppered throughout theyear.
Sheree Rubinstein (21:12):
Yeah, I think that hybrid approach is where
we're all going. We want to goto in person sometimes, we also
want to see things online whenwe can't get there, and we just
don't want...yeah, we want both.It's a constant lesson for us,
as I'm sure it is for mostpeople. We just have to keep
adapting. things just keepchanging, the consumer
(21:33):
behaviour, the way that weoperate, the way we work, the
way we interact with oneanother, the way we do business
keeps changing. So One Roof hasto keep changing. So we're just
constantly evolving.
Sarah Spence (21:43):
This year, we've seen a fairly significant
economic downturn. I know it'sparticularly hitting small
businesses pretty hard rightnow. In the context of the
rebrand, has that diminishedwhere you hoped it would land or
has actually helped becauseyou've been able to be a bit
more creative, or to kind ofpush the boundaries a bit more?
Sheree Rubinstein (22:02):
Yeah, it's probably a bit of both. I guess,
when I did the rebrand, I had afalse idea in my head that we'd
do this rebrand, launch it andthen thousands of women would
just join the membership, and Iwouldn't have to do anything.
And it's a very humblingreminder that business requires
the hustle. And it's so obviousto me that if I'm not out there
(22:25):
hustling, thinking of ideas tosell, doing these marketing
campaigns, trying to pushthings, get people into the
membership, it's not happeningorganically and it's not enough
to keep the business running. Sothat was a big reminder.
And that's probably alsocoinciding with the fact that
the market is more challenging,businesses, we have had members
(22:48):
close their business, we've hadmembers get part time jobs
again. And we'll see that allthe time. Like it's cyclical,
it's going to happen. Weobviously all post COVID went
through this wave of like, wow,business is going great. And
we're all just like, people havemoney to spend and there was so
much happening, and then nowit's all equalising a little bit
(23:08):
more. I do feel this is a pointin time where we just need to
weather the storm, we'redefinitely being impacted, our
members are definitely beingimpacted. So it does feel a bit
deflating. And it's a period oftime that we've just got to
manage through.
But I guess at the same time,I'm lucky that now it's an
online membership, I don't havea physical space. My overheads
(23:30):
aren't huge, it's not like itwas, I haven't invested a crazy
amount of money in the way thatI had to with co-working. And
we've got this new portal thatallows for scale and so we've
just got to keep coming back to.I think this is a time for us to
be laser focused. And I wouldsay that for most people, like
this time is all about gettinglaser focus, what do you offer?
(23:51):
What makes you different? Andstick to it. And don't say yes
to shiny objects and shiny,exciting things. Because it's
not the time for that. And ifit's not supporting the core
business, it's distraction. Sothat's what we're really trying
to drill into at the moment.
Sarah Spence (24:05):
Yeah, absolutely. Like, what can you let go? It's
almost like, did your mum everteach you that as you're growing
up, where if you're gettingready to go out for a night out,
you should like turn aroundquickly in a mirror, and you
should take off the three thingsthat dangle the most, or
whatever I think it was thatkind of saying. it's like,
always take off one thing, justto keep it a bit more
(24:28):
streamlined. And I think that weall need to do a twirl in front
of the mirror with ourbusinesses and go okay, what can
we unload for the moment becauseit is a period to tread water, I
think and to make it through,and there'll be good days again
in the future, which is goodtoo.
Sheree Rubinstein (24:46):
Very well said. I agree.
Sarah Spence (24:48):
Let's all do 12 marriage vows.
Sheree Rubinstein (24:51):
I'm gonna do it.
Sarah Spence (24:52):
Yet again. I've got completely off track with
some weird metaphor that hasgone a bit scewy. But anyway,
when the time comes again toperhaps not be so laser focused,
what's an area of marketing thatyou're keen to explore that you
haven't dipped your toe intoyet?
Sheree Rubinstein (25:10):
So a key area that we're looking at is AI, and
how can we use AI to bettertailor our platform and
resources to our members. Andalso, at the moment, we just
have one membership, but we'relooking at having a tiered level
of membership based on... andnot necessarily different
(25:32):
pricing just more of slightlydifferent offering based on a
different stage of business. Andso then it will be easier for
the content that we have to besuggested and tailored to where
you're at. So really, like aNetflix, where you finish
watching a show whether this isgood or bad for shows, I don't
(25:53):
know. But then it's like, here'ssome suggestions of what to
watch next. So I think that willbe really interesting.
And then we want to positionourselves as an aggregate of all
the resources out there thatsupport women in building
businesses, so not just our own.So something that we're really
trying to work on is gatheringprogrammes, podcasts, special
(26:17):
offers of others, and bringingthat into our portal to allow
for that concept of anall-in-one platform. Yep. So
there's some key things. Andthen as I said before that, the
series of in-person boot camps,and there'll be three streams, I
think. One will be if you'restarting a business, one will be
scaling your business, and thenthere will be an area for angel
(26:39):
investing, because we think thatcould be a really interesting
play as well for women to learnhow to get into angel investing,
and then to kind of give backand support other women-led
businesses.
Sarah Spence (26:49):
So perhaps if some of our listeners don't know, can
you explain kind of the workingsbehind angel investing and maybe
how that differs from otherkinds of investments as well?
Sheree Rubinstein (26:58):
Yeah, sure. So angel investing is seed
investing into an early stagebusiness and seed investing is
providing a small amount offunding to a business, to a
startup typically, to help themlaunch and then kind of scale.
(27:20):
And so founders who pitch toscale investors might get 100 to
$200,000 of investment, maybeeven less, maybe it's 50,000. So
it's kind of at the lower end ofthe investment journey. And it's
high risk because the businessis at the very early stages but
(27:40):
you're getting in at a goodprice, because they're going to
have a low valuation, it's veryearly on, and you're there to
kind of watch the business grow.So supporting women to
understand investing, and howthey can invest early on, even
if it's lower amounts and waysthat they can do that, I think
is a real game changer so thatover time we see more women
(28:04):
investors, and then that willlikely lead to more women-led
businesses being invested in.
Sarah Spence (28:14):
Of course, more women investors means more
women-led businesses. And morewomen-led businesses mean more
women in leadership, whichdoesn't just impact on the glass
ceiling or reduce the gender paygap. Although it does that too.
It means there are new ways tothink about how businesses are
run, and what they offer. Look,it might have happened anyway.
(28:35):
But my gut tells me we don't getbrands making period underwear,
without women in leadership. Wedon't see financial institutions
that care about people andprofit unless there are women
leading that charge. Having morewomen steering the ship in this
funny old world of ours is sovery important. And while I'm on
(28:56):
that, what about women leaders?Sheree spends a lot of her time
interacting with women who areleaders in one aspect or
another. I wondered what shethinks about female leaders and
whether they do fundamentallylead differently.
Sheree Rubinstein (29:10):
I think there is a feminine way of leadership
that a lot of women tend topossess that feminine way not to
say it's only women and not tosay it's all women, but
definitely there is thatfeminine way that is different.
And I think that that feminineway is very obviously more
(29:32):
empathetic, more compassionate,leaning kind of from the back
rather than from the front andbeing kind of aggressively,
outspoken and telling peoplewhat to do. It's more about
taking the back step andsupporting and guiding,
listening, caring.
(29:54):
And then I think when it's afeminine approach, it has a lot
more about impact, it's not justgrowth for growth's sake. And
there's a really good article Iread recently that talks about
the difference between a unicornand an elephant business, And a
unicorn is that, one in abillion business that is the
(30:19):
best at what it does, grows atall costs, go hard, money
driven. Whereas the elephant,which I think a lot of women
business owners will relate tois so much slower and more
considered an elephant, theylive a long life. And so it's
(30:42):
all about that longevity,they've got a really good
memory. And so they rememberkind of things about their
customers, their employees,they're very sociable creatures,
they are crucial to ourecosystem and to the animal
kingdom. And so they're not justthinking about themselves,
they're thinking about theworld, and how they fit in and
(31:04):
how they can support others. Andso I think that's a beautiful
metaphor that so many womenrelate to, and they're real
animals. And there's lots ofthem. And it's like, I think a
lot of women in the businessworld are wanting to build
sustainable businesses that haveimpact, that do good, that
support their staff, thatsupport their customers and
(31:24):
their members. And it's not justabout being that one in a
billion just for the sake of it.And I think that really speaks
to a lot of women and it'sreally indicative of what drives
us and the kind of leaders thatwe want to be.
Sarah Spence (31:37):
And the kind of businesses and the path of
business growth, I guess, aswell, because it takes a lot of
energy to grow. I know you wouldknow that from experience. And I
know that from experience,especially growing quickly. But
being that strong, steady,leader to lead through long-term
(32:00):
growth. You can't be a mythicalcreature, the unicorn, in order
to make that happen, you do needto be something more sturdy, You
need to have a sturdiness, aconfidence in yourself as well.
Sheree Rubinstein (32:10):
Absolutely.
Sarah Spence (32:11):
I'm hearing so much in our conversation here
about the importance ofrelationships. We talked about
the importance of connection andrelationships, not just between
women in women led businesses,but all around really. How do
you see that femalerelationships really positively
impacting beyond just memberssupporting one another? What do
(32:34):
relationships mean in the wholepicture, I guess?
Sheree Rubinstein (32:37):
I guess, relationships, as we've said,
are crucial to how you buildyour business. And you can't
build a business or a career insilo and think that you can be
an asshole and get by, or youdon't need to make friends and
get by. Yeah, I thinkrelationships are everything,
(33:00):
they really are, and how youkind of respond particularly to
situations where things gowrong. And I see this played out
in One Roof and between membersand things that happen, like if
you make a mistake, it's how youmanage that and how you deal
with those issues. It's how yousupport another member and open
(33:24):
up an opportunity for them.
I think a very feminine approachto relationships is about
understanding the other personand building rapport, not just
coming up to them pitchingsomething and saying, "This is
what I need from you." And so Ithink if we take that approach
to relationship building, youbuild these long, really
(33:46):
nurtured fruitful relationshipsthat you don't necessarily
looking for it to be strategicor get something out of it. But
often, that is what happens. AndI've seen that for myself over
and over again. Like, there'ssomeone I like, I want to
connect with them, I want tolearn about them, I want to be
friends with them. And overtime, maybe they've become an
(34:06):
investor, or maybe they'veopened a door for me, that
wasn't the intention. But that'sthe beauty of what can happen
from building theserelationships. I think if you go
into these things with an openmind, and a curiosity and an
interest in others, andunderstanding them and their
needs, and seeing everyrelationship as a opportunity to
(34:27):
connect and learn and supportone another, then that's where
the magic really can come from.
Sarah Spence (34:33):
Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like that is also the
direct opposite of, I guess,older networking styles that....
I mean, I was at an event lastyear, and it was an awards
announcement thing. And it wasvery lovely. And there was lots
of good chatting and lots ofgood mingling and everything.
(34:53):
And I don't know how thishappened. But this gentleman
then came up to myself and mycolleague while we were having a
conversation with another coupleof people, and said, "Oh, hi, my
name is... I can't remember whathis name was, and proceeded to
shove his hand into the groupand shake everybody's hands in
turn. And then as he come awayfrom shaking his hand, he'd hand
(35:14):
the business card over, and belike, "I'm here from this
company. This is what we do."And I was just like, "What?"
Sheree Rubinstein (35:20):
it feels deeply uncomfortable and it is
definitely not the way to buildrelationships and connections.
And most of us don't do it thatway. And it's funny, because I
think in the past, a lot of usfelt like, I'm not good at
networking, because I don't dosomething like that. But
actually that's the approachthat someone takes that turns
other people off where they go,"I'm not interested in
(35:44):
connecting with this person,this feels really inauthentic or
fake, just not right." And it'sa great example of when it
doesn't work.
I will say the flip side,though, and I think this is
really important is that whileyou're there open connecting,
building rapport relationships,it is important if someone in a
(36:05):
networking situation actuallyasks you, "What can I do for
you? How can I help you? What doyou need?" And often I hear
people say, "Oh, I don't know,or nothing," And we all need
something. So I think you'vealso got to have in your mind
ideas of what it is that you'reasking for when that opportunity
(36:25):
arises and taking advantage ofthat opportunity. And then the
relationship builds, not just inthe moment that you met, but
it's afterwards, it's thenurturing, it's the getting back
in touch with them and saying,"How're you going? What happened
there?" Or if somebody opens adoor for you, or makes it an
introduction, letting them knowwhat happened with that
introduction, and thanking them,giving them a gift if they
(36:45):
introduce you to a client. It'sthat ongoing level of connection
that where the magic really is.
Sarah Spence (36:54):
Absolutely. As you said before, it comes back to
actually just genuinely giving ashit about people and actually
just genuinely being curious andinterested and not always being
in it for yourself. Which Ithink is an interesting...
especially in this time, peopleneed things, people are feeling
(37:14):
the squeeze, but you can stillbe interested in others, and you
can still follow up and you canstill ask for what you need. I
mean, that's a great... I thinkeven at the very basic level
doesn't matter if we've got abusiness or if we're in house at
a brand or whatever. The basicthing that you can ask for if
someone says to you, "Hey, whatdo you need at a networking
event or something?" Just say,"Hey, can you give me a
(37:36):
recommendation on LinkedIn,?" Nomatter where you go in your
career, that's going to bebeneficial. And it's so easy,
it's much harder for someone tothink of someone they could
refer you to or share projectdetails with you or something
like that, but asking forsomething simple like that is a
good place to start too.
Sheree Rubinstein (37:54):
Yes, that's great. And being very specific.
We run these meetup groups wherewe get women to put them in
breakout rooms, and we do it inperson as well and they ask for
what they need. And we give tipson when you're asking for what
you need, make it so easy for aperson to help you. If they say
(38:16):
to you, I would love to make anintroduction to X, follow up
with them afterwards, send theman email and say thanks so much
for offering, here is the draftemail. So they don't need to
think about anything, you'vedone all the work for them,
written it in the third person,so that it's ready for them to
send. You need to make it soeasy for someone to support you
(38:37):
and help you and thenguaranteed... we all want to
help, we all want to serve.That's what makes us tick
really.
Sarah Spence (38:47):
Relationships, leaders, stepping up and helping
others. These are some of thebest reasons for women to be in
business communities together,aren't they? And when you look
at the One Roof story, startingfrom an all in person space, and
then moving to be solely online,it's those moments that make or
(39:10):
break us. And it's so often thestrength of the community behind
us that gives us that will to goon. That's the impact of a group
like One Roof, where women cantruly be themselves and talk
about their fears, theirknowledge gaps, the juggle of
life, in a really safe space.
(39:33):
They say it takes a village toraise a child. And I think many
of us wouldn't have oursuccessful business babies
without a strong village backingus through it all.
Thanks for joining me on thisjourney. If you want to stay
rebellious in how you practicemarketing, how you show up in
(39:53):
your workplace and how you liveyour life, please subscribe to
the Content Rebels wherever youlisten to your podcasts. This
podcast was recorded on Awabakaland Darkinjung country. Produced
by Pod and Pen Productions.
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