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Adrienne Farrell (00:01.134)
All right, hello and welcome to the Innovator Lab podcast. I'm Adrienne Farrell and today our guest is Heather Ashby. Heather is the founder and CEO of Coworkers, a female-focused coworking space and social club offering Class A office space, amenities and resources for entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers. Hello, Heather, and welcome.
Heather Ashby (00:24.171)
Hi, thank you.
Adrienne Farrell (00:26.02)
It's so great to have you on the show. I have so many questions for you, but I would love to just hear a little bit about you and your background leading up to the launch of Coworkers.
Heather Ashby (00:36.834)
Great, so yeah, my background is in event marketing and promotions and I did that for about 13 years, traveling the country, working with big Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss, Gillette, so I would...
promote their brands at big events all over the country. And I was asked to move to Maine and work here. And so after I got laid off from that job, I started a resale clothing shop with a friend of mine I worked with at that job.
And so that was my first toe in the dipping of the toe in the water of entrepreneurship. And it was scary but not so scary because I was doing it with a friend who I trusted. But I also learned a lot about, well, the fears that we have of starting a business. It's a real fear, but once you do it once, it seems easier and easier. So when the idea hit me after I had left that business to her and kind of went off and worked with my husband in real estate, we had the
We had an apartment building that we sold and we bought this building at auction. So we put that money into this building, the Masonic Temple building. so we inherited the building, which was almost vacant. A law firm was here for 60 years and when they left, when the auction was happening, we had all this vacant space. So for a few years it was empty and we weren't sure what to do with it. This was our first time in commercial real estate.
And I said, if to myself, what if we didn't try to keep leasing it out to one big company for 8,000 square foot space? What if we broke it into little chunks and rented out one office at a time? And I didn't know about coworking at the time. I just thought, what if that's kind of a neat idea? Let's like try to just chip away at it. And then I thought out loud, what if it were for women? Like that would be so neat. A place just for women that would unlike just envision myself in a space surrounded by women. And like there's an architect in this office and a realtor in that office and an engineer in that
Heather Ashby (02:37.93)
I was just honing in on the field we were working in at the time of real estate, imagining the potential of all these women working together. And then I was sitting at the kitchen counter and I Googled it. Like, it legal to open a space for just women? Can I even do that? And I ran into The Wing and Hara Hub and all these other coworking spaces focusing on women. And I was like, my gosh, it's like a thing. I can do it. They can do it, I can do it.
That's where it kind of launched from. People were looking at me like I was crazy, but I was like, no, no, no, this is a really good idea and I'm not gonna tell anybody about it. So I kept it to myself until I was ready to open. So that was in April of 2017 that I was sitting at that kitchen counter and then that December I was open. That's kind of the history of how it all evolved was sort of a fluke.
Adrienne Farrell (03:38.318)
That is really interesting. I'm so curious, how did your community, I know you're located in Portland, Maine, how did Portland, Maine receive coworkers when you launched?
Heather Ashby (03:54.804)
It was actually pretty exciting. it was so I opened that December and in October a couple months before was when Harvey Weinstein got arrested. And so the whole Me Too movement was happening and Hillary Clinton was running for president. There was like a lot of political like chaos and like a lot of like breaking the glass ceiling feeling from women. And so there was also a lot of like, well, what happened to her? Why is she opening this space for women? As if I just could do that in a couple of months between October
December doesn't happen that fast. So I think there was like a lot of interviews and a lot of question as to what happened to this woman, why is she doing this and alienating men and creating a space just for her and her women, you know. But it was well received by the women in the community. I had 22 members signed up before I had even opened and a lot of them were coming to Maine from New York and other cities where they were familiar with co-working.
and knew about the wing and these other places. So I really felt positive that it was gonna be successful right away when I had that kind of feedback in the memberships that were signing up. But I got a lot of press out of it because of that Me Too situation. So that was good, good press.
Adrienne Farrell (05:10.616)
Mm-hmm. That's really great to hear. And what is some of the feedback that you have heard from women since opening? I know it's been a number of years now, but what do you hear from women who are entering your space and utilizing it?
Heather Ashby (05:25.864)
It's all good. had an event last night for entrepreneurs. It's called Pollinate Hers. It's like a support group for female entrepreneurs who are freelancers and loan workers doing their thing, being a mother, being a caretaker, caring for their elderly parents, all the things. And there were 20 women that showed up that most of them I had not met before. And they were just saying, I've walked by here a million times and I've always wanted to come inside. And this was my chance to be inside these walls.
just like warm and fuzzy, kumbaya, like rah rah, great feeling. Everybody's just, and the members here are just so supportive and they don't want to leave. They usually end up leaving because they get pregnant, they lose their job, they have to move for whatever reason, but for the most part, if they end up back in Portland, they sign back up again. It's just, they feel like it's a home away from home. That was my plan. I know that I'm asking them a lot to leave their home office or to leave their kitchen counter and work here.
They're working remotely anyway. Why would they pay money to come here? Which is, you know, in these financial times, not an easy thing to do. And they need it. They do it because they want to be around other people, because they're isolated at home, because they're looking at laundry and dishes and the dog and all the things that they have to do and they're not being productive. And they come in here and they bring a homemade pie and they have coffee and they hang out and they just make friends and they go for walks together. And so it's like, it's a
luxury for them to spend the money to come here and to do that and to drive into the city, but it's clear that it's something that they need. So that feels good for me.
Adrienne Farrell (07:06.482)
Hmm, that sounds so positive and just lovely. I know that in the pandemic and I want to ask you more about your experience with coworkers during that time. But the pandemic was pretty isolating for people. Remote working can be isolating. Being a new mother can be isolating. So I love that you're providing this opportunity for women to have community, have support, have resources. It's just so incredibly needed right now. So, yeah, well, let's jump into the pandemic.
Heather Ashby (07:15.501)
you.
Adrienne Farrell (07:36.496)
because I'm really curious to hear how how did it look you said you opened in 2017 so you had a couple years under your belt and then what happened?
Heather Ashby (07:44.824)
So actually it wasn't really a couple of years, So I opened December of 2017. So was basically the end of 2017. So I was open for about a year when the pandemic, I think it was 2019, February, something like that. And I had already started at that point. I had already doubled in size and then took over a suite of five little offices upstairs on the third floor because I needed more offices. I had plenty of open
space for people to work but people needed privacy so I had started chipping away at another hold suite and then the pandemic hit and I was like my gosh like I'm spending this money building out these glass offices so that people can see one another but have that privacy feel like they're not isolated because they've seen people walking by and I said well this might I can't stop like this we don't know what's gonna happen I have to continue construction so
We did, we kept going and before I think it was two weeks when it was complete, I had filled everything. was 22 offices had filled up in two weeks. So it's, I survived the pandemic. had got in the plexiglass shields and everything for down here and people were still coming in. People were, because Maine was one of the last states to really feel the effects of the pandemic. were like falling a little far behind everyone else. So cities like New York and
LA people were coming here in droves trying to escape the pandemic and they knew about co-working and they were renting these little apartments and their partners in there working at the same time with them or their babies and you know all the stuff so they were like I got to get out of here so it worked for me it was actually a plus and then I added another whole floor so I have 60 offices now because of that and they're almost full so
Adrienne Farrell (09:37.35)
That's amazing. And I'm curious, how many members do you have today?
Heather Ashby (09:41.304)
We have about 150. It's luxury, it's like a gym membership. People are coming and going, but we're hovering around 150 right now.
Adrienne Farrell (09:49.116)
That's amazing. And I know you have individuals and also businesses, right, that operate in your space.
Heather Ashby (09:53.74)
Right. Yes, we have some, we have MaineVotes, MaineVoices, which were, they were working so hard during the election. I feel so bad for them, all the work they put in, but...
They have a couple of offices and a team. We have Black-owned Maine. They have a big office in the corner with about five people there. We have an organization called Maine Boys to Men, which is not the band, but they mentor young men and new Mainers on what it is like to be a good father and a good husband and what the laws in Maine are and how, you know.
had to be a good man. And so I loved what they were standing behind and they were one of the first, I would say, solid men group, you know, that I had had in here, but their mission was so aligned with mine and it meant so much to me to have them here. And then it kind of...
brought in the men into the space, you know, and everything, I vet everyone and make sure that everyone is a good fit for the community, male or female or otherwise, I just want to make sure that everybody feels safe and comfortable. yeah, we do have some really great companies here.
Adrienne Farrell (11:06.406)
That's so great to hear. So tell me a little bit about what coworkers offers. I know you mentioned pollinators before, but what are all the different happenings going on there?
Heather Ashby (11:18.466)
We're always cooking up something here. For the members, we have things like our members lunches every month. We bring in food and we sit around and have like a guided conversation over lunch with our business coach. And we also have our entrepreneur support group within the community. And then that's where Pollinators is sort of an extension of that, where if you're not a member, you can still come into the space and be supported. We have a hot flashers support group for women going through
or anyone going through a menopause stage of their life who needs support and resources. have things like Waffle Wednesdays. We have happy hours. Tomorrow night we're going out for some drinks and snacks. So we're just always doing things like.
within the community, crafts, game nights. We go to the mall and do revolution, dance revolution at round one. Everybody just trying to get out and get into the community and support the local businesses too.
Adrienne Farrell (12:24.133)
That's really wonderful. And do you have any virtual events for folks who might be interested but aren't local?
Heather Ashby (12:31.896)
we do not do anything like that, as far as online or workshop.
Adrienne Farrell (12:39.912)
like workshops or...
Heather Ashby (12:41.928)
No, no, nothing like that. Everything is in person here. I really want to throw a party. I like to have snacks and drinks and get people together and really face to face. I feel like it's so important after the pandemic that people actually make that physical connection with somebody, exchange numbers and hopefully carry a relationship forward.
Adrienne Farrell (13:03.07)
That's excellent. And also rare these days, I feel like everything is online. So having an in-person only business is pretty amazing.
Heather Ashby (13:08.416)
I know. Yeah.
I mean, there's a lot of competition, which is tough, because sometimes I'll post something up and then I'm like, my gosh, there's like three other really cool events that I would even like to go to. So there is a bit of a risk in doing that, but I feel like it also helps me get people in the space that may want to be in or haven't had time to schedule a tour. Once they get in here and they see it and they see how much bigger it is than what it looks like from the outside, they see the decor, they see the amenities, they're like, my gosh, okay, that's good marketing for me.
Adrienne Farrell (13:35.879)
Really?
Adrienne Farrell (13:41.964)
Absolutely. And I love that you're providing opportunities for women to connect and socialize in ways that aren't very common. know, especially in Maine, where, you know, Portland is not a huge city. There's not a ton going on. But it's so important, especially again for new mothers. I have a little daughter, so I just went through the new mother stage. I feel like I'm still in it and finding opportunities to connect and socialize.
when you have a small child, it looks completely different because if you have two hours, you have a sitter, you have two hours, it's like, you know, what you're interested in doing might look very different than pre-kids, you know? Like I don't go out and have drinks anymore. I'd rather go and, yeah, meet up with other women, talk about something, connect. That's much more.
Heather Ashby (14:28.536)
Great.
Heather Ashby (14:32.598)
Yeah, and sharing those kinds of things that you're going through in that stage of your life, you're likely to find someone else who has that same situation going on. yeah, coming here, the kind of space that we have curated is that you don't have to dress up and you don't have to put your makeup on or do your hair. You just come as you are and there's always somebody just in sweats and things like that. that what you were talking about before made me think about like when I was starting this space,
Adrienne Farrell (14:57.714)
Thank
Heather Ashby (15:02.522)
I also, my daughter's 10 and my son's 14. This was seven years ago. So I was a mom with little kids and I wanted to include a daycare. I had a lot of members who were in that same stage at that time where they were getting pregnant or having a newborn. And I was like, wow, we should really have childcare here. These people wouldn't leave. They'd be here. It was just needed. But I tried to do that. And then the pandemic came along and nobody wanted to be around a bunch of sick kids and all that stuff.
not appealing to people and then a lot of those people went to work from home and not coming into the office because their kids were home because they couldn't go to daycare, couldn't go to schools. It changed the membership a lot during the pandemic. We became a younger population with women who weren't in that stage in their life. But at the time, knowing how hard it was for me to go to the gym, like leave work, go to the gym, workout, come back, try to find parking and then I'm kind of sweaty, whatever.
so much easier to have it here under the roof of our like in our space. So we have a gym, we have showers, we have a massage table, we have lactation rooms, we have all the you know I really don't want women to have to try to fight to have that time that self-care that they need throughout the day like and then we have a walking treadmill room too. Desks that you know go four miles an hour but you can walk and get your little fitness in so thinking about the whole
Adrienne Farrell (16:29.595)
That's really great.
Heather Ashby (16:31.02)
the whole package.
Adrienne Farrell (16:32.314)
Yeah, and you know, I think this really underlines why it's so important for female founders to thrive because you yourself understand what women need and what working women need and entrepreneurs need and so you are able to create something knowing from your firsthand experience like I need a gym in-house so I'm not driving back and forth and all that. So I just, I love that. So I'm curious, I know that you're, the, that co-workers will probably continue to grow and thrive and change.
Heather Ashby (16:52.001)
Right.
Adrienne Farrell (17:02.418)
as many organizations do, but what do you really hope to achieve? What do you envision for the future?
Heather Ashby (17:09.366)
You know, it's kind of a funny question. Someone asked me that last night and something came up for me that I hadn't felt or thought of before. But my elderly mother recently, I moved her here from out of state to be closer to me. Her husband passed away and my dad, so I just thought, well, let's bring her here. And now I'm observing her and I'm realizing I've plucked her out of her element and everything she's ever known and brought her here. How little connections that she has with the community, no friends, things like that.
and I realized, well, I gotta get her out more, first of all. But I don't want that for myself. I want, you know, at some point I won't be able to continue to do this work. I always want to be doing something, but I want to carry these friendships with me, the people that I've met through doing this, and I want to continue to be involved in the community in so many different ways, whether it's with the elections that come up in the future, volunteering, things that I can be on the board of different organizations, mentoring women.
I
Adrienne Farrell (18:15.016)
Thank
Adrienne Farrell (18:38.728)
Thank
Heather Ashby (18:39.17)
be an interesting concept to look at at some point when I close this chapter way down the road. Way, way, down. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, but I certainly don't want to open up a franchise or another space. I've been asked about that before. It's just a lot with the family and the kids and my mother here and all that I have going on. And I think that at the heart of all of this is the people who run it make the space and my personality and my passion for what I do. I couldn't have that in all the, you know, in another space because I can only be in
Adrienne Farrell (18:45.528)
you
Heather Ashby (19:09.13)
place at one time.
Adrienne Farrell (19:10.162)
right. That makes sense. That's a really interesting point. feel like when
our generation is older, there will be more of a need and want for connection and something that we're seeing in our parents' generation that they can be isolated or that there aren't those systems in place to help them connect. And so I appreciate that you're focusing on that because I think post-retirement will be a time when it's like, okay, now what? How do we, and for a lot of women, myself included, like you mentioned,
Heather Ashby (19:23.17)
way.
Heather Ashby (19:41.986)
Right.
Adrienne Farrell (19:46.302)
retirement in some degree isn't something we're interested in. We want to keep contributing, keep participating, whether that's mentorship or what have you. So I appreciate that you're at that.
Heather Ashby (19:56.824)
Yeah, I think for me, so I have a big birthday coming up. Well, not a big. My birthday is on Christmas. So I'll be 57, which is kind of an old person for a 10-year-old child. So I think it's like closer to...
Adrienne Farrell (20:05.224)
Heather Ashby (20:16.682)
my reality than the people that work here. I'm probably their done mother. I'm the one who takes care of them and I am the older wiser woman here. So I do look towards that future of like, what do I want that to look like for myself? And I want to stay healthy and stay young and stay busy because the wheel in motion stays in motion and I'll stay sharp and I'll stay current and I'll stay in the know on technology and all the things that come, you know, I don't want to just.
Adrienne Farrell (20:24.039)
I'm
Adrienne Farrell (20:30.504)
Bye.
Heather Ashby (20:45.566)
fade away and be forgotten. I want a legacy for my daughter. I want her to see what a working mother can look like and I want her to settle. so yeah, it's just a lot of feelings about that and about what I want for the community.
Adrienne Farrell (21:01.744)
That's really inspiring. I feel like you're a great role model for the community and for women of all ages because also in this day and age we're rarely surrounded, or I am at least, by women of all different ages. I feel like I have, usually it's your peer group that you run in these circles which I don't think is necessarily healthy and so it's great to have spaces where you can be around women of all ages. I think that's so important.
Heather Ashby (21:26.85)
Yeah, yeah.
Adrienne Farrell (21:29.208)
So it's, you know, obviously you have a lot going on. You're clearly very busy, very driven, and I'm curious to hear from you. What is one healthy habit or one habit in general that you practice on a regular basis that helps you be this powerhouse?
Heather Ashby (21:46.85)
my gosh. I wish I had a really good answer for you. My self care is probably like the least focus for me, which is like I'm aware of that and I'm trying to like work on that a little bit. I do go to bed kind of early. My sleep is important to me, but I do have to get up pretty early to get the kids out the door and stuff.
And I try to laugh. I listen to a lot of music and I dance with my kids all the time. We're always listening to music and people will be surprised at the kind of music I like. We go to concerts, a lot of concerts.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't really have like a magic pill for self-care. It's really just something that I'm always questioning. As much as I say, have a gym here and I want to have everything under one roof, I don't have time for it. I was even complaining yesterday that I can't remember the last time I sat and had a proper lunch. You know, just like go, go, go. But I did have a great compliment from a man yesterday in the space. He was here early and I was setting up and cleaning and just refilling paper towels and I was talking about my kids and all the things that I'm dealing with my mother.
Adrienne Farrell (22:45.896)
Mm-hmm.
Heather Ashby (22:59.23)
my sister and all the things. said, you have an ironclad constitution. And I was like, ooh, no one's ever said that. It's such a compliment. And I felt like I was floating in an ironclad suit, if that makes any sense at all. this, I felt lighter than air. felt it carried me throughout the day, but I also felt like really strong and like I was wearing a suit of armor. So I think a lot of the people that are around me are like giving me those little self-care boosts.
Adrienne Farrell (23:07.624)
you
Adrienne Farrell (23:13.864)
True.
Adrienne Farrell (23:26.586)
Mm-hmm. It sounds like that. Yeah, it sounds like the work that you do really feeds your soul, feeds the spirit. That's so wonderful. Mm-hmm. That's really wonderful.
Heather Ashby (23:27.288)
They're giving me the positive vibes. Yeah.
Heather Ashby (23:34.816)
Yes, yes, yeah. Like I'm excited to get up and get in here every day. So, yeah.
Adrienne Farrell (23:44.512)
And I'm also wondering, what do you attribute your success to? And by success, I'm not necessarily speaking about, you know, being a successful business owner or financial necessarily or anything like that, but your ability to pursue your dreams and your goals. What do you attribute that to?
Heather Ashby (24:05.588)
It's interesting. That's a good question. I think it's just coming, like my mom always says, I don't know where she gets it. Where does she get it from? It's not from me. And my mother was just a secretary, didn't have a lot of lofty goals and didn't do much.
Nobody in my family is college educated except for one of my sisters. I didn't even go to college. So I think part of it is that there's like a drive inside of me to prove that you don't need to go to college to be smart and successful. You don't need to have that piece of paper. And so I've always felt really like ashamed of that when I was younger, that I didn't go to college and I wanted to, but I really was like supporting myself living in New York City at 23 years old. I didn't have the money, the time or the energy. I just was like work, work, work. And I just felt we had a, since I was 11 years
I've worked, just worked. And I think it just comes from trying to prove myself. I don't know if that makes any sense. It's just...
and also a flaw at the same time. I was reading something about imposter syndrome this morning in an article, like 82 % of the population has suffered with imposter syndrome in their career and in their work. And where it comes from and all those things is fascinating to me, the psychology of it all, but it's really just...
just a bunch of baloney in your own head. That you're not giving your credit to your own skills, you're giving it to fate. You're saying, that was just luck. That was just luck. But really, it isn't. You have to recognize the hard work that you're putting in and the things that you're doing and that it's coming from you, not luck and fate and good fortune.
Adrienne Farrell (25:25.0)
you
Adrienne Farrell (25:32.968)
Thank
Adrienne Farrell (25:42.074)
Mm-hmm. I love that. That's really excellent. Imposter syndrome is so funny too, because I do know some like powerhouse executives that have imposter And I'm like, how do you still have it after all these years? And look at it where you are. Like, this is crazy. That's really great to hear. I really appreciate too that you're saying about, you know, not necessarily needing to go to college. I feel like there's a lot of younger women right now who are...
trying to decide if they should stay on that traditional path or pursue that very, very expensive path or go another route where we're seeing a lot of jobs now even that don't require a bachelor's degree because I feel like people are becoming aware that you can learn so many different avenues now. You don't necessarily need to fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you provide any mentorship for women through coworkers who are exploring their career paths or other
Heather Ashby (26:14.828)
Right.
Adrienne Farrell (26:38.026)
Otherwise is there like a formal program or is it more informal?
Heather Ashby (26:42.104)
I don't have any formal programs. We have partnered with CEI and Score with mentors that have come in and taught workshops and things. In the beginning I did a lot of that because Score mentored me. I had two mentors when I was opening coworkers because I didn't know how to write a business plan. I didn't know what I was doing, how to create an LLC. I'd only done the resale clothing store but not, I wanted to originally open this as a non-profit. And so that's why I originally went there. And then they said, well if you're trying to start a non-profit
kind of business model, it's going to be a lot of work and it's going to be like you should probably just open the business and then pursue that later but just get it off the ground. I knew someone was going to steal my idea if I didn't get out there. So I was like I want to hurry up and open. So I really highly recommend them. It's free and they're there for life if you ever need them in the future or any point during your entrepreneurial career or path whatever you're doing. They're just such a great support system and it's completely free. It's crazy.
Adrienne Farrell (27:22.638)
Mm-hmm.
Heather Ashby (27:41.914)
They were doing workshops here in the space when I first opened and I actually had to score a mentor. My mentor would sit here in a meeting room once a week and was like, Peppermint Patty, free advice, come in and you book a time with her and she would help you. So we do have an in-house business coach.
who does that now instead of a score mentor, but I do pay her out of my own pocket to help the members here. She's here all the time to just offer support and she runs our entrepreneur support group.
Adrienne Farrell (28:12.424)
That's an incredible resource. And can you, just to clarify for anyone listening, can you tell us what score and CEI are?
Heather Ashby (28:21.828)
So, gosh, the acronym, I don't know exactly, but SCORE, they do offer just the entrepreneurial support and workshops. Business. I believe they're nationwide. I think so, don't quote me on that one, but I'm pretty sure they are. And then CEI, Main Business Center, Center for Entrepreneurial.
Adrienne Farrell (28:33.18)
And are they nationwide or is that local? Okay.
Heather Ashby (28:48.16)
Enterprising, I can't remember what it stands for. I'm sorry, edit. But they also help women get funding too for their businesses and they have workshops and classes and mentors there too. So it's similar to Squir but they help you a little bit more with like getting the funding and they have grants and things.
Adrienne Farrell (28:51.432)
Thank
Adrienne Farrell (29:08.218)
Okay, those sounds like excellent resources. Great, all right, and I'm curious too, what is the best piece of advice you've ever received? I know, not to put you on the spot or anything.
Heather Ashby (29:12.898)
Yes.
Heather Ashby (29:23.874)
Best piece.
Heather Ashby (29:29.472)
I don't know. I think this sounds, it almost sounds like a negative, but no, it's not really, it's not really good advice. It really just motivated her for me. But someone said to me, this is not for the faint of heart. Opening a co-working space is not for the faint of heart. And my mother actually said, you have no business doing this. You have children, you know, you, you, you should be at home. And it really just lit a fire under me. It's not really advice. It's just kind of like that.
that's what I needed to light me up. And a lot of advice, there's so many, I even have this book, I books on my desk, little quotes and different things that I read all the time for my own little inspirations. But I can't say that there's one thing that really sticks out.
Adrienne Farrell (30:18.344)
Well, that sounds like a great example of something that was what you needed to hear to propel you forward.
Heather Ashby (30:23.511)
Yeah.
It was from a man, of course, that said, you know, that's like, you doubted me this quote here. I have under my desk, underestimate me. That'll be funny. Fun. That'll be fun.
Adrienne Farrell (30:32.36)
That's ironic.
Heather Ashby (30:42.38)
That's my favorite quote and that inspires me when I see that. Yes, don't underestimate me just because I didn't go to college, just because I don't fit into your little box and what an entrepreneur should look like or what I should be doing doesn't mean that I'm not gonna be able to do it. I just have to work hard and Google it. If you don't know the answer, Google it. Look at a YouTube video.
Adrienne Farrell (31:02.0)
Absolutely, I'm right there with you and that's a great quote. I'm gonna write that down. Great, all right, so just a couple more questions here. I'm really curious also to hear about any books that have really helped you along your path professionally or personally, any that stand out to you that you would recommend.
Heather Ashby (31:27.736)
I'm not really... I'm not a huge reader.
Adrienne Farrell (31:41.877)
Okay. Any, we went over quotes.
Adrienne Farrell (31:49.884)
This is why it's good to have editing tools. When I'm like,
Okay, so I think...
All right, I think this is a good place we could probably wrap up. So I know that you mentioned you have Pollinators, which is a bi-monthly support group for female identifying entrepreneurs, and you don't have to be a member. So can listeners find that information on your website?
Heather Ashby
Yes. At www.coworkhers.com
Adrienne Farrell (32:26.578)
Okay.
Adrienne Farrell (32:32.978)
this.
Adrienne Farrell (32:41.744)
Okay, great. And if anyone wanted to get in touch with you directly, is that an option? And if so, what's the best way to reach you?
Heather Ashby
info@coworkerhers.com
Adrienne Farrell (32:52.922)
Okay, perfect.
Adrienne Farrell (32:57.704)
Great, coworkers, yep. We got it. Yeah, I know. Turns out there's a lot of folks doing that.
I know, well it's funny, I was thinking about organizations in Maine to reach out to and then I was like, my gosh, because I'm familiar with coworkers and I was like, and then I was like, my gosh, we have the same, I didn't even think about that. but, well great, well thank you so much for coming on today. I'm really excited to follow your journey and see how Coworkers evolves. It sounds like such a positive and impactful organization for the community. So kudos to you for making that happen. That's a really wonderful achievement.
Adrienne Farrell (33:45.09)
Thank you again so much. I really appreciate it. And yeah, well, I will put your information in the show notes so people can find you.
All right, hello and welcome to the Innovator Lab podcast. I'm Adrienne Farrell and today our guest is Heather Ashby. Heather is the founder and CEO of Coworkers, a female-focused coworking space and social club offering Class A office space, amenities and resources for entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers. Hello, Heather, and welcome.
Heather Ashby (00:24.171)
Hi, thank you.
Adrienne Farrell (00:26.02)
It's so great to have you on the show. I have so many questions for you, but I would love to just hear a little bit about you and your background leading up to the launch of Coworkers.
Heather Ashby (00:36.834)
Great, so yeah, my background is in event marketing and promotions and I did that for about 13 years, traveling the country, working with big Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss, Gillette, so I would...
promote their brands at big events all over the country. And I was asked to move to Maine and work here. And so after I got laid off from that job, I started a resale clothing shop with a friend of mine I worked with at that job.
And so that was my first toe in the dipping of the toe in the water of entrepreneurship. And it was scary but not so scary because I was doing it with a friend who I trusted. But I also learned a lot about, well, the fears that we have of starting a business. It's a real fear, but once you do it once, it seems easier and easier. So when the idea hit me after I had left that business to her and kind of went off and worked with my husband in real estate, we had the
We had an apartment building that we sold and we bought this building at auction. So we put that money into this building, the Masonic Temple building. so we inherited the building, which was almost vacant. A law firm was here for 60 years and when they left, when the auction was happening, we had all this vacant space. So for a few years it was empty and we weren't sure what to do with it. This was our first time in commercial real estate.
And I said, if to myself, what if we didn't try to keep leasing it out to one big company for 8,000 square foot space? What if we broke it into little chunks and rented out one office at a time? And I didn't know about coworking at the time. I just thought, what if that's kind of a neat idea? Let's like try to just chip away at it. And then I thought out loud, what if it were for women? Like that would be so neat. A place just for women that would unlike just envision myself in a space surrounded by women. And like there's an architect in this office and a realtor in that office and an engineer in that
Heather Ashby (02:37.93)
I was just honing in on the field we were working in at the time of real estate, imagining the potential of all these women working together. And then I was sitting at the kitchen counter and I Googled it. Like, it legal to open a space for just women? Can I even do that? And I ran into The Wing and Hara Hub and all these other coworking spaces focusing on women. And I was like, my gosh, it's like a thing. I can do it. They can do it, I can do it.
That's where it kind of launched from. People were looking at me like I was crazy, but I was like, no, no, no, this is a really good idea and I'm not gonna tell anybody about it. So I kept it to myself until I was ready to open. So that was in April of 2017 that I was sitting at that kitchen counter and then that December I was open. That's kind of the history of how it all evolved was sort of a fluke.
Adrienne Farrell (03:38.318)
That is really interesting. I'm so curious, how did your community, I know you're located in Portland, Maine, how did Portland, Maine receive coworkers when you launched?
Heather Ashby (03:54.804)
It was actually pretty exciting. it was so I opened that December and in October a couple months before was when Harvey Weinstein got arrested. And so the whole Me Too movement was happening and Hillary Clinton was running for president. There was like a lot of political like chaos and like a lot of like breaking the glass ceiling feeling from women. And so there was also a lot of like, well, what happened to her? Why is she opening this space for women? As if I just could do that in a couple of months between October
December doesn't happen that fast. So I think there was like a lot of interviews and a lot of question as to what happened to this woman, why is she doing this and alienating men and creating a space just for her and her women, you know. But it was well received by the women in the community. I had 22 members signed up before I had even opened and a lot of them were coming to Maine from New York and other cities where they were familiar with co-working.
and knew about the wing and these other places. So I really felt positive that it was gonna be successful right away when I had that kind of feedback in the memberships that were signing up. But I got a lot of press out of it because of that Me Too situation. So that was good, good press.
Adrienne Farrell (05:10.616)
Mm-hmm. That's really great to hear. And what is some of the feedback that you have heard from women since opening? I know it's been a number of years now, but what do you hear from women who are entering your space and utilizing it?
Heather Ashby (05:25.864)
It's all good. had an event last night for entrepreneurs. It's called Pollinate Hers. It's like a support group for female entrepreneurs who are freelancers and loan workers doing their thing, being a mother, being a caretaker, caring for their elderly parents, all the things. And there were 20 women that showed up that most of them I had not met before. And they were just saying, I've walked by here a million times and I've always wanted to come inside. And this was my chance to be inside these walls.
just like warm and fuzzy, kumbaya, like rah rah, great feeling. Everybody's just, and the members here are just so supportive and they don't want to leave. They usually end up leaving because they get pregnant, they lose their job, they have to move for whatever reason, but for the most part, if they end up back in Portland, they sign back up again. It's just, they feel like it's a home away from home. That was my plan. I know that I'm asking them a lot to leave their home office or to leave their kitchen counter and work here.
They're working remotely anyway. Why would they pay money to come here? Which is, you know, in these financial times, not an easy thing to do. And they need it. They do it because they want to be around other people, because they're isolated at home, because they're looking at laundry and dishes and the dog and all the things that they have to do and they're not being productive. And they come in here and they bring a homemade pie and they have coffee and they hang out and they just make friends and they go for walks together. And so it's like, it's a
luxury for them to spend the money to come here and to do that and to drive into the city, but it's clear that it's something that they need. So that feels good for me.
Adrienne Farrell (07:06.482)
Hmm, that sounds so positive and just lovely. I know that in the pandemic and I want to ask you more about your experience with coworkers during that time. But the pandemic was pretty isolating for people. Remote working can be isolating. Being a new mother can be isolating. So I love that you're providing this opportunity for women to have community, have support, have resources. It's just so incredibly needed right now. So, yeah, well, let's jump into the pandemic.
Heather Ashby (07:15.501)
you.
Adrienne Farrell (07:36.496)
because I'm really curious to hear how how did it look you said you opened in 2017 so you had a couple years under your belt and then what happened?
Heather Ashby (07:44.824)
So actually it wasn't really a couple of years, So I opened December of 2017. So was basically the end of 2017. So I was open for about a year when the pandemic, I think it was 2019, February, something like that. And I had already started at that point. I had already doubled in size and then took over a suite of five little offices upstairs on the third floor because I needed more offices. I had plenty of open
space for people to work but people needed privacy so I had started chipping away at another hold suite and then the pandemic hit and I was like my gosh like I'm spending this money building out these glass offices so that people can see one another but have that privacy feel like they're not isolated because they've seen people walking by and I said well this might I can't stop like this we don't know what's gonna happen I have to continue construction so
We did, we kept going and before I think it was two weeks when it was complete, I had filled everything. was 22 offices had filled up in two weeks. So it's, I survived the pandemic. had got in the plexiglass shields and everything for down here and people were still coming in. People were, because Maine was one of the last states to really feel the effects of the pandemic. were like falling a little far behind everyone else. So cities like New York and
LA people were coming here in droves trying to escape the pandemic and they knew about co-working and they were renting these little apartments and their partners in there working at the same time with them or their babies and you know all the stuff so they were like I got to get out of here so it worked for me it was actually a plus and then I added another whole floor so I have 60 offices now because of that and they're almost full so
Adrienne Farrell (09:37.35)
That's amazing. And I'm curious, how many members do you have today?
Heather Ashby (09:41.304)
We have about 150. It's luxury, it's like a gym membership. People are coming and going, but we're hovering around 150 right now.
Adrienne Farrell (09:49.116)
That's amazing. And I know you have individuals and also businesses, right, that operate in your space.
Heather Ashby (09:53.74)
Right. Yes, we have some, we have MaineVotes, MaineVoices, which were, they were working so hard during the election. I feel so bad for them, all the work they put in, but...
They have a couple of offices and a team. We have Black-owned Maine. They have a big office in the corner with about five people there. We have an organization called Maine Boys to Men, which is not the band, but they mentor young men and new Mainers on what it is like to be a good father and a good husband and what the laws in Maine are and how, you know.
had to be a good man. And so I loved what they were standing behind and they were one of the first, I would say, solid men group, you know, that I had had in here, but their mission was so aligned with mine and it meant so much to me to have them here. And then it kind of...
brought in the men into the space, you know, and everything, I vet everyone and make sure that everyone is a good fit for the community, male or female or otherwise, I just want to make sure that everybody feels safe and comfortable. yeah, we do have some really great companies here.
Adrienne Farrell (11:06.406)
That's so great to hear. So tell me a little bit about what coworkers offers. I know you mentioned pollinators before, but what are all the different happenings going on there?
Heather Ashby (11:18.466)
We're always cooking up something here. For the members, we have things like our members lunches every month. We bring in food and we sit around and have like a guided conversation over lunch with our business coach. And we also have our entrepreneur support group within the community. And then that's where Pollinators is sort of an extension of that, where if you're not a member, you can still come into the space and be supported. We have a hot flashers support group for women going through
or anyone going through a menopause stage of their life who needs support and resources. have things like Waffle Wednesdays. We have happy hours. Tomorrow night we're going out for some drinks and snacks. So we're just always doing things like.
within the community, crafts, game nights. We go to the mall and do revolution, dance revolution at round one. Everybody just trying to get out and get into the community and support the local businesses too.
Adrienne Farrell (12:24.133)
That's really wonderful. And do you have any virtual events for folks who might be interested but aren't local?
Heather Ashby (12:31.896)
we do not do anything like that, as far as online or workshop.
Adrienne Farrell (12:39.912)
like workshops or...
Heather Ashby (12:41.928)
No, no, nothing like that. Everything is in person here. I really want to throw a party. I like to have snacks and drinks and get people together and really face to face. I feel like it's so important after the pandemic that people actually make that physical connection with somebody, exchange numbers and hopefully carry a relationship forward.
Adrienne Farrell (13:03.07)
That's excellent. And also rare these days, I feel like everything is online. So having an in-person only business is pretty amazing.
Heather Ashby (13:08.416)
I know. Yeah.
I mean, there's a lot of competition, which is tough, because sometimes I'll post something up and then I'm like, my gosh, there's like three other really cool events that I would even like to go to. So there is a bit of a risk in doing that, but I feel like it also helps me get people in the space that may want to be in or haven't had time to schedule a tour. Once they get in here and they see it and they see how much bigger it is than what it looks like from the outside, they see the decor, they see the amenities, they're like, my gosh, okay, that's good marketing for me.
Adrienne Farrell (13:35.879)
Really?
Adrienne Farrell (13:41.964)
Absolutely. And I love that you're providing opportunities for women to connect and socialize in ways that aren't very common. know, especially in Maine, where, you know, Portland is not a huge city. There's not a ton going on. But it's so important, especially again for new mothers. I have a little daughter, so I just went through the new mother stage. I feel like I'm still in it and finding opportunities to connect and socialize.
when you have a small child, it looks completely different because if you have two hours, you have a sitter, you have two hours, it's like, you know, what you're interested in doing might look very different than pre-kids, you know? Like I don't go out and have drinks anymore. I'd rather go and, yeah, meet up with other women, talk about something, connect. That's much more.
Heather Ashby (14:28.536)
Great.
Heather Ashby (14:32.598)
Yeah, and sharing those kinds of things that you're going through in that stage of your life, you're likely to find someone else who has that same situation going on. yeah, coming here, the kind of space that we have curated is that you don't have to dress up and you don't have to put your makeup on or do your hair. You just come as you are and there's always somebody just in sweats and things like that. that what you were talking about before made me think about like when I was starting this space,
Adrienne Farrell (14:57.714)
Thank
Heather Ashby (15:02.522)
I also, my daughter's 10 and my son's 14. This was seven years ago. So I was a mom with little kids and I wanted to include a daycare. I had a lot of members who were in that same stage at that time where they were getting pregnant or having a newborn. And I was like, wow, we should really have childcare here. These people wouldn't leave. They'd be here. It was just needed. But I tried to do that. And then the pandemic came along and nobody wanted to be around a bunch of sick kids and all that stuff.
not appealing to people and then a lot of those people went to work from home and not coming into the office because their kids were home because they couldn't go to daycare, couldn't go to schools. It changed the membership a lot during the pandemic. We became a younger population with women who weren't in that stage in their life. But at the time, knowing how hard it was for me to go to the gym, like leave work, go to the gym, workout, come back, try to find parking and then I'm kind of sweaty, whatever.
so much easier to have it here under the roof of our like in our space. So we have a gym, we have showers, we have a massage table, we have lactation rooms, we have all the you know I really don't want women to have to try to fight to have that time that self-care that they need throughout the day like and then we have a walking treadmill room too. Desks that you know go four miles an hour but you can walk and get your little fitness in so thinking about the whole
Adrienne Farrell (16:29.595)
That's really great.
Heather Ashby (16:31.02)
the whole package.
Adrienne Farrell (16:32.314)
Yeah, and you know, I think this really underlines why it's so important for female founders to thrive because you yourself understand what women need and what working women need and entrepreneurs need and so you are able to create something knowing from your firsthand experience like I need a gym in-house so I'm not driving back and forth and all that. So I just, I love that. So I'm curious, I know that you're, the, that co-workers will probably continue to grow and thrive and change.
Heather Ashby (16:52.001)
Right.
Adrienne Farrell (17:02.418)
as many organizations do, but what do you really hope to achieve? What do you envision for the future?
Heather Ashby (17:09.366)
You know, it's kind of a funny question. Someone asked me that last night and something came up for me that I hadn't felt or thought of before. But my elderly mother recently, I moved her here from out of state to be closer to me. Her husband passed away and my dad, so I just thought, well, let's bring her here. And now I'm observing her and I'm realizing I've plucked her out of her element and everything she's ever known and brought her here. How little connections that she has with the community, no friends, things like that.
and I realized, well, I gotta get her out more, first of all. But I don't want that for myself. I want, you know, at some point I won't be able to continue to do this work. I always want to be doing something, but I want to carry these friendships with me, the people that I've met through doing this, and I want to continue to be involved in the community in so many different ways, whether it's with the elections that come up in the future, volunteering, things that I can be on the board of different organizations, mentoring women.
I
Adrienne Farrell (18:15.016)
Thank
Adrienne Farrell (18:38.728)
Thank
Heather Ashby (18:39.17)
be an interesting concept to look at at some point when I close this chapter way down the road. Way, way, down. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, but I certainly don't want to open up a franchise or another space. I've been asked about that before. It's just a lot with the family and the kids and my mother here and all that I have going on. And I think that at the heart of all of this is the people who run it make the space and my personality and my passion for what I do. I couldn't have that in all the, you know, in another space because I can only be in
Adrienne Farrell (18:45.528)
you
Heather Ashby (19:09.13)
place at one time.
Adrienne Farrell (19:10.162)
right. That makes sense. That's a really interesting point. feel like when
our generation is older, there will be more of a need and want for connection and something that we're seeing in our parents' generation that they can be isolated or that there aren't those systems in place to help them connect. And so I appreciate that you're focusing on that because I think post-retirement will be a time when it's like, okay, now what? How do we, and for a lot of women, myself included, like you mentioned,
Heather Ashby (19:23.17)
way.
Heather Ashby (19:41.986)
Right.
Adrienne Farrell (19:46.302)
retirement in some degree isn't something we're interested in. We want to keep contributing, keep participating, whether that's mentorship or what have you. So I appreciate that you're at that.
Heather Ashby (19:56.824)
Yeah, I think for me, so I have a big birthday coming up. Well, not a big. My birthday is on Christmas. So I'll be 57, which is kind of an old person for a 10-year-old child. So I think it's like closer to...
Adrienne Farrell (20:05.224)
Heather Ashby (20:16.682)
my reality than the people that work here. I'm probably their done mother. I'm the one who takes care of them and I am the older wiser woman here. So I do look towards that future of like, what do I want that to look like for myself? And I want to stay healthy and stay young and stay busy because the wheel in motion stays in motion and I'll stay sharp and I'll stay current and I'll stay in the know on technology and all the things that come, you know, I don't want to just.
Adrienne Farrell (20:24.039)
I'm
Adrienne Farrell (20:30.504)
Bye.
Heather Ashby (20:45.566)
fade away and be forgotten. I want a legacy for my daughter. I want her to see what a working mother can look like and I want her to settle. so yeah, it's just a lot of feelings about that and about what I want for the community.
Adrienne Farrell (21:01.744)
That's really inspiring. I feel like you're a great role model for the community and for women of all ages because also in this day and age we're rarely surrounded, or I am at least, by women of all different ages. I feel like I have, usually it's your peer group that you run in these circles which I don't think is necessarily healthy and so it's great to have spaces where you can be around women of all ages. I think that's so important.
Heather Ashby (21:26.85)
Yeah, yeah.
Adrienne Farrell (21:29.208)
So it's, you know, obviously you have a lot going on. You're clearly very busy, very driven, and I'm curious to hear from you. What is one healthy habit or one habit in general that you practice on a regular basis that helps you be this powerhouse?
Heather Ashby (21:46.85)
my gosh. I wish I had a really good answer for you. My self care is probably like the least focus for me, which is like I'm aware of that and I'm trying to like work on that a little bit. I do go to bed kind of early. My sleep is important to me, but I do have to get up pretty early to get the kids out the door and stuff.
And I try to laugh. I listen to a lot of music and I dance with my kids all the time. We're always listening to music and people will be surprised at the kind of music I like. We go to concerts, a lot of concerts.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't really have like a magic pill for self-care. It's really just something that I'm always questioning. As much as I say, have a gym here and I want to have everything under one roof, I don't have time for it. I was even complaining yesterday that I can't remember the last time I sat and had a proper lunch. You know, just like go, go, go. But I did have a great compliment from a man yesterday in the space. He was here early and I was setting up and cleaning and just refilling paper towels and I was talking about my kids and all the things that I'm dealing with my mother.
Adrienne Farrell (22:45.896)
Mm-hmm.
Heather Ashby (22:59.23)
my sister and all the things. said, you have an ironclad constitution. And I was like, ooh, no one's ever said that. It's such a compliment. And I felt like I was floating in an ironclad suit, if that makes any sense at all. this, I felt lighter than air. felt it carried me throughout the day, but I also felt like really strong and like I was wearing a suit of armor. So I think a lot of the people that are around me are like giving me those little self-care boosts.
Adrienne Farrell (23:07.624)
you
Adrienne Farrell (23:13.864)
True.
Adrienne Farrell (23:26.586)
Mm-hmm. It sounds like that. Yeah, it sounds like the work that you do really feeds your soul, feeds the spirit. That's so wonderful. Mm-hmm. That's really wonderful.
Heather Ashby (23:27.288)
They're giving me the positive vibes. Yeah.
Heather Ashby (23:34.816)
Yes, yes, yeah. Like I'm excited to get up and get in here every day. So, yeah.
Adrienne Farrell (23:44.512)
And I'm also wondering, what do you attribute your success to? And by success, I'm not necessarily speaking about, you know, being a successful business owner or financial necessarily or anything like that, but your ability to pursue your dreams and your goals. What do you attribute that to?
Heather Ashby (24:05.588)
It's interesting. That's a good question. I think it's just coming, like my mom always says, I don't know where she gets it. Where does she get it from? It's not from me. And my mother was just a secretary, didn't have a lot of lofty goals and didn't do much.
Nobody in my family is college educated except for one of my sisters. I didn't even go to college. So I think part of it is that there's like a drive inside of me to prove that you don't need to go to college to be smart and successful. You don't need to have that piece of paper. And so I've always felt really like ashamed of that when I was younger, that I didn't go to college and I wanted to, but I really was like supporting myself living in New York City at 23 years old. I didn't have the money, the time or the energy. I just was like work, work, work. And I just felt we had a, since I was 11 years
I've worked, just worked. And I think it just comes from trying to prove myself. I don't know if that makes any sense. It's just...
and also a flaw at the same time. I was reading something about imposter syndrome this morning in an article, like 82 % of the population has suffered with imposter syndrome in their career and in their work. And where it comes from and all those things is fascinating to me, the psychology of it all, but it's really just...
just a bunch of baloney in your own head. That you're not giving your credit to your own skills, you're giving it to fate. You're saying, that was just luck. That was just luck. But really, it isn't. You have to recognize the hard work that you're putting in and the things that you're doing and that it's coming from you, not luck and fate and good fortune.
Adrienne Farrell (25:25.0)
you
Adrienne Farrell (25:32.968)
Thank
Adrienne Farrell (25:42.074)
Mm-hmm. I love that. That's really excellent. Imposter syndrome is so funny too, because I do know some like powerhouse executives that have imposter And I'm like, how do you still have it after all these years? And look at it where you are. Like, this is crazy. That's really great to hear. I really appreciate too that you're saying about, you know, not necessarily needing to go to college. I feel like there's a lot of younger women right now who are...
trying to decide if they should stay on that traditional path or pursue that very, very expensive path or go another route where we're seeing a lot of jobs now even that don't require a bachelor's degree because I feel like people are becoming aware that you can learn so many different avenues now. You don't necessarily need to fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you provide any mentorship for women through coworkers who are exploring their career paths or other
Heather Ashby (26:14.828)
Right.
Adrienne Farrell (26:38.026)
Otherwise is there like a formal program or is it more informal?
Heather Ashby (26:42.104)
I don't have any formal programs. We have partnered with CEI and Score with mentors that have come in and taught workshops and things. In the beginning I did a lot of that because Score mentored me. I had two mentors when I was opening coworkers because I didn't know how to write a business plan. I didn't know what I was doing, how to create an LLC. I'd only done the resale clothing store but not, I wanted to originally open this as a non-profit. And so that's why I originally went there. And then they said, well if you're trying to start a non-profit
kind of business model, it's going to be a lot of work and it's going to be like you should probably just open the business and then pursue that later but just get it off the ground. I knew someone was going to steal my idea if I didn't get out there. So I was like I want to hurry up and open. So I really highly recommend them. It's free and they're there for life if you ever need them in the future or any point during your entrepreneurial career or path whatever you're doing. They're just such a great support system and it's completely free. It's crazy.
Adrienne Farrell (27:22.638)
Mm-hmm.
Heather Ashby (27:41.914)
They were doing workshops here in the space when I first opened and I actually had to score a mentor. My mentor would sit here in a meeting room once a week and was like, Peppermint Patty, free advice, come in and you book a time with her and she would help you. So we do have an in-house business coach.
who does that now instead of a score mentor, but I do pay her out of my own pocket to help the members here. She's here all the time to just offer support and she runs our entrepreneur support group.
Adrienne Farrell (28:12.424)
That's an incredible resource. And can you, just to clarify for anyone listening, can you tell us what score and CEI are?
Heather Ashby (28:21.828)
So, gosh, the acronym, I don't know exactly, but SCORE, they do offer just the entrepreneurial support and workshops. Business. I believe they're nationwide. I think so, don't quote me on that one, but I'm pretty sure they are. And then CEI, Main Business Center, Center for Entrepreneurial.
Adrienne Farrell (28:33.18)
And are they nationwide or is that local? Okay.
Heather Ashby (28:48.16)
Enterprising, I can't remember what it stands for. I'm sorry, edit. But they also help women get funding too for their businesses and they have workshops and classes and mentors there too. So it's similar to Squir but they help you a little bit more with like getting the funding and they have grants and things.
Adrienne Farrell (28:51.432)
Thank
Adrienne Farrell (29:08.218)
Okay, those sounds like excellent resources. Great, all right, and I'm curious too, what is the best piece of advice you've ever received? I know, not to put you on the spot or anything.
Heather Ashby (29:12.898)
Yes.
Heather Ashby (29:23.874)
Best piece.
Heather Ashby (29:29.472)
I don't know. I think this sounds, it almost sounds like a negative, but no, it's not really, it's not really good advice. It really just motivated her for me. But someone said to me, this is not for the faint of heart. Opening a co-working space is not for the faint of heart. And my mother actually said, you have no business doing this. You have children, you know, you, you, you should be at home. And it really just lit a fire under me. It's not really advice. It's just kind of like that.
that's what I needed to light me up. And a lot of advice, there's so many, I even have this book, I books on my desk, little quotes and different things that I read all the time for my own little inspirations. But I can't say that there's one thing that really sticks out.
Adrienne Farrell (30:18.344)
Well, that sounds like a great example of something that was what you needed to hear to propel you forward.
Heather Ashby (30:23.511)
Yeah.
It was from a man, of course, that said, you know, that's like, you doubted me this quote here. I have under my desk, underestimate me. That'll be funny. Fun. That'll be fun.
Adrienne Farrell (30:32.36)
That's ironic.
Heather Ashby (30:42.38)
That's my favorite quote and that inspires me when I see that. Yes, don't underestimate me just because I didn't go to college, just because I don't fit into your little box and what an entrepreneur should look like or what I should be doing doesn't mean that I'm not gonna be able to do it. I just have to work hard and Google it. If you don't know the answer, Google it. Look at a YouTube video.
Adrienne Farrell (31:02.0)
Absolutely, I'm right there with you and that's a great quote. I'm gonna write that down. Great, all right, so just a couple more questions here. I'm really curious also to hear about any books that have really helped you along your path professionally or personally, any that stand out to you that you would recommend.
Heather Ashby (31:27.736)
I'm not really... I'm not a huge reader.
Adrienne Farrell (31:41.877)
Okay. Any, we went over quotes.
Adrienne Farrell (31:49.884)
This is why it's good to have editing tools. When I'm like,
Okay, so I think...
All right, I think this is a good place we could probably wrap up. So I know that you mentioned you have Pollinators, which is a bi-monthly support group for female identifying entrepreneurs, and you don't have to be a member. So can listeners find that information on your website?
Heather Ashby
Yes. At www.coworkhers.com
Adrienne Farrell (32:26.578)
Okay.
Adrienne Farrell (32:32.978)
this.
Adrienne Farrell (32:41.744)
Okay, great. And if anyone wanted to get in touch with you directly, is that an option? And if so, what's the best way to reach you?
Heather Ashby
info@coworkerhers.com
Adrienne Farrell (32:52.922)
Okay, perfect.
Adrienne Farrell (32:57.704)
Great, coworkers, yep. We got it. Yeah, I know. Turns out there's a lot of folks doing that.
I know, well it's funny, I was thinking about organizations in Maine to reach out to and then I was like, my gosh, because I'm familiar with coworkers and I was like, and then I was like, my gosh, we have the same, I didn't even think about that. but, well great, well thank you so much for coming on today. I'm really excited to follow your journey and see how Coworkers evolves. It sounds like such a positive and impactful organization for the community. So kudos to you for making that happen. That's a really wonderful achievement.
Adrienne Farrell (33:45.09)
Thank you again so much. I really appreciate it. And yeah, well, I will put your information in the show notes so people can find you.
Creators & Guests
Host
What is The InnovateHER Lab Podcast?
Welcome to the InnovateHER Lab where we focus on women's professional advancement and personal wellbeing.
Alright. Hello, and welcome to the Innovator Lab Podcast. I'm Adrienne Farrell, and today our guest is Heather Ashby. Heather is the founder and CEO of Coworkers, a female focused coworking space and social club offering class a office space, amenities, and resources for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers. Hello, Heather, and welcome.
Speaker 2:Hi. Thank you.
Speaker 1:It's so great to have you on the show. I have so many questions for you, but I would love to just hear a little bit about you and your background leading up to the launch of coworkers.
Speaker 2:Great. So, yeah, my background is in event marketing and promotions, and I did that for about 13 years, traveling the country, working with big fortune 500 companies like coca cola Levi Strauss Gillette so I would promote their brands at big events all over the country and I was asked to move to Maine and work here and so after I got laid off from that job I started a resale clothing shop with a friend of mine I had worked with at that job. So that was my first dipping of the toe in the water of entrepreneurship. And it was it was scary, but not so scary because I was doing it with a friend who I trusted, But I also learned a lot about, well, the fears that we have of starting a business is it's a real fear, but once you do it once, it seems easier and easier. So when the idea hit me after I had left that business to her and kind of went off and worked with my husband in real estate, we had an apartment building that we sold, and we bought this building at auction.
Speaker 2:So we put that money into this building, the Masonic Temple building. And so we inherited the building, which was almost vacant. A law firm was here for 60 years. And when they left, when the auction was happening, we had all this vacant space. So for a few years, it was empty, and we weren't sure what to do with it.
Speaker 2:This was our first time in commercial real estate. And I said, what if to myself, what if we didn't try to keep leasing it out to one big company for 8,000 square foot space? What if we broke it into little chunks and rented out one office at a time? And I didn't know about coworking at the time. I just thought, what that's kind of a neat idea.
Speaker 2:Let's, like, try to just chip away at it. And then I thought out loud, what if it were for women? Like, that would be so neat. A place just for women. That would I'm, like, just envision myself in a space surrounded by women and, like, there's an architect in this office and a realtor in that office and an engineer in that office.
Speaker 2:Like, I was just honing in on the field we were working in at the time of real estate, imagining the potential of all these women working together. And then I was sitting at the kitchen counter, and I googled it. Like, is this is it legal to open a space for just women? Can I even do that? And I ran into the Wing and Hera Hub and all these other coworking spaces focusing on women.
Speaker 2:And I was like, oh my gosh. It's like a thing. I can do it. They can do it. I can do it.
Speaker 2:So that's where it kinda launched from. People were looking at me like I was crazy, but I was like, no. No. This is this is a really good idea, and I'm not gonna tell anybody about it. So I kept it to myself until I was ready to open.
Speaker 2:So that was in April of 2017 that I was sitting at that kitchen counter, and then that December, I was open. That's kind of the history of how how it all evolved was sort of a fluke.
Speaker 1:That is really interesting. I'm so curious. How did your community at Portland Maine receive coworkers when you launched?
Speaker 2:It was actually pretty exciting. I opened that December, and in October, a couple months before, was when Harvey Weinstein got arrested. And so the whole me too movement was at and Hillary Clinton was running for president. There was, like, a lot of political, like, chaos and and, like, a lot of, like, breaking the glass ceiling feeling from women. And so there was also a lot of, like, well, what happened to her?
Speaker 2:Why is she opening this space for women as if I just could do that in a couple of months between October December. Doesn't happen that fast. I, I think there was, like, a lot of interviews and a lot of question as to what happened to this woman. Why is she doing this and alienating men and creating a space just for her and her women? You know?
Speaker 2:But, it was well received by the women in the community. I had 22 members signed up before I had even opened, and a lot of them were coming to Maine from New York and other cities where they were familiar with coworking and knew about the wing and these other places. So, I really felt positive that it was gonna be successful right away when I had that kind of feedback in the memberships that were signing up. So but I got a lot of press out of it because of that me too situation. So that was good.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Good press. That's really great to hear. And what is some of the feedback that you have heard from women since opening? I know it's been a number of years now, but what do you hear from women who are entering your space and and utilizing it?
Speaker 2:It's all good. I was I had an event last night for entrepreneurs. It was it's called Pollinate Hers. And we, it's like a support group for female entrepreneurs who are freelancers and loan workers doing their thing, being a mother, being a caretaker, caring for their elderly parents, all the things. And there were 20 women that showed up that most of them I had not met before.
Speaker 2:And they were just saying, I've walked by here a 1000000 times, and I've always wanted to come inside. And this was my chance to be inside these walls. And it was all just, like, warm and fuzzy, kumbaya, like, rah rah, great feeling. Everybody is just and the members here are just so supportive, and they don't wanna leave. They usually end up leaving because they get pregnant.
Speaker 2:They lose their job. They have to move for whatever reason. But for the most part, if they end up back in Portland, they sign back up again. It's just they feel like it's a home away from home, and that was my plan. I know that I'm asking them a lot to leave their home office or to leave their kitchen counter and work here when they're working remotely anyway.
Speaker 2:Why would they pay money to come here, which is, you know, in these financial times, not an easy thing to do. And they need it. They do it because they wanna be around other people, because they're isolated at home, because they're looking at laundry and dishes and the dog and all the things that they have to do, and they're not being productive. And they come in here, and they bring a homemade pie. And they have coffee, and they hang out, and they just make friends, and they go for walks together.
Speaker 2:And so it's it's like, it's a luxury for them to spend the money to come here and to do that and to drive into the city, but it's clear that it's something that they need. So that feels good for me.
Speaker 1:That sounds so positive and just lovely. I know that remote working can be isolating. Being a new mother can be isolating. So I love that you're providing this opportunity for women to have community, have support, have resources. It's just so incredibly needed right now.
Speaker 1:So, yeah. Well, let's jump into the pandemic because I'm really curious to hear how how did it look? You you said you opened in 2017, so you had a couple years under your belt, and then what happened?
Speaker 2:So I'd already doubled in size and then took over a suite of 5 little offices upstairs on the 3rd floor because I needed more offices. I'd only I had plenty of open space for people to work, but people needed privacy. So I had started chipping away at another hold suite, and then the pandemic hit. And I was like, oh my gosh. Like, I'm spending this money building out these glass offices so that people can see one another but have that privacy, feel like they're not isolated because they're seeing people walking by.
Speaker 2:And I said, well, this might I can't stop. Like, this we don't know what's gonna happen. I have to continue construction. So we did we kept going. And before I think it was 2 weeks when it was complete, I had filled everything.
Speaker 2:It was 22 offices had filled up in 2 weeks. So it it I survived the pandemic. I had got in, plexiglass shields and everything for down here, and people were still coming in. People were because Maine was one of the last states to really feel the effects of the pandemic. We were a little far behind everyone else.
Speaker 2:So cities like New York and, LA, people were coming here in droves trying to escape the pandemic. And they knew about co working, and they were renting these little apartments. And their partners in there working at the same time with them or their babies and, you know, all the stuff. So they were like, I gotta get out of here. So it worked for me.
Speaker 2:It was actually a plus, and then I added another whole floor. So I have 60 offices now because of that, and they're almost full. So
Speaker 1:That's amazing. And I'm curious. How many members do you have today?
Speaker 2:We have about a 150. It fluctuates like a gym membership. People are coming and going, but we're hovering around a 150 right now.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. And I know you have individuals and also businesses, right, that operate in your space?
Speaker 2:Yes. We have Maine Voatz, Maine Voices. They we have, they have a couple of offices in the team. We have Black Owned Maine. They have a big office in the corner with about 5 people there.
Speaker 2:We have, organization called Maine Boys TO Men, which is not the band, but they mentor young men and new Mainers on what it is like to be a good father and a good husband and what the laws in Maine are and how to be a good man. Their mission was so aligned with mine, and it meant so much to me to have them here, vet everyone, and make sure that everyone is is a good fit for the community, male or female or otherwise. I just wanna make sure that everybody feels safe and comfortable. So we do have some really great companies here.
Speaker 1:That's so great to hear. So tell me a little bit about what coworkers offers. I know you mentioned pollinators before, but what are all the different happenings going on there?
Speaker 2:We're always cooking up something here. For the members, we we have things like our members lunches every month. We bring in food, and we sit around and have, like, a guided conversation over lunch, with our business coach. And we also have our entrepreneur support group within the community. And then that's where pollinators is sort of an extension of that where if you're not a member, you can still come into the space and be supported.
Speaker 2:We have a Hot Flashers support group for anyone going through a menopause stage of their life who needs support and resources. We have things like waffle Wednesdays. We have happy hours tomorrow to not no. Tomorrow night, we're going out for some drinks, and snacks. So we're just always doing things like within the community crafts, game nights.
Speaker 2:We go to the mall and do revolution, dance revolution at round 1. I mean, everybody just trying to get out and get into the community and support the local businesses too. So everything's in person here. I really love to throw a party. I like to have snacks and drinks and get people together and really face to face.
Speaker 2:I feel like it's so important after the pandemic that people actually make that physical connection with somebody, exchange numbers, and hopefully carry a relationship forward. There's a lot of competition, which is tough because sometimes I'll post something up and I'm like, oh my gosh. There's, like, 3 other really cool events that I would even like to go to. So there is a bit of a risk in doing that, but, I I feel like it also helps me get people in the space that may wanna be in or haven't had time to schedule a tour and get once they get in here and they see it and they see how much bigger it is than what it looks like from the outside, they see the decor, they see the amenities. They're like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Okay. That's good marketing for me.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Absolutely. And I love that you're providing opportunities for women to connect and and socialize in ways that aren't very common. So important, especially, again, for new mothers. I have a a little daughter, so I just went through the new mother stage.
Speaker 1:I feel like I'm still in it, and finding opportunities to connect and socialize. When you have a small child, it looks completely different.
Speaker 2:And sharing and sharing those kinds of things that you're going through in that stage of your life, you're likely to find someone else who has that same situation going on. And there the yeah. You don't coming here being the kind of space that we have curated is that you don't have to dress up and you don't have to put your makeup on or do your hair. You just come as you are, and there's always somebody just in sweats and things like that. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:But and that what you were talking about before made me think about, like, when I was starting this space, I also I am my daughter's 10 and my son's 14. This was 7 years ago. So I was a a mom with little kids, and I wanted to include a day care. I had a lot of members who were in that same stage at that time where they were getting pregnant or having a newborn. And I was like, wow.
Speaker 2:We should really have childcare here. These people wouldn't leave. They'd be here. Like, they it was just needed, but I tried to do that. And then the pandemic came along and nobody wanted to be around a bunch of sick kids and all that stuff just was, like, not appealing to people.
Speaker 2:And then a lot of those people went to work from home and not coming into the office because their kids were home, because they couldn't go to daycare, couldn't go to schools. It changed the membership a lot during the pandemic. We became a younger population with women who weren't in that stage in their life. But at the time, knowing how hard it was for me to go to the gym, like leave work, go to the gym, workout, come back, try to find parking, and then I'm kinda sweaty, whatever. We I thought this would be so much easier to have it here under the roof of our like, in our space.
Speaker 2:So we have a gym. We have showers. We have a massage table. We have, lactation rooms. We have all the you know, I I really don't want women to have to try to fight to have that time, that self care that they need throughout the day.
Speaker 2:Like and then we have a walking treadmill room too. Desks that, you know, go 4 miles an hour, but you can walk and get your little fitness in. So thinking about the whole package.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And, you know, I think this really underlines why it's so important for female founders to thrive because you yourself understand what women need and what working women need and entrepreneurs need, and so you are able to create something knowing from your firsthand experience, like I need a gym in house, so I'm not driving back and forth and all the so I just, I love that. So I'm curious. I know that that coworkers will probably continue to grow and thrive and change as many organizations do, but what do you really hope to achieve? What do you envision for the future?
Speaker 2:You know, it's kind of a funny question. Someone asked me that last night, and something came up for me that I hadn't felt or thought of before. But my my elderly mother recently, I moved her here from out of state to be closer to me. Her husband passed away and my dad. So I just thought, well, let's bring her here.
Speaker 2:And now as I'm observing her and I'm realizing I plucked her out of her element and everything she's ever known and brought her here how little connections that she has with the community no friends things like that And I realized well, I gotta get her out more first of all But but I don't want that for myself. I want you know, at some point, I won't be able to continue to do this work. I always wanna be doing something, but I wanna carry these friendships with me, the people that I've met through doing this, and I wanna continue to be involved in the community in so many different ways, whether it's with the elections that come up in the future, volunteering, things, that I can be on the board of different organizations, mentoring women. So for myself personally, that is, like, a goal that I hadn't realized was something for me for the future. And I want I I always thought maybe it would be cool to end this enterprise of mine in as a way of being a co op or a member member owned co working space because they feel like it is a home away from home and I feel like there's like, they look after it and they look after each other and they look out for me and when and I just feel like there's a lot of pride and care from everyone here that that might be an interesting concept to look at at some point when I close this chapter way down the road.
Speaker 2:Wait. Wait. Wait. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, but I certainly don't wanna open up a franchise or another space. I've been asked about that before.
Speaker 2:It's just a lot with the family and the kids and my mother here and all that I have going on. And I think that at the heart of all of this is the people who run it make the space and my personality and my passion for what I do. I couldn't have that in all the you know, in another space because I can only be in one place at one time.
Speaker 1:Right. That makes sense. That's a really interesting point. I feel like when our generation is older, there will be more of a need and want for connection. And something that we're seeing in our parents' generation that they can be isolated or that there aren't those systems in place to help them connect.
Speaker 1:And Yeah. So I appreciate that you're focusing on that because I think, post retirement will be a time when it's like, okay. Now what? You know? How do we can how do we and for a lot of women, myself included, like you mentioned, retirement in some degree isn't something we're interested in.
Speaker 1:We wanna keep contributing, keep participating, whether that's mentorship or what have you. So, I appreciate I think
Speaker 2:for me, so I have a big birthday coming up. Well, not a big. My birthday is on Christmas. So, I'll be 57, which is kind of an old person for a 10 year old child. So I, I I think it's, like, closer to my reality than the people that work here.
Speaker 2:I'm probably their done mother. I'm the one who takes care of them, and I am the older, wiser woman here. So I do look towards that future of, like, what do I want that to look like for myself? And I wanted to stay healthy and stay young and stay busy because the wheel in motion stays in motion and I'll stay sharp and I'll stay, current and I'll stay in in the know on technology and all the things that come. You know, I don't wanna just fade away and be forgotten.
Speaker 2:I want a legacy for my daughter. I want her to see what a working mother can look like. And I want her to settle. And and, so, yeah. It's just a lot of feelings about about that and about what I want for the community.
Speaker 2:So
Speaker 1:That's really inspiring. I I feel like you're a great role model for the community and for women of all ages because also in this day and age, we're rarely surrounded, or I am at least, by women of all different ages. I feel like I have usually it's your peer group that you you run-in these circles, which I don't think is necessarily healthy, and so it's great to have spaces where you can be around women of all ages. I that's so important. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's you know, obviously, you have a lot going on. You're clearly very busy, very driven, and I'm curious to hear from you what is one habit in general that you practice that helps you be this powerhouse?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. I wish I had a really good answer for you. My self care is probably, like, the the least focus for me, which is, like, I'm I'm aware of that, and I'm trying to, like, work on that a little bit. But, I do go to bed kind of early. My sleep is important to me, but I do have to get up pretty early to get the kids out the door and stuff.
Speaker 2:And I don't know. I I try to laugh. I listen to a lot of music, and I dance with my kids all the time. We're always listening to music. And we go to concerts, a lot of concerts, and, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't really have, like, a magic pill for self care. It's really just something that I'm always questioning in my like, as much as I say, oh, we have a gym here, and I wanna have everything under one roof. I don't have time for it. I was even complaining that I can't remember the last time he sat and had a proper lunch. You know?
Speaker 2:Just like go go go. But I did have a great compliment from a man yesterday in the space. He was here early, and I was setting up and cleaning and just refilling paper towels. And I was talking about my kids and all the things that I'm dealing with my mother and my sister and all the things. And he said, you have an ironclad constitution.
Speaker 2:And I was like, woah. No one's ever said that. It's such a compliment.
Speaker 1:And I
Speaker 2:felt like I was floating in an ironclad suit, if that makes any sense at all. Like this, I felt lighter than air. I felt it carried me throughout the day, but I also felt, like, really strong and, like, I was wearing a suit of armor. So I think a lot of the people that are around me are, like, giving me those little self care boosts.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Giving
Speaker 2:me the positive. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It sounds like the work that you do really feeds your soul
Speaker 2:Yes. With your Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That's so wonderful.
Speaker 2:Like, I'm excited to get up and get in here every day.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Yeah. That's really wonderful. And I'm also wondering, what do you attribute your success to? And by success, I'm not necessarily speaking about, you know, being a successful business owner or or financial necessarily or anything like that, but your ability to pursue your dreams and your goals, what do you attribute that to?
Speaker 2:It's interesting. That's a good question. I think it's just coming like, my mom always says, I don't know where she gets it. Where did she get it from? It's not from me.
Speaker 2:And, my my mother was just a secretary, didn't, you know, have a lot of lofty goals and didn't do much. And nobody in my family is college educated except for one of my sisters. I didn't even go to college. So I think part of it is that there's, like, a drive inside of me to prove that you don't need to go to college to be smart and successful. You don't need to have that piece of paper.
Speaker 2:And so I've always felt really, like, ashamed of that when I was younger that I didn't go to college, and I wanted to. But I really was, like, supporting myself living in New York City at 23 years old. I didn't have the money, the time, or the energy. I just was like, work, work, work. And I just always had a since I was 11 years old, I've worked.
Speaker 2:I just worked. And I don't I think it just comes from trying to prove myself. I don't know if that makes any sense. It's just, and and also a flaw at the same time. Like, it's I was reading something about imposter syndrome this morning in an article, like, 82% of the population has suffered with imposter syndrome in their career and in their work.
Speaker 2:And where it comes from and all those things is fascinating to me, the psychology of it all, but it it's really just just a bunch of baloney in your own head. That you're not giving your credit to your own skills. You're giving it to fate. You're saying, oh, that was just luck. That was just luck.
Speaker 2:But, really, it it isn't. You have to recognize the hard work that you're putting in and the things that you're doing and that it's coming from you, not luck and fate and good fortune. So Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that. That's really excellent. Imposter syndrome is so funny too because I do know some, like, powerhouse executives that have and I'm like, how do you still have it after all these years and looking
Speaker 2:at where you are?
Speaker 1:Like, this is crazy. Do you provide any mentorship for women through coworkers who are exploring their career paths or other We don't have any formal programs. We have partnered with CEI and SCORE with mentors that
Speaker 2:have come in and taught workshops and things. In the in the beginning, I did a lot of that because SCORE mentored me. I had 2 mentors when I was opening coworkers because I didn't know how to write a business plan. I didn't know what I was doing, how to create an LLC. I'd only done the the resale clothing store, but not I wanted to originally open this as a nonprofit, and so that's why I originally went there.
Speaker 2:And then they said, well, if you're trying to start a nonprofit and this kind of business model, it's gonna be a lot of work, and it's gonna be like, you should probably just open the business and then pursue that later, but just get it off the ground. And I knew someone's gonna steal my idea if I didn't get out there. So I was like, I I wanna hurry up and open. So I really highly recommend them. It's free, and they're there for life.
Speaker 2:If you ever need them in the future or any point during your entrepreneurial career or path, whatever you're doing, they're just such a great support system, and it's it's completely free. It's crazy. So they were doing workshops here in the space when I first opened, and I actually had a SCORE mentor. My mentor would sit here in a meeting room once a week and it was like peppermint Patty, free advice, come in and she would you book a time with her and she would help you. And, you know, so we do have a in house, business coach who does that now instead of a SCORE mentor, but I do pay her out of my own pocket to help the members here.
Speaker 2:She's here all the time to just offer support and she runs our entrepreneur support group. So
Speaker 1:that's a incredible resource. I'm curious too. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? I think
Speaker 2:this sound it almost sounds like a negative, but no. It's not really it's not really good advice. It really just motivated for me. But someone said to me, this is not for the faint of heart. Opening a coworking space is not for the faint of heart.
Speaker 2:And my my mother actually said, you have no business doing this. You have children. You know, you you you should be at home, and it really just lit a fire under me. It's not really advice. It's just kind of like that.
Speaker 2:That's what I need needed to light me up. Mhmm. You know, a lot of advice. There's so many I even have this book. I have books on my desk, you know, little quotes and different things that I read all the time for my own little inspirations, but I can't say that there's one thing that really sticks
Speaker 1:out. Well, that sounds like a great example of something that that was what you needed to hear to propel you forward. This quote here
Speaker 2:I have under my my desk, underestimate me. That'll be funny. Fun. That'll be fun. That's my favorite quote, and that inspires me when I see that.
Speaker 2:Yes. Don't underestimate me. Just because I didn't go to college, just because I didn't I don't fit into your little box of what an entrepreneur should look like or what I should be doing doesn't mean that I'm not gonna be able to do it. I just have to work hard and Google it. If you don't know the answer, Google it.
Speaker 2:Like, look at a YouTube video.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'm right there with you. And that's a great quote. I'm gonna write that down. Well, thank you so much for coming on today.
Speaker 1:I'm really excited to follow your journey and see how coworkers evolves. It sounds like such a positive and impact organization for the community. So kudos to you for making that happen. That's a really wonderful achievement. Thank you again so much, and I will put your information, in the show notes so people can find you.