{"id":13760,"date":"2013-12-03T17:17:11","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T21:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=13760"},"modified":"2021-04-23T17:08:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T21:08:14","slug":"car-accident-inspired-entrepreneur-big","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/car-accident-inspired-entrepreneur-big\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Car Accident Inspired an Entrepreneur to Think Big"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was 1996, and 22-year-old Felena Hanson was driving through an intersection in San Diego to meet friends when a fire truck smashed into her car. She broke 27 bones in her arms, legs and face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a wheelchair for about three months. I was told I would never run again,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat a great wake-up call to really give you some perspective on life.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she began a long recovery, Hanson, like many who have experienced \u201clife is short\u201d moments, vowed to make an impact on the world. She got an MBA. She started her own marketing business. She took leadership position with Women\u2019s Global Network and Ladies Who Launch, two groups that aid women business owners.<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t enough. \u201cI knew I wanted to build something bigger than myself,\u201d says Hanson, now 40. About five years ago, as she looked around at her own home office, the proverbial lightbulb went off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen especially crave community,\u201d she says. \u201cYou stick a woman in her spare bedroom, looking at a blank wall, talking to her cat for eight years \u2013 that was me — it\u2019s hard to innovate, it\u2019s hard to think about new ideas, and it\u2019s hard to be creative in that environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hanson came up with the idea for Hera Hub, a co-working space focused on women. She had seen shared workspaces, then just popping up in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, but found they targeted a demographic that was younger, high-tech and decidedly male. \u201cTo be frank, a lot of times it\u2019s a bunch of dudes in skinny jeans with headphones\u2026and rock music playing in the background,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not quite \u2013 at this stage in my life \u2013 what I\u2019m looking for in a workspace.\u201d
\n[pullquote]\u201cPlus I\u2019m a blonde girl bouncing around in my ponytail,\u201d she says. \u201cI got patted on the head many, many times,” — Felena Hanson[\/pullquote]<\/p>\n

Hanson\u2019s concept: Apply a \u201cspa-aesthetic\u201d to a shared workspace, complete with candles, soft music and running water, that would resonate with women. Add a conference room, private meeting area, community gathering area, and workshops and networking sessions for professional development. She wrote up a business plan, naming her business after Hera, the Greek goddess of women.<\/p>\n

After that, she just needed to find financing \u2013 never an easy task for any start-up entrepreneur — and get her hands on commercial space.<\/p>\n

The money issue was solved by a rather unlikely event: The 2008 financial crisis. When Hanson saw her entire life savings, all invested in the market, drop by 40%, she thought: \u201cI\u2019m not putting my money in mutual funds and various vehicles [where] I have no control whatsoever.\u201d She liquidated nearly all of her accounts and invested the cash in her idea. \u201cAt least I know where the money is,\u201d she says, during a recent interview at her San Diego office. \u201cI\u2019m sitting on it, literally.\u201d Together with a small loan from her father, she had $60,000 to invest in a commercial space.<\/p>\n

But leasing her first space wasn\u2019t so easy. \u201cEspecially coming out of 2008, the commercial real estate market was gun-shy,\u201d she says. \u201cNobody wanted to take a risk.\u201d Most owners of building didn\u2019t know what a co-working space was, \u201cplus I\u2019m a blonde girl bouncing around in my ponytail,\u201d she says. \u201cI got patted on the head many, many times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two deals fell through in the 11th hour, after months of negotiation. Finally, Hanson secured a 5,000 square-foot-space in the Sorrento Mesa area of San Diego, spending an additional $40,000 more than planned and personally guaranteeing the deal. \u201cIt was a huge, huge gamble,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

By that time, it was August 2011. The one advantage of all the delays, Hanson says, is that she had hyped the plan her network of female entrepreneurs for what seemed like ages. She quickly signed up 80 members. Within three months, Hera Hub had broken even, and has been profitable since, she says.<\/p>\n

Hanson has now opened two more Hera Hub locations in San Diego, and grown to 300 members, many of whom are accountants, lawyers and management consultants. She plans to franchise the concept, recently getting approval to franchise in 32 states. She estimates that there are about 1,500 co-working spaces in the U.S., and only one other, Serendipity Labs of Rye, N.Y., which doesn\u2019t cater exclusively to women, is a franchise.<\/p>\n

Hanson\u2019s long-term goal is to open 200 Hera Hub locations, both in the U.S. and abroad, and help 20,000 women launch and grow their businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis really can tie back in to my car accident,\u201d says Hanson, who still has titanium plates in her face. \u201cI knew I was here to do something more than marketing.\u201d Hera Hub, she says, is a way to \u201chelp and support other people in their journey as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\r\n\t\tRead Full Transcript<\/i><\/span><\/a>\r\n\t\t
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Felena Hanson \u2014 Founder, Hera Hub<\/p>\n

Felena Hanson (FH): When I say I want to build 20oo locations and help 20,000 women across the world launch and grow their business, people will like pull back and, like, oh my gosh, wow, that\u2019s daunting, how are you going to do that?<\/p>\n

I get the phrase \u2018that\u2019s aggressive,\u2019 all the time. And I say \u2018would you have said to me if I was a man?\u2019<\/p>\n

CARD: Felena Hanson \u2014 Founder \u2013 Hera Hub \u2014 San Diego, California \u2014 USA<\/p>\n

SOT: Hello, ladies! <\/p>\n

FH: Hera Hub is a shared work and meeting space. We focus on female entrepreneurs. My competition is someone\u2019s spare bedroom and Starbucks.<\/p>\n

SOT: Go big or go home (laughter).<\/p>\n

FH: I was born in a fairly small town on the central coast of California and I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My father had a floor covering business. Very exciting \u2013 carpet, tile, hardwood. My mother was an artist and a performer.<\/p>\n

My parents were married young and probably not the best suited for each other. And so when they finally decided to divorce there was a fierce custody battle.<\/p>\n

The impact this had on me was I\u2019m fiercely independent. And I really decided at a young age that I would not be dependent on somebody else.<\/p>\n

CARD: Felena graduated college with a business degree in 1995. She began a career in marketing.<\/p>\n

CARD: When she was 22, she was in a life-threatening car accident.<\/p>\n

FH: I broke about 27 bones in my arms, legs and face. I was in a wheelchair for about three months. And, boy, what a great wake-up call, to really give you some perspective. I really stepped back and said, \u2018okay, what am I doing with my life?\u2019<\/p>\n

CARD: Felena decided to leave her corporate job and moved to San Diego. She started her own marketing firm \u2013 working from home.<\/p>\n

FH: Working at home is, frankly, convenient and, obviously, cost-effective but it has its downsides. Distractions: I live with my long-time boyfriend and his son and sometimes it can be hard to focus.<\/p>\n

And, also, isolating, frankly. You stick a woman in a room, staring at a blank wall, talking to her cat for 8 years\u2026that was me. And it\u2019s hard to innovate, it\u2019s hard to think about new ideas.<\/p>\n

CARD: Felena knew other business women facing similar challenges.<\/p>\n

CARD: She began to explore the potential of a shared workspace business.<\/p>\n

FH: What I found is, in many, many cases, these coworking spaces were targeted to a younger, high-tech demographic. So a lot of times it\u2019s a bunch of dudes, in skinny jeans and headphones, with, and you know, rock music playing in the background. It\u2019s not quite at the stage of my life what I\u2019m looking for in a workspace.<\/p>\n

So my concept was to take this coworking world that was very male-focused and apply a spa aesthetic to it. Nice lighting, soft music, running water.<\/p>\n

CARD: But realtors were reluctant to rent to her.<\/p>\n

FH: This is a new business and a new concept and I got a lot of people going \u2018What, workspace for women? What is this? What, you want to rip the whole center of the place out and open it up? You don\u2019t want cubicles? What are you talking about\u2019<\/p>\n

CARD: After three years, Felena finally secured a place.<\/p>\n

CARD: Using her life savings and a loan from her father, she opened Hera Hub in August 2011.<\/p>\n

FH: One of the common misconceptions about a female-focused workspace is that we\u2019re all selling each other jewelry, and that\u2019s not true. These are professional women who simply need a space to work, on a flexible basis, they need a place to meet clients outside the coffee shop and they need that sense of community.<\/p>\n

CARD: Members include accountants, attorneys, management consultants, and educators.<\/p>\n

SOT: Any thoughts about Friday? So far so good. Ok, awesome.<\/p>\n

CARD: After just a year, Felena opened two more Hera Hub locations in San Diego.<\/p>\n

FH: My goal over the next five years is to launch 200 Hera Hub locations internationally, so I\u2019ve decided to franchise the business. I have confidence in it because I believe what I\u2019m doing. And why not be confident? What\u2019s the alternative? Being meek and scared? That\u2019s no way to live life!<\/p>\n

Credits:<\/p>\n

Producers \u2013 Victoria Wang and Sue Williams
\nDirector \u2013 Sue Williams
\nEditor \u2013 Merril Stern
\nDirector of New Media and Outreach \u2013 Colleen DeBaise
\nDirector of Photography \u2013 Sam Shinn
\nAssociate Producer \u2013 Nusha Balyan
\nAssistant Editor \u2013 Matt Strickland
\nSocial Media Coordinator \u2013 Heather Mangal
\nMusic \u2013 Killer Tracks<\/p>\n

Photos Courtesy of:
\n123rf<\/p>\n<\/p>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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