and entrepreneurial people could
work under one roof, leverage off each
other and join forces to take on bigger
projects that they may previously have
ignored.
I knew that my plan involved capital. It
was at this point that I realised that my
negotiation skills had to come into play.
I had to convince my husband that we
should purchase a commercial property
through our self managed fund. Some
may say that I have been brave setting
up my business, but the true bravery
was the faith that my husband put in
my ability to make this work.
We found the property - a dirty, old
mechanic warehouse that needed a lot
of TLC! We mortgaged our house to
fund the renovation and so the next
venture began. I should also note at
16
GLOSS JUNE 2015
this stage that although co-working
is popular in the major cities, it is a
very new concept to Penrith and I was
unprepared for the amount of education
it was going to take to get people to
embrace what we were doing.
We launched with much fanfare and
excitement. But winter followed soon
after and no one came. I started to
panic! What had I done? I’ve invested
our retirement funds and worldly
possessions into a property and business
concept that wasn’t working. I knew
I couldn’t give up, I had too much
invested. I needed to trust in my gut,
allow winter to pass and then work my
marketing skills to get the people to
come.
Spring is a wonderful time of year. As
the grass gets greener and the flowers