Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Tsuru & Katie Tsuru.
Hi Stephanie & Katie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Stephanie:
There were several problems that needed to be solved for working women. We set out to correct as many of them as possible. The first is that how and where women work is unique. Many women work from home or from coffee shops or their car between meetings and appointments, and that is not ideal for productivity, creativity or inspiration. I was tired of wasting time looking for a place to work and I keep thinking there has to be a better way to do this. As it turns out 100’s of women felt the same way. Also, women need a place to call their work home, whether that be for three hours a week, three hours a day or all day every day. And we feel women are worthy of working in a space that devotes as much time and energy creating a beautiful work space as they spend on their work. I set out to create the space, but after a few months of exploration and data analysis, it was evident I couldn’t do this on my own. At this point, I convinced my daughter-in-law (Katie) that SheSpace was a needed and worthy project. She joined as co-founder and we never looked back.
Katie:
Upon graduating college in 2009, I moved to Houston and began my “dream job” in the oil & gas industry. As a young woman entering into the working world, it provided me everything I had hoped for – good pay, great benefits, travel, opportunities for advancement & more. I truly enjoyed these benefits for several years.
After having two children, suddenly my priorities drastically changed. I found myself in a male dominated work environment that while providing great benefits in several ways, provided very little support to mothers. . There was little flexibility in my hours in order to care for sick children, early soccer practices or teacher conferences.
When Stephanie approached me with the idea, I jumped at the idea to make a change in the world of working mothers. Since opening, I have met countless women with eerily similar stories.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Despite the fact we opened during the Holidays last year, and in the middle of the pandemic, we have been embraced by the women in this city. We have grown by leaps and bounds. There are so many working women in this city to accommodate. We worked hard to create the right atmosphere, and by all accounts we got it right. Our struggle is keeping up with the demand. Our model provides private offices, dedicated desks and a co-working area, and a variety of conference rooms and meeting rooms that are open to anyone to lease by the hour. Our offices were all leased by the eighth month, so we are expanding and building more offices in the adjacent space.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
From a human perspective, we learned not everyone is treated equally especially in regards to early access to vaccines We learned that family and friends are what really matter. That a A healthy mental state is not to be taken for granted, and taking care of oneself is not a luxury. From inside the walls of SheSpace, we have seen first hand what isolation does to people. We are still seeing the repercussions of women who are quarantined alone, and many who have been told that remote work is a permanent for them. They often wake up and realize that they just can’t work from home every day anymore. We see a lot of women who work in our coworking area, just to see other people and have a healthy change of scenery.
Pricing:
- Offices start at $825/month
- Dedicated desks/$415
- Community coworking area/ $225/month
- Conference rooms and podcast studio rental begins at $30/hour
- Package of day passes – $100
Contact Info:
- Email: info@shespacehtx.com
- Website: shespacehtx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shespacehtx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shespacehtx
Image Credits
Julie Soefer Photography
Bailey Hart Photography
