Gender was never an issue for Sheree Rubinstein until she started work as a lawyer. But in some respects her discovery that gender seemed to matter, while disappointing, was a gift. Sheree used her own experience of the ‘great gender divide’ as the spark to to create a community where other women can thrive. Like her home (with 10 people living under one roof – but more on that later), Sheree loves nothing more that creating and serving communities that she can love, nurture and lift up on her shoulders.
Sheree is the Founder of One Roof and entrepreneurship is in her DNA. Growing up her parents ran their small business from home – so that they could also be full time parents – and 7 full time staff worked from Sheree’s living room.
Sheree’s parents always encouraged her and her brother to chase down their dreams and there was never any sense at all that ‘girls’ couldn’t do or be anything they wanted. It wasn’t until she finished her law degree and stated working as a lawyer that Sheree discovered that gender could (and unfortunately still can) have an impact in your career progression, your chance to be a leader, and your chance for success: I found it a frustrating revelation, she shares.
She wasn’t loving the law. She wasn’t loving the gender divide, and she felt like a fish out of water.
Being an entrepreneur, on the other hand, had massive appeal to Sheree. She left the law and decided to dabble in being a female entrepreneur serving other female entrepreneurs: I started really slowly, just running small networking events. I had a huge passion to create a community and to serve that community. Entrepreneurship is a magnificent pathway for women. I wanted to create a hub to provide women and non binary people with everything they need to succeed ‘under one roof’. A place for us to meet in person and online, to connect, collaborate, and create.
Eight years ago ‘One Roof’ was born. Originally Sheree was in partnership with a close friend, she then bought that friend out of the business, later invited equity investors in to help fund co-working spaces (but the timing was terrible, with COVID scuttling that plan), and then pivoted to digital when the pandemic hit. That last decision was born out of necessity, but it has proven to have been a brilliant move. Memberships in One Roof have gone – well…through the roof.
One Roof is a community driven, online learning and engagement platform for entrepreneurial women and non binary people. Members receive access to the One Roof portal, weekly recorded masterclasses from a never ending line up of serious talent and experts in all aspects of business, curated list of business experts they can book for a free call, mentorship, access to a member directory, business check in calls, a closed facebook group, monthly newsletter, and networking opportunities.
Critically, members also receive visibility and access to a community of like minded, super supportive women. Being in small business and often working from home can be hugely isolating and Sheree acknowledges this – It’s the biggest thing our members say when they join us – that being an entrepreneur is so lonely. We have solved for this. We have created a space where they can build friendships, gain feedback, celebrate wins, and learn from and share with other like minded women.
One Rood prides itself on providing a full eco-system of support. You need it, they have it.
Next on Sheree’s To Do List is creating a Small Business Summit later this year which will focus on digitisation and the use of tech to enable your business. One Roof is also migrating to a new member portal and launching a series of crash courses on topics relevant to business growth and leadership.
Aside from all of that, as if that wasn’t enough, Sheree is mum to a 3 year old and a 7 month old and she and her partner live in what she describes as ‘her village’, sharing a home with her brother and his family. Most nights they are catering for 10 for dinner (I find it hard enough to cook for myself half of the time).
Sheree lives and breathes community. After meeting Sheree and listening to her passion for community and women in business, I have joined One Roof and I can’t wait to tap into the One Roof passion on a regular basis. For more details about joining One Roof using my discount as their partner, check out my partnership page.
