How community and collaborations grew One Roof

Do you have a business bestie? Someone who is an amazing sounding board with lots of ideas, who is always in your corner, and who gives you that supportive nudge when you’re holding yourself back. 

As a freelancer and founder, the community you build for yourself makes all the difference to your success. While running your own show is liberating, it’s also isolating and lonely at times. 

In fact, 80% of us are working alone, and in almost all cases, we’re working in our homes, isolated from our business communities. The good news is, that founders like Fleur Madden of Freelancing Gems and Sheree Rubinstein of One Roof are breaking down these barriers of isolation by building collaborative, supportive business communities for women just like you. 

In this blog series, we’re highlighting the value of community and collaborations as a strategy for business growth by profiling successful women and the business besties who have supported them. 

If you’re ready to build a community to support your business success, this is your time. Available exclusively for a limited time, Freelancing Gems and One Roof are collaborating to offer two stand-out digital business memberships in one, for half the price. The Freelancing Gems x One Roof digital membership is your ultimate business growth tool.  Find out more >

Sheree Rubinstein is the Founder and CEO of One Roof, a community-driven all-in-one online learning platform for women to start and scale businesses successfully. Dedicating every waking moment to thinking about and acting on how best she can serve One Roof’s community, Sheree is a corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur. Known as the ‘Queen of Community,’ Sheree is experienced in building businesses, raising capital, and mentoring women along their business journey.

From humble beginnings

Eight years ago, Sheree was introduced by a mutual acquaintance to Gianna Wurzl, a serial entrepreneur, strategist and experienced designer. Gianna has built and scaled multiple businesses throughout her career including One Roof, Quilt and Berries, servicing thousands of customers and raising over $10 million in venture capital funding. Today, Gianna advises a number of startups and spends her days innovating the way we design. 

We asked Sheree what it was about Gianna that really drew them together. Sheree says, “At the time that we met, we were both running passion projects and events supporting women in business. We were connected by a mutual acquaintance, caught up for coffee and instantly ‘hit it off.’ We just spoke the same language, shared similar challenges, and visions and both wanted to support women to succeed in business.:

“We just spoke the same language, shared similar challenges, and visions and both wanted to support women to succeed in business.” Sheree Rubinstein

When asked how they have supported each other in business, Sheree told us that they started out in the dating phase, “just attending each others’ events.” 

“Then we started brainstorming ideas and eventually came up with the concept of One Roof. We tested the idea together and quickly became business partners. 

The lounge room was set up for co-working, the kitchen and backyard for workshops and networking and the bedrooms for meetings. We hosted meetups, meditations, workshops and events. Nearly 500 people walked through the doors in 6 days. It was epic! Some of those people are still members, friends and supporters today.

We ran One Roof together for a couple of years but found it really challenging as Gianna moved back to the USA while I stayed in Australia. Eventually, she left to start a new business. 

“We remain really close to this day. She is like family to me and I lean on her for advice and support all the time. We regularly jump on calls to chat out ideas, challenges and opportunities.”

“She is like family to me and I lean on her for advice and support all the time.” Sheree Rubinstein

What has been the benefit of having that support?

“She gets One Roof and me and our respective visions. She is an amazing sounding board, really creative and always has lots of ideas and feedback. She is also based in the USA where things move a lot faster so she has the benefit of living over there and can share her insights with me.”

The power of collaborations

As the ‘Queen of Community’, Sheree is an expert in the foundations of building a strong community. About collaborations, she says it’s how she starts, built and scaled One Roof. 

“We collaborate with experts, guest speakers, and we co-host events with others. The only way I have been able to grow my business has been through collaborations, especially without funding. 

“The only way I have been able to grow my business has been through collaborations, especially without funding.” Sheree Rubinstein

Sheree says she has learnt so much from Gianna in those early days and is still learning from her now. “[Gianna] is a true ideas person and incredibly creative so she always has good ideas for me. She is also a strategist having come from working at Isobar so ideating and problem-solving are her bread and butter.” 

Fast forward eight years and things have changed a lot for Sheree and One Roof. 

“We are now operating a community-driven all-in-one online learning platform for women to start and scale businesses successfully.

We are about to announce a new brand, website and member portal and to launch our new crash course series with videos on everything to do with business growth and leadership (which will all be made available inside the member portal).

I can’t believe it’s been eight years. I feel like I am still just getting started. Thank you to Gianna who was once my business partner and is now more like family, for all you gave to me and One Roof in those early years. You taught me so much and I am still learning from you.

And of course a massive shout out to Frances Goh and Faith Limantono who carry the weight of One Roof on their shoulders these days with a smile on their face and immense passion and love and everyone who has worked with us over the years. I am eternally grateful to you all.”

If you’re ready to build a community to support your business success, this is your time. Available exclusively for a limited time, Freelancing Gems and One Roof are collaborating to offer two stand-out digital business memberships in one, for half the price. The Freelancing Gems x One Roof digital membership is your ultimate business growth tool.  Find out more >