BOSS WOMAN 178 | WAKU SPACE

AN ESPRESSO MARTINI WITH KARINA FROM WAKU SPACE

What is your drink of choice?

Im a sucker for an espresso martini!

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a wife, business woman, feminist and dog mum. I recently got married, renovated a house and started my business. My husband says I definitely have a screw loose after taking all of that on, but it all worked out in the end! Previously a huge fashion girl, I studied Fashion Business at FBI Fashion College in Sydney (yes I travelled to Sydney every week for class) and graduated with a distinction Cert IV in Fashion Business – specialising in content creation and social media. I have always known that I wanted to work for myself and stay grounded to my home town of Canberra. After much soul searching, travel and learning I decided to focus more on business and ditch the fashion side. Although I have worked for some amazing people/companies, nothing beats being my own boss.

Tell us about Waku Space and how it came to be?

I was in the coworking/flexible workspace industry for a couple of years. Starting at the bottom as a receptionist, then working my way up to a workspace manager and project manager. I learned so much about the industry and most importantly what Canberran’s really wanted in a workspace. After outgrowing my previous company, the natural progression was to open my own space. I knew I had to find a space that would give my members more than just a desk. I am a huge advocate for work/life balance so somewhere that people could have everything from a gym, coffee, bar etc right on their doorstep was the dream. Then I came across a very well done Facebook ad for Kingsborough and it was like they were living in my brain (or at least had a gun Facebook ads person). I am also very lucky to have the support of my family, friends and most importantly my husband. People who have your back and gas you up makes starting your own business much easier.

@ wakuspace

How can we support Waku Space?

1. Sign up for some workspace! We operate on a month-to-month basis, locking in to a long term contract is a thing of the past. Memberships range from plug and play to more permanent set ups. The flexibility allows you, and your business to grow, and allows us to adapt to what our members need. You will also be supporting small and local – bonus!

2. Come to our events – we host open events on top of exclusive members only events. These range from breakfasts, workshops and open days. These are really good to go to, to get a feel for the space.

3. Day pass/free trial – we offer day passes and free trial periods for those who are on the fence or don’t need to access the space on a regular basis. Especially popular for those who are working from home, travel or need wifi asap.

4. Refer – Waku thrives on referrals. We even have a referral offer in place that gives our members some money taken off their next invoice. Who doesn’t love working with friends?

5. Give us a like, share, comment or save on Instagram and Facebook. Its free!

Any advice for those who are thinking about turning their dreams into a reality?

• Become an expert in your field and don’t be afraid to go outside what your competitors are doing. Providing that extra service and having the knowledge is what will get the trust of your customer.
• Surround yourself with people who have your back. There is no better feeling than your mates gassing you/your business up to strangers when you go out for a cheeky drink.
• Join a community of like-minded people. (Much like this one!)
• Get a lawyer and an accountant. It is totally worth the money.
• Just give it a red hot go. Worst case scenario is that you come out the other side having learned something and grown as a human being.