Transforming under-utilized high street bank branches into vibrant community hubs for female-led SMEs, connecting them with space and support to thrive.
Female entrepreneurs make up only 20% of all founders, and only 2% secure VC funding. Through qualitative research with 10 entrepreneurs, I uncovered the persistent gender gap in entrepreneurship and the virtual barriers created by digital spaces for SMEs. The goal was to create a service model that addresses the unique challenges female entrepreneurs face, such as limited workspace, community support, and financial resources. We developed Not A Second Bedroom (NAB) initiative—a work-café and financial hub within bank branches—offering flexible workspaces, tailored financial services, networking opportunities, and mentorship programs. NAB provided female entrepreneurs with essential support, creating a holistic environment for business growth and positioning the bank as a key partner in their entrepreneurial journey.
WEBSITE
https://not-a-second-bedroom.cargo.site/
https://www.instagram.com/not.a.second.bedroom
Project Leader & Coordinator
Researcher
Service Designer
DURATION
May 2024 - Jul 2024
- Literature Review
- In-depth Interview
- Service Safari Research
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Persona Creation
- User Journey Mapping
- Trend Analysis
- Competitor Analysis
- Theory of Change Development
- Service Prototyping
- Questionnaire Collection
- Storyboard Creation
TOOLS
Digitalization and Women's Entrepreneurship:
A Decade of Growth, Challenges, and Opportunities
Recent research shows that digitalization positively impacts women’s entrepreneurship by lowering entry barriers and fostering collaboration, creativity, and flexible business models. Digital tools like social media, mobile services, and cloud computing create inclusive opportunities for women in SMEs, offering new paths to empowerment, economic independence, and growth.
Over the past decade, the proportion of women entrepreneurs has doubled from 10% to 20%, largely driven by digitalization.
Female-founded startups consistently outperform, generating 178% more revenue per dollar invested compared to 131% for male-founded startups.
However, women still represent only one in five entrepreneurs, with a 4:1 ratio compared to their male counterparts.
And only 16.3% of VC funding goes to startups with both male and female founders, and a mere 2% is allocated to female-only founders.
Challenging Assumptions: Unpacking Gender Dynamics in Entrepreneurship
In my initial research, I found a LinkedIn post where a male VC questioned why female entrepreneurs emphasize gender in pitches. This sparked debate, with some suggesting women lack networks, pitching skills, or business knowledge. Similar discussions on Reddit highlight their frustrations.
Assuming a "one-size-fits-all" approach to entrepreneurship oversimplifies the challenges. Ignoring gender differences overlooks key nuances. This controversy shows the need for more research into the specific challenges women entrepreneurs face and the support they need.
Exploring Gender Differences in Digital Entrepreneurship: A Qualitative Study
Inspired by online debates on challenges women entrepreneurs face—like limited networks, pitching skills, and business knowledge—we conducted a qualitative study using user interviews, field observations, and expert insights. Following Longino's (2017) narrative inquiry approach for gender issues, we explored the often-overlooked paths of female entrepreneurship. Over two months, our feminist perspective sought to connect diverse experiences and amplify women's voices.
01
Female & Male EntrepreneursUser Interviews
02
Incubator/WorkplaceOn-site Observations
03
Investor/Coach/DirectorKey Informant Interviews
Our study involved 6 female and 4 male entrepreneurs in London, balancing perspectives to avoid gender bias. While the sample size was limited, it remains relevant, given London's status as a leading hub for female-founded startups in Europe, with nearly €4 billion invested in 2023.
We also engaged with key figures at Innovation RCA and Nesta to understand gender dynamics in entrepreneurship under digitalization. These insights revealed the different experiences and needs of male and female entrepreneurs, providing a deeper understanding of their journeys.
Female Entrepreneurial Paths and the Often-Ignored Nuances
Women’s decision to pursue entrepreneurship is often driven by distinct factors. Unlike men, many women seek to align their work with personal values, gain autonomy from restrictive corporate environments, and create businesses that make a social impact. These motivations highlight their unique approach to entrepreneurship, focusing on flexibility, empowerment, and meaningful contribution.
Digital Tools Have Made Home Offices the Default for Women Entrepreneurs, But with Hidden Costs
While the digital era has made home-based entrepreneurship more accessible and cost-effective, this convenience comes with specific challenges for women. For many female entrepreneurs, the decision to work from the bedroom is not merely a matter of convenience, but a reflection of deeper gendered obstacles that make this choice feel necessary.
Financial Constraints and the Gender Funding Gap
Women often face limited access to funding, making cost-cutting essential. The gender funding gap forces many to choose home offices over rented spaces, which hinders business growth and professional networking.
Balancing Multiple Roles and Limited Resources
Women often juggle caregiving and business responsibilities, leading them to use the home as their workspace. This setup blurs boundaries, increases emotional strain, and isolates them from external resources and growth opportunities.
The Impact of Self-Doubt on Cautious Decision-Making
Due to societal pressures and self-doubt, many women take a cautious approach, viewing home as a safer option. However, this limits their ability to scale and fully compete.
The lack of a dedicated third space, such as a professional office, isolates women from vital networks and support systems. What starts as a cost-saving measure often limits access to mentorship, peer networks, and mental health resources, further deepening gender disparities that digital solutions alone cannot address.
To move beyond the isolation and scalability challenges of home-based work, women need access to dedicated, professional spaces that foster collaboration and visibility.
INSIGHT 2
The Hidden Burdens of a Digital Presence: Misconceptions, Isolation, and the Pressure to Perform
Beyond the convenience of working from home, the digital era allows entrepreneurs to craft their business image online. However, this visibility brings hidden pressures. Beneath the surface of digital flexibility lies a panopticon-like environment, where women entrepreneurs are constantly visible, subject to the gaze of clients, peers, and competitors. This digital surveillance often pushes them to maintain a polished, inauthentic persona, resulting in emotional exhaustion and performance anxiety.
A polished online image often misleads others about the size of a business, creating undue pressure on solo female founders to meet unrealistic expectations.
Despite the connectivity offered by digital platforms, many women entrepreneurs feel isolated, especially when others appear to scale effortlessly, revealing a lack of real support.
Women feel pressured to maintain a curated online image, which leads to emotional exhaustion and deeper self-doubt about their true progress.
With limited funding, many women rely on free digital platforms like social media for marketing. This results in constant stress over keeping up with rapid changes and maintaining visibility.
To bridge the gap between digital tools and real-world support, it’s clear that women entrepreneurs need more than just flexibility—they need access to resources that truly enable growth.
Reflecting on Research Objectives...
Emphasizing Female Identity in Entrepreneurship: Reclaiming Space and Solidarity
In answering whether it's necessary to emphasize female identity in entrepreneurship, it’s clear that for many women, this goes beyond gender alone. Identifying as a "female founder" allows them to reclaim their space in a male-dominated field and assert their unique entrepreneurial narrative. It reflects their resilience in overcoming systemic barriers and signals solidarity with other women. For these entrepreneurs, highlighting gender isn’t just a label—it’s a way to challenge bias and underrepresentation, making it a vital part of their journey.
So, when someone includes their gender in their title, instead of judging, we should take a moment to reflect on why it matters.
Despite the rise of digital tools, female entrepreneurs still face enduring gender gaps that these platforms cannot bridge. While digital spaces may lower the barrier to entry, they fail to provide the holistic support—like mentorship, collaboration, and real-world resources—needed to thrive. Many women find themselves trapped in a liminal state, relying on home offices and digital tools, which blur the boundaries between personal and professional life. This creates isolation, confusion, and stagnation, amplifying the very challenges they aim to overcome.
During my service safari, I explored a wide range of services available to female entrepreneurs. While digital tools theoretically link these services, they often remain disconnected, creating two major problems:
Lack of integration with physical spacesServices like mentorship programs and coworking spaces are mostly virtual, with no real-world interaction, leaving entrepreneurs isolated. There’s a clear gap in connecting online tools with offline support systems, leading to missed opportunities for in-person collaboration, networking, and tailored business support.
Digital entrapmentMany services are oversaturated and overly generic, offering little guidance or personalization. Women entrepreneurs struggle to transition from digital tools to real-world business environments, further hindered by a lack of local, female-specific support, financial coaching, and pathways to offline investors.
In short, while digital solutions exist, they fail to adequately connect women to real-world opportunities, leaving them stuck in an overwhelming, fragmented online ecosystem.
INTRODUCING THE SOLUTION
「NOT A SECOND BEDROOM」
An innovative service model that transforms underused bank branches into dynamic hubs for female entrepreneurs—offering flexible spaces, tailored financial support, and vital connections to bridge the gender funding gap.
NAB's approach is groundbreaking in that it not only repurposes physical spaces but also redefines how financial institutions engage with and support female entrepreneurs. By providing a holistic ecosystem that includes physical spaces, financial services, community support, and wellness programs, NAB offers an unparalleled platform for women to succeed in the digital era.