Ladies,
Are you fed up with toxic work environments? Do you not resonate with the 9-5 work structure? Or, do you have a desire for more flexibility and travel?
You came to the right place.
Meesen Brown, CEO, and Co-Founder of Behere understands how you feel, and she’s living out her mission of providing accessible service and like-minded community and connections to new places and people, everywhere. That’s where Behere came from. The flexible lifestyle service is enabling women to live in cities around the world, for a month at a time, by providing a private apartment, workspace, gym and fitness class access, networking and community events in each of each of its locations. Thriving on your own terms. Pretty freakin’ amazing, right? Well, it gets better, and Messen is giving us an exclusive look into Behere and how you can get involved.
So keep reading for the cool girl’s guide to creating a future of work, living, and travel that fits your personality, goals, and lifestyle. It’s never too late to live the life you dreamed of. This is the next generation workforce. This is NOW.
Can you tell us a bit about your background? I am the CEO and co-founder of Behere. I have worked for international companies around the world, from corporate finance in Canada to a not-for-profit in Australia. After becoming involved in her first company focused on sustainability in high-school, I pursued my passions of making sustainable travel a reality. I started Behere after realizing the need for women to be inspired while having a sense of community and connection to new places and people. I know great work can be done from anywhere, and that new experiences foster inspiration and creativity. Passionate about connecting women around the world, I am creating a global community that adds value to cities around the world. I have lived in and traveled to over 25 countries, with a love for new cultures, people, experiences and of course, cuisines. I hold an Honors Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McMaster University in Canada.
What was your "gold lining" ("aha" or defining moment) that lead you to launch the uber cool and inspiring Be Here? My gold lining moment for Behere actually built up over time. As much as I loved the lifestyle and experiences that came with living abroad, figuring out the logistics of getting set up in a new city felt like a full-time job. I would lose my routine as I rushed from each hit-or-miss accommodation and workspace to another. I was assembling and reassembling the foundation of my life in each city while trying to work. Not only that, but I had women reaching out all the time - “how are you living like this, what are you doing, this is amazing, aren’t you worried about safety, making friends etc.”I just knew that I had to get involved in making this lifestyle more possible and sustainable for women. I think now, more than ever, we need something like this. Women are becoming fed up with toxic office environments, don’t resonate with the 9-5 work structure, and have a desire for more flexibility and travel, aspiring to create flexible lifestyles. Our mission is to support these women by providing an accessible service and like-minded community.
What does Behere provide? Behere is a flexible lifestyle service for women. Behere enables women to live in cities around the world, for a month at a time. We provide our users with a private apartment, workspace, gym and fitness class access, networking and community events in each of our locations. Our mission is to help women thrive in a flexible lifestyle and create a future of work and living, that is more aligned with their wants and needs. We're creating the built-in infrastructure to enable this growing movement of women towards flexible lifestyles. Whether it’s because they are fed up with toxic office environments, don’t resonate with the 9-5 work structure, or simply have a penchant for travel and autonomy, more and more women aspire to create alternative frameworks in which they can thrive on their own terms. Our mission is to support these women by providing a sustainable foundation and like-minded community.
What type of person should check out Behere? All women who value flexibility. Our community is female entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives, remote workers in a variety of fields and also women who desire flexibility and one day hope to be a remote worker. We actually have a resources page, found here for women who are trying to transition to remote roles or try out a remote role for a month.
How did you choose the cities you currently have available? We look at a number of factors that go into if a city before we decide to launch. Some of these include the local/expat community, the number of/quality of coworking spaces, the neighborhoods, the cost of living, the safety factor, the livability and much more. We heavily vet our cities and partner with local providers to ensure we're ready to launch them when we do. You can check out the cities we're currently active in on our locations page.
What has been the most exciting moment in your careers to date? Starting Behere for sure! The most rewarding thing in this process has definitely been speaking with so many women who resonate with our mission and share that this is something they’ve been looking for. A way to finally make their dreams a reality, to fuel their passions and to feel inspired by their environments. It’s invigorating to know you’re making a difference and helping people pursue something they’ve dreamt about but never thought was possible. That we actually provide women with resources and tools to help negotiate remote work with their employer and transition into a new city is rewarding as well. Knowing we’re making a difference in women’s lives and helping them transition to a lifestyle that better fits them is fulfilling.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up? Self-doubt is something everyone struggles with in one way or another and it’s something I still struggle with at times for sure. Believing in yourself and having confidence in your abilities is absolutely key if you can’t do this other then people will have a hard time believing in you too. Putting yourself out there, moving past things that didn't work and having ultimately having confidence will help you and your business grow. I’ve learned you never really will be ready. Just take the leap and you will figure it out as you go.
What quotation or saying inspires you and motivates you both to be yourself and do what you love? "If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward you're always going to be in the same place." - Nora Roberts
What advice would you give to those aspiring to follow in your footsteps and stand up for something they believe in? Being an entrepreneur involves wearing maaaaany hats, long hours, taking risks, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, being patient, and overall trusting the process. It’s been a constant learning experience and you realize that not everything you try will work, but it’s important to keep testing in order to know what does. At the end of the day, knowing and believing you're making a difference is absolutely key. If you have something you really believe in and know will make a difference just go for it. As I said, a big learning is you never really will be ready. So take the leap and figure it out as you go.
Anything new down the pipeline for Be Here that we should be on the lookout for? We'll be expanding to new cities later in 2018 and rolling out some exciting partnerships, so stay tuned! You can check us out at gobehere.com, follow us on Insta @gobehere and on Facebook @gobehere.
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So are ready for an adventure?
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