4 Interviews – 4 Female*-Founders


For Women*s Day, we talked with three of our Freiraum brands’ female*-founders about a changing industry, helpful advice on founding a business, and how it feels to be a woman in a male-dominated field

It is 2021 and only 28 percent of management positions are occupied by women, this is as much as it was in 1995. It has been 26 years.
In 2019, the state of Berlin turned the 8th of March, International Women’s Day, into a public holiday. It should be a promise to keep working towards gender equality but it feels more like an image campaign – a flagship that seems to impart “We love women and we want equality but we do not want to work on that, let’s throw some roses at them (like we do on mother’s day) and give everyone a day off.” By looking at the numbers of women in business, it becomes clear that a single holiday a year does not tackle the issues, we have to face: A 2020 study finds that less than 16 percent of businesses in Germany are built by female*-founders and only about 9 percent of board positions within German companies are occupied by women. Only one in ten start-ups is founded by an all-female team and two out of ten start-ups are founded by a mixed team, which leaves us at a striking 70 percent of male-founded startups. When it comes to funding, only around 5 percent of women but 28 percent of men have received more than one million in fundings.

These facts are especially interesting when knowing that mixed teams are achieving better results and profits are around 50 percent higher if women are represented in leading positions of companies. Within the last year, the style of female leadership has been analysed and used by women and men alike: In general, female leaders are more empathic towards their employees, have a tendency to cooperate, strive for inclusivity, and are interested in sustainable and ethical solutions to problems. The style fosters team spirit and working morale. The UN even found that women’s participation in leading roles – whether socially or politically – is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the course of Corona, these differences have become even clearer, especially when looking at families: Family-tasks are mostly still considered as “womens’ tasks”. Childcare and housework, thus, fall into the hands of women: “Mothers are more than three times as likely as fathers to be responsible for most of the housework and caregiving during the pandemic. In fact, they’re 1.5 times more likely than fathers to be spending an additional three or more hours per day on housework and childcare”, states a McKinsey report from 2020. With closed schools and kindergartens, it is almost impossible to keep a full-time job, alone found a company. The combination of the pandemic, the patriarchal business world, and a lacking of political support for families, will lead to women leaving their jobs and leadership roles, which means that even fewer women than before will be hired, leading to a lack of aspiring female leaders in the future. As the report suggests: The progress we made within the last six years might be erased.

For Women*s Day, we talked with three of our Freiraum brands’ female*-founders about a changing industry, helpful advice on founding a business, and how it feels to be a woman in a male-dominated field:

Jiyoon Yun, founder of YUN Berlin

Freiraum: With more and more female*-founders entering the market, how do you think the industry is going to change?
Jiyoon Yun: I am a very small Asian woman and a few years ago many people assumed I simply wasn’t an important person in the company, let alone the creative director! They never thought this little woman could be the founder of the company. It made me a bit sad but I am literal proof that a woman who appears soft and tender-hearted can do an important job, lead people and make changes – all while keeping a kind charisma. 
I think our present society starts to understand who we are as individuals and welcomes talented people regardless of their gender. 

Freiraum: Did you experience your womanhood to be a positive or negative factor when founding your brand?
Jiyoon Yun: Lots of people were surprised when they first met me and that was surprising me, too! It’s obviously a negative factor but it made me very strong and who I am now, so I personally am thankful that I experienced it. 

Freiraum: What do you wish someone would have told you before starting your own business?
Experience lots of things before starting your own business – it can be anything really – because these things will be your inspiration and you probably won’t be able to find much spare time to enjoy your own time once you’ve founded your own business. If you’re a sole player and not the type of person who loves people, you might want to rethink starting your own business, since your company can only exist with your loving employees’ joint effort.

Freiraum: Do you have any helpful tips for female*-founders?
Have faith in yourself even if someone looks down on you! Just believe in yourself and prove how amazing and important you are.

Yesim Karaman, founder of Agneel

Freiraum: With more and more female*-founders entering the market, how do you think the industry is going to change?
Yesim Karaman: We are starting to inspire change. More and more female*-founders are entering the market and they are doing so with the confidence to identify what they want to do and how they need to get there. We are women creating brands for women, and who better to design and create for a customer than the person sharing those same values and needs for what’s missing from the marketplace. We understand our customers on an authentic level. At Agneel, women are the forefront of our design and consumer base and because of this, I’m so proud of our workforce that’s made up of 90% females.

Freiraum: Did you experience your womanhood to be a positive or negative factor when founding your brand?
Yesim Karaman: Like any role in any industry there is still that element of pushing through patriarchy. It’s a disappointing feeling to realize that a man would never have to experience the same hurdles and attitudes a woman does when it comes to starting a business, and in the early days, this is something I found challenging. Now, five years later, I’m proud to say I am a woman who took an idea and followed it through. Agneel is still a growing success and we are continuing to build the brand further with the introduction of yet more styles this year.

Freiraum: What do you wish someone would have told you before starting your own business?
Yesim Karaman: At the time I was chartering completely new waters from a previous career in pharmaceuticals. I was living off the dream of turning Agneel into a reality and that excitement of making handbags is something I still have today. No one warns you how hard the financial side of things is, so it’s important to adapt and make sacrifices where necessary. Evolve with your brand and be comfortable to pivot at a moment’s notice, as the smallest things can throw you off course. New paths can open up in front of you and that’s ok, stay open-minded.

Freiraum: Do you have any helpful tips for female*-founders?
Yesim Karaman: The most important thing is to love what you do and, first and foremost, believe in it. You are the only one in the driving seat and you really need to be convinced by your idea to ensure it goes all the way. Think of your time and energy like currency and invest it wisely. You are also never too good to receive advice but don’t be afraid to stand by your judgement. It’s so easy to focus on the end result, but everything with building a brand is a process and there are such simple rewards and milestones to enjoy as part of this journey.

Cindy and Nancy Bachmann, founders of Los Angeles Cold Press

Freiraum: With more and more female*-founders entering the market, how do you think the industry is going to change?
Nancy Bachmann: The rise of female*-founders will have a huge impact on the industry. Breaking down patriarchal structures and creating a true shift in consciousness and society. With many women collaborating in their creative powers and unique gifts and leading from the heart. 

Freiraum: Did you experience your womxnhood to be a positive or negative factor when founding your brand?
Nancy Bachmann: Starting our sister business as sparring partners, we’ve felt so seen, supported, and empowered by each other. We really enjoy to co-create together and navigate Los Angeles Cold Press in a way that feels right for us outside of conventional norms and the current moment narratives. Aiming to be curious and courageous.

Freiraum: What do you wish someone would have told you before starting your own business?
Nancy Bachmann: To enjoy the process and trust that there is divine timing for everything. Also, seeing the business as its own entity and being in service of its needs in order to transform and uplift.

Freiraum: Do you have any helpful tips for female*-founders?
Nancy Bachmann: Lead from the heart and trust your gut and intuition. Surround yourself with kindred spirits. Work with what is in front of you. And embrace your full female power. Be real and speak your truth.

Katharina Trebitsch and Anna Kössel, founders of nevernot

Freiraum: With more and more female*-founders entering the market, how do you think the industry is going to change?
Nevernot: Structures and processes that have been shaped by men for decades are changing and will do so even more in the future. We hope that it is not only about equal rights for women but for all minorities. Feminism is not enough. It must always be intersectional feminism. In the long run, gender should take a back seat and only the quality of work should be evaluated so that we all walk hand in hand.

Freiraum: Did you experience your womxnhood to be a positive or negative factor when founding your brand?
Nevernot: Our first product is soft tampons. We are a brand for all menstruators. We ourselves, as women, are part of this group. This is an obvious advantage. With the soft tampon, we have solved a problem that affects us directly which was key for our product development. 

Freiraum: What do you wish someone would have told you before starting your own business?
Nevernot: Just do it! Entrepreneurship is still not a standard career path in our society, especially for women. In recent years, great successful female role models have come up.  The only thing we regret so far is that we have not started sooner. Maybe we lacked the courage to do it earlier. This is something we want to tell all female*-founders out there: it is a great journey, the right time is now and not tomorrow.

Freiraum: Do you have any helpful tips for female*-founders?
Nevernot: It’s been said over and over again, but not always applied: in sisterhood, we rise. Men have always supported each other, benefiting from large and powerful networks. To all the ladies out there: solidarity is the key to success!