FOUNDERS UNFILTERED: Q&A WITH ELLORA COUPE, HER OWN SPACE
cccc
“I GREW UP WATCHING MY DAD RENOVATE HOMES AND MY MUM HOLD EVERYTHING TOGETHER”
This month, Ellora Coupe, founder of Her Own Space CIC, is in the hot seat. Growing up with a builder for a dad, she watched her mum juggle parenting, building work and the disruption of creating a home, an experience that shaped her determination to support other women.
Her Own Space brings women homeowners together with professional women in the industry, sharing knowledge and practical support to help them navigate retrofit and make confident decisions.
Its mission is to champion women homeowners across the UK, helping them create healthy, energy efficient homes using bio-based materials. Built on empathy, audacity and the generosity of women sharing their expertise, it is growing into a women’s movement.
Q: What’s the scrappiest thing you’ve done so far to make progress?
We rely on the knowledge and generosity of professional women in the industry, and asking them to support something still in its infancy required audacity and a willingness to put myself out there without much to show for it.
Q: In one sentence - what was your lightbulb moment for starting the business?
My dad was a builder, but I noticed the real challenges lay watching my mum cope with the disruption, managing kids and wanting a home that worked for her and her health. Then getting older and realising that women were not able to manage projects and builders, let alone healthy homes, made me desperate to help them.
Q: What mistake are you glad you made?
Three days before launching Her Own Space, I realised I had built everything in the wrong platform and didn’t like how it worked at all. With the launch date already announced, I spent three straight days rebuilding it from scratch. It was exhausting, but it taught me how everything worked and with full control of the back end we can adapt really quickly.
Q: What’s one book, podcast or article you think everyone should read?
"What The Builder Won’t Tell You", by Judith Leary Joyce is a book which I contributed to and is a brilliant starting point to empower women homeowners trying to understand retrofit.
Q: Finish this sentence: ‘My purpose is…’
My purpose is to serve as the front for women homeowners across the UK to create healthy energy efficient homes successfully using bio based materials.
Q: One word you hope people use to describe you - and one word for Her Own Space?
Everyone describes me as empathetic, and for Her Own Space I'd say a “Women’s Movement” (I had to cheat with two words!).