🙌 Be bold, master uncertainty and make brave decisions

Feeling unsure about the future? Don't let that hold you back!

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat Spring Edition 2023

Master uncertainty and make brave decisions

This is the ultimate key message that our panelists Ella Stadler-Stuart and Ondine Riesen shared with our community at the last #WeCoCo lakeside chat hosted by our founder Patrycja Pielaszek at the beautiful lake of Zurich:

• listen to your gut feeling

• understand your core values and stick to them

• stay true to yourself no matter what others may think

• not doing anything is worse than the feeling of failing at something

• stay open to learn from others and ask for help!

When women stick together, they can move mountains!

Women can be so powerful when they join forces, rather than seeing other women as competition or a threat to you it’s so important to realise that we all have common goals, are all equal and all deserve each others support. Women have worked so hard to get to where we are today, we have to stand up for ourselves and stand up for #equality , this can only be made possible by putting on a united front, let’s bring back true sisterhood!

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

WeCoCo LakeSide Chat

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

WeCoCo lakeside Chat

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

Feeling unsure about the future? Don't let that hold you back and re-connect with your tribe! Be bold, master uncertainty and make brave decisions.

Let's connect, collaborate and create a better future together—this is the foundation of a powerful tribe of women in business inspiring and supporting each other!

📣 Next WeCoCo Lakeside Chat

Are you wondering how to find your voice as a woman in the fast-paced worlds of business?

In a landscape often dominated by male voices, uncovering your unique strengths and perspectives is not just empowering—it's essential.

Dive into a deep panel discussion for building confidence, leveraging your skills, and carving out your space. Discover how to transform challenges into opportunities and silence into a powerful narrative.

Ready to amplify your impact and lead with authority?—Your journey to finding your voice starts here!

Join our next WeCoCo Lakeside Chat with Melanie Kovacs and Christopher Lübbers who have a lot to share from their own journey and many years of experience.

🎟 Tickets are limited, so don't miss out, register now!

When:

🗓 Tuesday, 25 June, 18h00-20h30

Where:

📍 Collab22, Seestrasse 42, 8802 Kilchberg/ZH

What:

📣 Panel talk • Q&A • Networking • Apéro riche by James Jar & Co.

Save your seat here!

From the IKEA bag to a professional logistic in a feminine and powerful co-creation

The co-story of Oilspiration

You start as friends, who have a good idea, which is then turned into a shared business. Sadly, it is not uncommon that a business partnership causes a break in the friendship.

When we first met in 2015 we connected over Yoga, Food, Nature, and a love for traveling. In 2017, we started to dive into the Essential Oil world together and noticed soon that there were a lack of good, funky and sustainable aromatherapy supplies (i.e. glass bottles, books, diffusers, etc.) to mix our own blends, support a chemical-free household, and dive deeper into various topics related to essential oils. Even more difficult to get the right educational and inspirational literature in German. Shops in our neighboring countries often don’t ship to Switzerland or have high shipping costs, and then the additional import cost really makes it not a fun shopping experience. Of course, cheap products can be found in Asia, however, we were trying to find sustainable products.

So there we were. Two Essential Oil Lovers, frustrated about the accessories side of it. We knew that we were not the only ones, being dissatisfied with the possibilities in Switzerland to lay our hands on essential oils accessories. Over lunch, we had the idea to start a business, that way helping ourselves and all the other Aromatherapists and Oil Lovers out there. No sooner said than done. We began by researching wholesalers around the globe - a sometimes quite tiring and frustrating task. And ordered our first batch. Found a name ...

... and set up a website and an Instagram account. And here we went. Mind you, we had no business plan and did everything pretty much in an “off the bat” manner. All we wanted was to work sustainably and build on organic growth. We were not at all in a hurry.

During the first months, we took the first orders ourselves to the post office. First under the arm and over time we needed one of these big blue IKEA bags. And then two. After a little bit more than a year, the number of packages to be shipped became so high, that we arranged for the Swiss post to come and pick them up. We still did all the rest of it ourselves: pack the packages, print the invoices, print the labels, etc.

In 2020 fortunately the business became so big, that we had to consider two things: outsourcing the packaging and shipping part and the form of our collaboration. Therefore, we founded a GmbH, and we found an institution that was ready to take over the packaging and shipping part. Regarding the latter, it was imperative to us to work with a logistic company that was in line with our values and has a social impact. That is why we chose a Swiss institution committed to the social and professional rehabilitation and integration of people with mental or physical employment impairments.

We try to avoid plastic as much as possible and are always looking for alternatives. In addition, we mostly ship a large part of the packaging “reused”

That means we buy as little new packaging material as possible (and if we do, then plastic-free) and use existing material. We are always striving to improve and look for ecologically compatible solutions.

As for our relationship, we experienced an opposing trend. Often people start as friends, who have a good idea, which is then turned into a shared business. But sadly, it is not uncommon that a business partnership causes a break in the friendship. In contrast to that, our friendship deepened. We developed an effective, feminine, and joyful way of doing business. Besides a wonderful and effortless co-creation, we are now Best Friends, Sisters by heart, and go through the ups and downs of not only the business but also of life.

Visit Oilspiration for more information.

About Andrina & Nadine

Andrina Tisi

Life Curation Coach & Mentor, Yoga Teacher, Essential Oil Specialist

www.andrinatisi.com

www.oilspiration.ch

Nadine Brotschi

Female Empowerment Coach, Yoga Teacher, Essential Oil Specialist

www.nadinebrotschi.ch

www.oilspiration.ch

✳️ Ting — a community shares money for more potential

This is the story of a pioneering civil society project that shares money to unlock human potential. As a member of the Ting community, you can draw money from a joint account to pursue your own dreams. Ondine Riesen, co-founder of Ting, about the vision and power of the innovative network.

Ting Pioneering Project & Community

Strangers gift you money for six months without knowing what exactly you'll do with it?

That's a question the Ting community is often confronted with. The simple answer is yes. The differentiated one is: Ting is based on trust because it is not the control factor that determines the major development steps. Therefore, Ting questions pure meritocracy and believes in human potential.

The Ting Effect

The basic assumption of Ting is: If (just enough) money is freely given, without performance requirements or time stress, then new things can emerge. Some questions behind this assumption are: How do we create sustainable success in everyday life, less financial pressure, or more time for individual development? Are potentials and ideas lying dormant for economic reasons? The basic attitude at Ting: No matter who you are, you have huge potential, and we support you! And the numbers show the need: 160 months (more than 13 years) of community income have been paid out so far, and currently about CHF 25'000 is shared monthly. But the goal is not primarily the profit in a monetary sense, but rather the profit for society. We want to get to know ideas and projects that are stuck somewhere in overcrowded heads. We want to liberate them, to inspire and empower the makers.

Has it been worth it so far? You bet it has: We can tell of wonderful examples. Evelyn, for instance, has founded a sustainable do-it-yourself pattern label thanks to community support: Lyn Studio. Or Florian, who launched a platform for Swiss food cooperatives. Or Muriel, who created a coaching program tailored for makers. The list is long and can be tracked online at any time.

Thing Community

A bit of Ting history

Ting was created about three years ago. Have you heard of unconditional basic income? It's a radical vision that, according to initial research, has a lot of potential for a more satisfied and productive society. Ting can be seen as a little sister, it is not completely unconditional, but we launched it as an experiment for the future. Currently supported by the Migros Pioneer Fund, the motto is: Better go for it, observe and adapt than just dream. Or: Together, there is more in it for everyone. Ting now has over 370 members, and new ones join every day. Ting is driven by a diverse and interdisciplinary core team. We all really believe that a trusting mindset and collaborative actions can make society more sustainable.

"Our belief is that there are many ideas in society. But often the people behind them don't have the energy, the time, or just the resources to focus on those ideas."

Ondine Riesen, Co-Founder Ting Community

About Ondine

After her Master in Fribourg (politics, history, human rights), Ondine gained a variety of experiences in the federal government, journalism, and the nonprofit sector.

She is the co-founder of Ting, the link between community and team, organizes inspiring events, gives interviews, and represents Ting in public. And a fun fact about her is that she loves her self-chosen hometown, Biel, even more than bus rides in autumn.

How does Ting work

It’s actually quite simple: many different people pay money into a community account, and this money is disbursed back staggered to the community as temporary basic income. All those who have an idea of their own can draw money from the joint account. This idea (in Ting lingo “development”) must meet four criteria. It must be intrinsically motivated, should have a positive effect on the biography, should contain a value for society, and has to be legally compliant. To implement this redistribution of funds, Ting makes use of the so-called apportionment procedure (similar to the Swiss AHV). There are three membership forms: Enable, Boost, and Transform. What makes the difference? As an Enabler, you invest in people without return; as a Booster and Transformer, you can draw the mentioned money.

A lot of digital for a lot of people

Anyone who now thinks of dusty machinery with high overhead costs: you’re so wrong. The majority of processes at Ting are digital and automated. For example, who decides who gets to draw money? Everyone in the community! Everyone who wants to can participate as a reviewer. Digitally, reputable, democratically, and anonymously: the diverse community decides self-determined on the use of the community money. And that's not all: Every member has access to a forum for exchange and a cockpit with graphics to drool over. The entire knowledge about community development, income, and expenses as well as other entrepreneurial aspects are thus available to everyone and not just the core team. Full transparency thanks to the digital space. Hurrah. But why? When the technical-administrative processes are automated, on the one hand, money is saved for the community and on the other hand, everyone has more time for what is really important: the people. This creates a strong network that not only shares money but also experiences and knowledge. We also organize frequent get-togethers, collaboration- and community events and are constantly evolving to connect more people with similar values.

Diversity makes for a resilient community

The Ting members are very diverse. An aspect that is extremely important to us. Ting is ideally meant to fill gaps in the system and is therefore open to everyone. On the one hand, Ting should help everyone who falls through the cracks in the process of finding forms of funding, grants, and self-financing. On the other hand, it also breaks social patterns. The percentage of women at Ting is, for example, high. We have many female members who apply for the money. Most of them apply for money for their personal development, that is, for further education or training, or for self-employment. No wonder a need is felt here: many women are modest because that's how we were socialized. It is harder for us to stand up confidently and say: I have a great idea, and now I need money. Our members, who only support and do not receive money (= Enablers), also come from very different corners: Whether future-oriented thinkers with a heritage or full-blooded entrepreneurs in search of a meaningful donation portfolio, up to average earners - the bunch is very diverse. And that makes us equally happy and thankful.

"Ting is like break dancing. Everyone gets to be in a circle for a change while the others cheer."

Ondine Riesen, Co-Founder Ting Community

Ting - in a nutshell

Ting is the community that creates space for change. With monthly contributions, we generate common wealth, which is available to all members as temporary income. This redistribution creates space for new ideas, innovation, and reorientation. We share money, invest in people, create time, advocate for more opportunities and shape the future. Interested in the concept of Ting?

Watch the video below in German or join the community online 🔗 Ting Community