Meet the Waterlooville mum banishing the loneliness felt by working from home

The businesswoman, who was working as a virtual assistant supporting leadership coaches, started a co-working space in a bid to banish loneliness, promote creativity and boost business. 

She said: ‘I felt lonely in my journey and would often compare myself to people who were chapters ahead – which was not useful! 

‘Working from home did not suit me, as a single mum and someone who suffers from anxiety, I was becoming more and more isolated which I know isn’t healthy for me. 

‘I knew I needed to get out of a rut and I started going networking. What I learnt was the importance of surrounding yourself with other people who were on a similar journey to you. 

‘I met some amazing people who I now consider as friends, and who have helped and supported me through this new business venture.

‘I am big on community, and strongly believe that networking is not about selling your business, it is about creating connections, something that is hard to do when you are sat in your home office wondering what next.’ 

After finding the perfect space in Jubilee Road, Waterlooville, five minutes from her Waterlooville home, Sarah took out a loan and set up ZW CoWorking, a stylish office space which allows people to book space from just one day, and meeting rooms by the hour. 

There is a workshop that can be hired in the evenings and weekends and the address can be used as a virtual office – for those who don’t want to put their home address as their business address. 

She also hosts free monthly networking events on the second Thursday of every month. 

Sarah, 44, took inspiration for the name from her Dutch roots, as ZW stands for Zeker Weten, which means definitely in Dutch. 

Sarah, who is mum to 13-year-old Ethan, said: ‘I want to help inspire others who want to start their own business and as someone who was a single mum on benefits, suffered from anxiety and had no clue about how to run a business, I wanted to show others that it can be done no matter what your circumstances are, you just have to believe in yourself and find a community around you who will be here to support you and be your cheerleaders.’ 

For more go to zwcoworking.com