She is enterprising and at the same time missionary. The award in the category “Entrepreneurship supporting the Gdańsk Brand” means for her a stamp of support that what she does in O4 Flow, O4 Coworking, in Olivia Business Centre is good. Dominika Rossa, the head of O4 Flow, the winner of the “Gdańsk City of Entrepreneurs” plebiscite and gala, which is organized for the fourth time, talks about great responsibility, belief in the power of women’s business and the key role of cooperation.
Was the award a surprise for you?
Everything happened unexpectedly – a journalist from Dziennik Bałtycki called me to inform me about the nomination. I tried to find out who pointed me out so that I could say thank you, because it’s an extraordinary distinction for me.
Do you already know who was the perpetrator of the “confusion”?
Unfortunately not (laughs)! The editors are obliged to remain anonymous, but I have been assured that the acknowledgments will be given to the appropriate… Ears.
Do you have a long-term plan that allows you to support Gdańsk entrepreneurship so effectively?
The plan was created when I was wholeheartedly involved in the activities of O4 Coworking. From the very beginning, the professional dream was to have a feminine face of a place that inspires development, encourages entrepreneurship and, above all, supports women in their efforts to achieve their goals. Being at the forefront of change is an immanent feature of the strategy of the city of Gdansk, which is why O4 Flow fits so well into it.
Gdańsk by accident, or was it also a plan?
Gdańsk is my city of choice. I have lived in many places in the country and abroad and I am sure that Gdańsk is extraordinary. I feel an inner responsibility that if the city has welcomed me, I must also give something back. If I’m comfortable here, I want to make others feel the same way. That is why the actions I take are aimed at supporting a voice that is still too little heard in my opinion.
Do you mean women’s voice?
The power lies in cooperation and we focus on it at O4 Coworking and O4 Flow. Cooperation regardless of gender is extremely important, because each of us needs support in our actions. Observing the need for community, we wanted to create a place where we could take care of women – nurturing their potential and needs.
Does Gdańsk have an entrepreneurial face? How does it compare to other cities?
Looking at the Pomeranian statistics, many women choose to be entrepreneurs. The women I meet here are very active, have extensive professional and personal experience and successes that they want to share by offering support to their colleagues who are starting out. I have the impression that O4 Flow is like a lens that gathers women who may need something, as well as those who want to share their resources. In this way, we can create a platform for understanding and cooperation. This, after all, is our goal to create a safe place for women, while emphasizing cooperation and partnership.
Through your actions and the award, you become a symbol of women’s entrepreneurship in Gdańsk. How do you feel about it, it’s a big responsibility?
I’ve never thought of myself like that in my life (laughs)! I have a sense of responsibility for what I do. It never occurred to me to think of myself in the context of the symbol. I try to act in such a way as to be sure that what I do can help someone. I’m driven to work hard by a whole lot of signals: votes in the plebiscite, e-mails, messages in communicators, text messages. Sometimes they are a reaction, for example, to a smile towards the receptionist.
Fig. Opening of O4 Flow, October 2019
Did it turn out to be so significant?
We often forget about the small gestures that make our lives better. An e-mail from a lady who thanked me for smiling because she “brightened up a difficult day” confirmed my belief that it is worth being attentive to others. Life is based on relationships, and these are entirely in our hands.
You have something about you that attracts people. Apparently, even students don’t complain!
I’m sure that many people have reservations, after all, we are different, but I do quite well in the polls. I like people and it gives me a lot of satisfaction when I see the effects of the actions I dedicate to them. I want to empower and help them achieve their goals, make them dare to dream. I suppose this may not suit everyone, though.
O4 Flow means you know what entrepreneurial women want?
I know how to study and observe them. Am I guessing them? As a whole team, we ask questions and inquire, trying to build ideas based on conclusions from small conversations over coffee and larger ones defining expectations and challenges. For me, it is important that our residents emphasize that they feel good in O4Flow, they are happy when they come here. Recently I heard from one of the ladies that it’s a pity that it’s Friday. “I’m leaving and I’m a little sad that I won’t be here for two days “It was a total surprise to me.
What will the reward change?
It reminds us of responsibility. Looking at the number of votes and the exceptional group of nominees, I feel that what we do in O4 Flow, O4 Coworking, in Olivia Business Centre is good. So we’re going to ro keep going. The award makes us set the bar even higher, so we plan for a lot of good things to happen, We hope that the group around O4 Flow will grow, and the place itself will become synonymous with the female face of Tri-City entrepreneurship.
Interviewed by: Dagmara Rybicka, Olivia Business Centre
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Dominika Rossa , head of O4 Flow, a coworking space dedicated to women at Olivia Business Centre in Gdańsk, entrepreneur and scientist. Founder of the voice and speech studio Mystoria, where she teaches how to speak and speak clearly, confidently, cleanly and melodiously. She is the owner of the Umbrelka marketing agency, whose clients include international corporations (m.in. L’Oreal Group, Toyota Motor Poland, Coty, Spectrum Brands), strong domestic brands (Bank Pekao, Peako TFI, Runmageddon) and non-governmental organizations (WOŚP, WWF, Flower of Femininity, Cape of Hope).
For over seventeen years he has been involved in interpersonal and marketing communication. She is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, the Warsaw School of Economics and SWPS University. Currently, she is a PhD student at the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Psychology at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw. As part of her doctoral dissertation, she conducts research on narratives in the context of her own effectiveness in achieving goals. She explores women’s narrative styles and how they communicate, as well as efficiency, entrepreneurship, and motivation. Her interests also include women’s social and business roles (leadership, entrepreneurship, work-life balance) as well as communication in business.
She also gained her experience and knowledge on the international market, m.in. at S.H.A.P.E. – a base of the united forces of NATO forces in Belgium and in the United Kingdom, as a finalist of the British Council and the British Embassy’s Young Creative Entrepreneur competition.
She is a co-organizer of the Polish celebration of the World Voice Day and a member of the Society of Friends of the Polish Language.
He lectures on entrepreneurship psychology at the USWPS in Warsaw, and also teaches at the Faculty of Management at the University of Gdańsk. She conducts numerous workshops in the field of communication, public speaking, time management and teamwork. She is a mentor in international acceleration programs: Poland Prize/Space3ac and European Coworkings EOI.
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O4 Flow is the first coworking space in Poland and this part of Europe created by women with women in mind. It is a unique space for cooperation between businesses run or managed by women. Who is O4 Flow for? For entrepreneurs, freelancers, business owners or women working in corporations. In fact, it is for anyone who is interested in appearing in a new, different environment, which is created to help stimulate creativity, strengthen competences, develop themselves and their business.
More about the project…
