Marilynn Joyner was one of 18 women out of more than 250 employees at a New York City commercial real estate brokerage firm, where she worked for over 12 years. Although she learned the value of relationship-building and helped navigate high-stakes deals and negotiations, she found it a challenging professional environment.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Her Workplace. Marilynn Joyner.
”There just aren’t that many women who are in even mid-level leadership positions,” Joyner tells Entrepreneur, “much less at that higher level. So I found it difficult as a woman to be able to look up to those mentors and role models and see other women who had carved that successful pathway.”
As Joyner continued to work at the firm, she also studied part-time to earn her MBA at Columbia Business School and London Business School. Still, without the adequate support or mentorship she needed, Joyner felt she “kept hitting a wall” in her career.
Joyner couldn’t find the type of resources platform she wanted for herself and other women — so she set out to build one: She founded Her Workplace, now an AI-powered career network dedicated to empowering women and non-binary professionals navigating male-dominated industries, in October 2023.
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In the early days, Her Workplace began as a co-working community. “Not many people know this because we’ve completely pivoted and rebranded,” Joyner says, “but it really felt like a natural entry point to building this network.”
Leveraging her relationships in real estate, Joyner moved Her Workplace into a Manhattan property formerly occupied by The Wing, a women-focused luxury co-working space and social club that shuttered in 2022, and paid 80% below market rate, or about $8,000 for $60,000 worth of space.
“They wanted career development that they could access anytime, anywhere.”
Her Workplace generated $250,000 in revenue in its first year and maintained a 30% profit margin, per the company.
Her Workplace hosted about 500 events in its first six months, but soon it became clear that its members had needs that extended beyond the physical space. “ Our members wanted mentorship, coaching and career development that they could access anytime, anywhere,” Joyner says.
So, last year, Her Workplace made a major pivot, expanding into a career development platform that harnesses AI to connect ambitious women with the resources they need.
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The custom-built, subscription-based platform is available via mobile app and web. AI takes member profiles, interests and career goals into account to match them with other like-minded peers. What’s more, the mentor platform allows members to book time with C-suite-level and executive professionals, while the coaching platform offers one-on-one in-person and virtual workshops.
“Essentially, it takes that challenge and guesswork out of networking and learning by curating the right opportunities for the right people,” Joyner says.
It’s proven successful.
To date, Her Workplace has hosted more than 625 events, both virtual and in-person; expanded beyond New York City into Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco; and tripled its membership and revenue following the rollout of its AI-powered platform last year. Next spring, Her Workplace will host its first summit in New York City in partnership with Nasdaq, Joyner says.
“ I’m building such an impactful platform that is going to change the future of work for women.”
Her Workplace has been bootstrapped since day one. Although Joyner has had conversations with venture capitalists and wouldn’t be opposed to taking outside investment, she’s not willing to settle for an investor who isn’t a perfect fit.
“ I’m building such an impactful platform that is going to change the future of work for women,” Joyner explains. “Our goal is to get more women advancing into leadership and managerial roles. We’re really focused on that entry-to-mid-level corporate woman, so finding the right investor to help grow and build and scale this platform is key.”
It’s also a matter of finding the right terms, Joyner says, noting how so many founders give up too much equity and control, then walk away with little to show for it after an acquisition 10 years later.
“I want to protect myself,” Joyner says. “I don’t want to dilute myself. I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into this.”
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As Joyner continues to grow as a leader — in addition to serving as founder and CEO at Her Workplace, she holds the same titles at her commercial real estate brokerage firm Canvas, launched earlier this year — she’s also tapping into the mentors within Her Workplace’s 60,000-strong community, which includes fashion founder Rebecca Minkoff, UrbanStems CEO Meenakshi Lala, Starbucks global chief brand officer Tressie Lieberman and so many others.
“We have some impactful, incredible women within our network, and it’s been so great for me, too, to build those relationships because I’m now in this executive-level leadership role,” Joyner says. “So being able to have them support me and support all of the women in our network stepping into leadership positions has just been incredible.”
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“ It’s really about encouraging women to take ownership of their careers.”
Joyner’s top piece of advice for women who want to thrive at work and become effective leaders is a “blunt” one, she says: Nobody is going to build your career for you.
You have to invest in yourself, connect with mentors, build your network, level up your skills and lean on resources like Her Workplace, which can open new doors for you, Joyner says.
“ It’s really about encouraging women to take ownership of their careers and not letting other people’s limitations or definitions of success define their path,” the founder adds. “They have every right to be successful and be a leader, and that’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way.”
This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.
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