Today we’d like to introduce you to Dee Foster.
Hi Dee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Reno, NV. I followed a boy to San Luis Obispo after high school. I went to school and worked at a shoe website warehouse that sold Uggs and Birkenstocks for three years. This was my first introduction to e-commerce operations, and I learned a lot about running a business. I didn’t graduate college because the boy I had followed graduated, we got married, and then we moved to Wanaka, New Zealand where he had been offered a job designing and building a home. In New Zealand, life was a dream. We did long beautiful hikes every weekend, played on community cricket and rugby teams, ate delicious food that was all raised or grown in our small town, and I found another great retail and ecomm job that ended up sponsoring me to stay for another year. We had to move to LA for my then husband’s job and we lived in a 150 sq ft studio in Laurel Canyon for the next four years. I worked in hospitality/marketing and events, retail, and ecomm before starting to do freelance work as a website designer in 2014.
In 2016, I decided to go back to school and finish my degree. Santa Monica College had just announced their first Bachelor’s Degree program, and it was perfect for me. It was affordable, accessible, and the degree being offered was in Interaction Design. I hadn’t heard of that before, but when I read more about it, it was like the degree was made for me. I had already started my career designing experiences for people both in person and digitally. I loved the idea of researching problems and designing solutions for them. I was accepted into the program’s first cohort, and it was the most invigorating and incredible experience of my life. The program, the teachers, the curriculum, the cohort! All changed my life. I am so proud of the relationships I built and the projects I worked on.
After graduation in 2018, I kept doing freelance work but focused more on research projects. Then in 2020, I decided to start my research and design studio, Wheeler Dempsey. There I was, and still am, able to help small businesses and startups launch their businesses. We do market and user research, brand design, website development, and more.
It’s so rewarding helping people bring their ideas to life, and for a while, I wanted to open a space where people could create, build, and work on whatever they wanted to. While I was in school, my friend and I would go to this place downtown to work, The Springs. It was this big warehouse space with a cafe, a yoga studio, and a bunch of open spaces for people to work and hang out. We loved it there and always talked about opening up something similar. After that place closed, we thought a lot about what we would have done differently and tried out some coworking spaces. For years, I had this vision of building a multi-purpose shared workspace. I would look at buildings from time to time, but I had a lot of other things going on (ahem oh yeah and that pandemic), so it wasn’t until earlier this year that I found the perfect space on my morning coffee walk.
Early this year, I opened Meadow, a small coworking space in Highland Park. It’s been a lot of hard work and incredibly rewarding. I have a lot of (big!) ideas for what could come next but for now, I want to just focus on creating and building a space to fill with community and creation.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve been working for myself for almost ten years now. There are so many struggles that every freelancer and small business goes through. Not enough clients, too many clients, money management—so many different things. I have always had to wear a lot of hats and do a lot of things by myself, which can be very challenging. But that’s what comes with entrepreneurship.
Outside of that, it’s hard-working for myself when something devastating happens in my personal life. My dad died last year, and I was right in the middle of two big projects. On one hand, people were all so understanding about giving me time and space to grieve. But then unfinished work started to occupy my brain, and I wanted to keep working so I could get it off my plate and really just grieve without worrying about everything that’s waiting. The work doesn’t stop just because something has happened, so it can be hard to find a balance.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Meadow is a small coworking space (like a coworking clubhouse) in Highland Park. We offer day passes and monthly memberships for people to use the space. We have communal work areas and a kitchen stocked with free snacks and coffee. There are also three rooms that can be rented by the hour: a private office, conference room, and phone booth. We are open to members 24/7 and to the public Wednesday through Sunday.
Background:
I had been wanting to open a physical location where people could build, create, and work for a very long time. I was running my research and design studio, Wheeler Dempsey, working with clients and contractors remotely, and always kept my eye out for a good commercial space. I looked at a few different spaces over the years and finally found the perfect little spot on York Blvd. right at Ave 50 in Highland Park. We opened on May 1st of this year, and we’ve been growing and learning over the last four months while building a kickass community of people.
It has been incredible so far! I am so proud of what I am building and of all the amazing people that have been able to use the space!
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Yes! I often find myself having career or creative “crushes” on people—people I’d love to work with or simply have a one-on-one conversation with. Whenever this happens, I use a few approaches.
If I see someone as a potential mentor or as someone I want to learn from, I craft a concise cold email to them. In the email, I offer to buy them lunch or coffee in exchange for what is essentially an “informational interview.” I’m clear about my admiration for their work and express a genuine interest in learning more about them. My aim isn’t to sell anything or even to network in the traditional sense; I’m there to genuinely learn and, quite honestly, to praise. Most people enjoy discussing their story and things they are working on and excited about. Give them that opportunity, and don’t hesitate to express how impressive you find their work. In my experience, such sincerity often leads to reciprocation, with them wanting to learn about you too. This then becomes your opportunity to share what you’re proud of. If there’s alignment or resonance, they might offer their support or to stay in touch. From there, I let the relationship evolve naturally.
If it’s someone I want to work with, I do my research. I follow their social accounts, read their newsletters, support their businesses, etc. By doing this, you will be aware of when opportunities to work with them come up. Maybe they need to hire someone with your skillset, or a volunteer opportunity, or just good timing to connect.
Most importantly, you have to believe in yourself and what you’re doing. If you don’t, it’ll be hard for others to. People will catch whatever energy you are giving, so be confident and go for it!
Pricing:
- Meadow All Access Membership – $235
- Meadow 10-day Membership – $195
- Meadow 5-day Membership – $130
- Meadow Day Pass – $26
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meadowhlp.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meadowhlp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deefosterwd/
- Other: https://www.wheelerdempsey.com/
Image Credits
Personal Photo and Photos of Meadow by Paula B Photography – https://paulabphoto.com/ My headshot and research shot are personal photos.
