It was three days of dialogue, thinking, and development of a community of independent workers in Porto, Portugal. The IndieWorkers Bootcamp united local freelancers and solo entrepreneurs to discuss the challenges in the field, the opportunities and how to enhance skills in different ways. Through workshops or lecturers, or even during the after-hours drinks, the participants integrated this active and the vibrant community from North Portugal.
The speakers included Jörn Hendrik Ast, CEO from New Work Heroes, who led a workshop about how to activate career superpowers. Vassilis Charalampdis, president of European Network of Creative Hubs, presented a talk called “The Survival of the Fittest” about developing creativity to adapt yourself into the market. Our CEO and founder, Lisa Lang, was also one of the speakers, and shared her experience as an entrepreneur with her talk: “From Freelancer to Solopreneur: the Delicate Balance Between a Maker and a Businesswoman”.
Lisa introduced to the IndieWorkers her challenges as an entrepreneur, since the beginning of her career. She shared her motivations and goals throughout fashion tech, how she was orientated by the idea of creating something new, to explore a new field and, in her words, “why can’t I be pretty and smart at the same time”? These all led her to her three brands, Elektrocouture, ThePowerHouse and OFundamentO, and new challenges as a businesswoman.
This was the first Bootcamp realised by Porto’s IndieWorkers community. The project is led by Tânia Santos, founder of Cru Cowork, a creative hub that combines a coworking space, an art gallery and a designer shop. It also incorporates the Thinking Spoon Association, which aims to promote culture, art and entrepreneurship in every form, as well as the progress of the cultural and creative industry.
Read more about the IndieWorkers Bootcamp 2019 in this blog post.
Get to know the project at indieworkers.org
