OEN NewsHow “chronic entrepreneurship” built startup Radious to last
“You can always go back to school, but business opportunities don’t always circle around again.”
That’s Amina Moreau’s philosophy, one that has taken the entrepreneur through five startups. She refers to herself as “chronic entrepreneur” instead of a “serial” one; her opportunities often align with life circumstances versus a dedicated desire to go out and start a new business.
“Entrepreneurship was never in my life plan,” she explains. “In my family, you become a lawyer, a doctor. But I will keep choosing this life again and again.”
While in college, Moreau “inadvertently” created her first startup. At the time, Moreau was a photographer and budding film maker looking to perhaps make a side hustle out of her hobby to afford newer equipment. Moreau and her co-founder of the company instead stumbled into a market gap they could fill and quickly found more success than anticipated. By graduation, a decision loomed: would she continue with her studies, or see where this business path was leading?
She chose to jump into the business with both feet.
“That initial company eventually became sort of an umbrella for a few smaller startups, some of which had small investments but mostly sweat equity,” she says. “A few were even acquired, and we got experience with the “exit” side of the business world, too.”
With those experiences, Moreau was prepared when a new opportunity knocked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreau and her partner had an Airbnb unit that lost valuable income when reservations screeched to a halt in 2020. Navigating how to safely operate a short-term rental unit at the time was overwhelming. Moreau began brainstorming how to get back an important cash flow source, as well as continue hosting others in some way, something she and her partner enjoyed.
“In a kitchen table conversation about how newly work from home parents would now need to manage life long-term, we talked about how we might make our unit more friendly for neighbors needing quiet space to work,” she said. “And renting the space by the day meant we wouldn’t have to deal with linens and other things in a pandemic.”
The idea quickly grew as Moreau saw major companies discuss selling off commercial real estate as significant portions of the workforce moved remote, some likely permanently. That long haul shift was going to need solutions, and Moreau began interviewing companies about what they might need in the new era of work.
“So many of them said they were going to need spaces for employees to collaborate,” she said. “And that’s where Radious was born.”
Radious helps individuals and companies find and reserve spaces for coworking, team building or onboarding days. Users can rent by the day or get team memberships or fractional leases. The spaces are located in neighborhoods and communities, offering comfortable space to work together without the commute or drab office feel. It’s a way to bring team members together as needed in a flexible format that makes financial sense.
Building Radious has been an opportunity for Moreau to learn even more skills. “I knew nothing about real estate when we first started,” she explained. “But the first 20 years of my career got me used to parachuting into a new industry and doing a crash course; it helped me learn that imposter syndrome is something we impose on ourselves.”
This startup has evolved a bit differently from Moreau’s past ventures, in terms of funding and growth. Radious has expanded from Portland to additional markets and has more coming down the line. The team has worked to “surround ourselves with experts and investors to advise us,” Moreau says, which has fueled fast growth since 2020. She feels having Oregon as a home base has been key to Radious’ success.
“There’s a reason I choose to be here,” she said. “Oregon has a blend of social activity and people who want to elevate each other—and you can easily escape to nature to disconnect and let your mind wander. That’s where the good ideas come from.”
The communal feel of Portland is reflected in Radious’ team culture; earlier this year, Moreau was able to step away when a family member passed and knew the company would still be forging ahead as planned. This reflects her own ethos for launching and nurturing startups.
“I’ve always built things with the goal of helping others or the environment,” she said. “While financial sustainability matters, that’s not the end goal. That’s just the means for the mission.”
For other entrepreneurs, Moreau encouraged “leaping” before you feel truly ready and not letting doubt slow you down. “There’s never a real “go!” signal,” she said. “Take that step even if you don’t have full belief yet. You’ll get there.”
Produced by A.wordsmith for OEN
