Sandra-Stella Triebl: The networker

She laughs. And when Sandra-Stella Triebl laughs, you can be sure it can be heard far and wide. The reason for the loud outburst is the anecdote she is about to tell me. I look a little perplexed, not knowing the punch line yet. So, she was on a panel and sat on stage with a business man and brilliant Swiss networker. It was about how men network and how they bond. The gentleman told us, yes, he also goes to the sauna with his partners. There were 250 girls in the room and they all just laughed. What?? She immediately added a second encounter that was important for her. During an interview she had with a CEO of a watch brand, he said, rather patronizingly. "You girls have to learn one thing about networking. You have to experience something together. Always just going out to eat, that's not enough. We guys know that from the military, once you've been through the mud together, that's what bonds you." What is important, and here she becomes serious, is what she has learned from these men's testimonies. That experiences weld people together, that they do something, not just talk. Solidarity. That, Triebl says, is the only justification for a network. "We are not a doll club, our motto "What can I do for you?" is meant exactly that way. Getting something off the ground together, making a commitment to each other, that's the essence of a network.

The "Business Sisterhood

In 2007, Sandra-Stella Triebl launched her Sisterhood universe "Swiss Ladies Drive" with three projects: a print magazine called "Ladies Drive", a website, very innovative in 2007, and the event series "Bar Talks". Why all at once? "Because I've always said I'd like to know who reads the magazine. I don't want to have a black box of readers, I want to see them and get up close and personal." The idea of launching a magazine for women came out of necessity, or rather, a desire to read a business magazine where women writers were writing. "Men are facts- and figures-based, women tell stories," Triebl says. Many men around her didn't give the venture a chance and predicted an imminent demise. That only spurred Sandra-Stella on. "I was certainly a little resistant to advice, just followed my path."

To start the company, Sandra-Stella emptied her bank account and committed herself completely to the project. It was full risk. No net on the crash. She constantly seeks and finds authors for the issues that appear four times a year, talks non-stop with partners, with customers, with women at the regular bar talks, and thus spins a web that carries her to this day.

"It's not always cozy".

Every cent goes to the company, so other things have to take a back seat. Together with her husband, she lived for eight years in Appenzell in a house without a bathtub, without a dishwasher, with mold in the basement. "When you have that financial pressure, everything isn't always cozy." But it still helps her today, 14 years later, to prioritize and not get greedy, to make, not look at profit. Open your heart, let life in, keep at it, that's the motto.

Sebastian Triebl has been by Sandra-Stella's side since 1999, and they have been married since 2004. He is a musician. Seeing that his wife works day and night, he supports her when he is not recording a record or on tour. Meanwhile, "he owns half of the company." O-ton Sandra-Stella. "I was happy for the support, of course, but hey, I had married a rock star. And suddenly he's at home doing graphics, consulting and Internet. So we both had to redefine our roles. And now in Pandemic, we had to again, because he said, now you're there all the time, it's a bit of a nuisance." She laughs, yes, that loud, wonderful laugh again. "You just have to keep finding yourself." Today, they still live in Appenzell, in a house with a bathtub and no mold - but the humility has remained. "My house, my bank account, my car, my husband" are still of no interest to them. "Slow and steady wins the race," is the principle of life.

"League of Leading Ladies"

When a friend from the network suggested in 2013 that the bunch of "crazy chickens" could be turned into another business model, Sandra-Stella remembered the domain she had reserved for herself years ago. "League of Leading Ladies", Triple L instead of Triple A, as she summarizes with a smile. No sooner said than done. The business club is founded. Instead of a general meeting, there is a public conference to maintain permeability. Now this conference takes place annually. Four years ago, the Female Innovation Forum was added, an interactive concept where female founders pitch their product on stage, senior innovators give talks and share their experiences. Additionally, there is an Award Night with the Female Innovator of the Year Award. "When we do something, we do it smart," is how Sandra-Stella sums up the entire Sisterhood universe.The LLL Club is "ladies only." Everything else is inclusive. "After all, we can't promote inclusion and then not live it ourselves." But sometimes it's good for women to be among themselves, because "we have very diverse views. We agree to disagree. We often disagree. It's beneficial to simply readjust things, to question, to do things better. So you don't get fed up and comfortable." That's dangerous, he said. If you have a monoculture around you, only people who tick in the same way, who constantly pat you on the back, that's boring. Sandra-Stella Triebl is hungry for criticism, and she wants to stay that way.

Apprenticeship years

Sandra-Stella Knickenberg (Triebl since marriage) grows up in the Fricktal. With her mother, who holds the scepter firmly in her hand, two much older brothers and her father, whom she describes as kind-hearted. She is the nestling and an absolute wish girl. Until she unleashes her character, shrewd, sassy, cheerful and cheeky. This creates tension with her mother, which also leads to quarrels and incomprehension. "I was terribly demanding and equally talkative. I read an insane amount, my father indulged me in that." It is also the father who takes little Sandra-Stella to the children's opera in Zurich. "I still get goose bumps and start crying when I hear the music," she says, and becomes very quiet for a moment.

When a neighbor of the family invites 15-year-old Sandra-Stella to appear before the microphone as a radio talent, a love affair with the media begins that runs through her life until she finishes her studies. Finally, her mouth and brains have found an outlet. After graduating from high school, she studied biology, journalism and politics in Zurich. Wouldn't she have liked to go abroad, too? Her mom had cancer for 20 years, and her father developed multiple sclerosis. "Then it was clear to me, I can't go abroad. I want to take care of the parents." She has no regrets; she would always make the same decision again. It would be nice to have a study abroad program on her résumé, but she concludes: "I don't live my life because I want to have a nice résumé. Or I have to check off any checklists." Period.

After graduating, she had enough of the media for the time being and joined Zurich Financial Services in the Headquarters PR Department. But she misses the independent work there, wants more entrepreneurship and moves on. She gets a job offer from the Aargau government to manage the celebrations for the 200th anniversary. Sandra-Stella recognizes
the huge opportunity. 133 projects in one year with a multimillion Swiss franc budget. The team works day and night, transforming the third Baregg tube into a disco for the "Baregg 3 Fest". 400,000 people in the tube with deployment from the military. "I felt like I was saving 20 years of professional experience because it was all so condensed."

The project comes to an end. And now? The state clerk tells her that for a career in politics and administration she still has to work on herself a bit. Above all, she needs to better recognize the hierarchies and be better guided. Let herself be guided? I'm not a dog, she thinks to herself, and that seals the deal. She goes off on her own.

Sounds good, but how? Without any role models of strong businesswomen around her, Sandra-Stella is forced to go her own way, with all the detours, stumbles and falls. The man at her side, a firm belief in the flow of life, and her unwavering naiveté about things and people help her maneuver through the current of self-reliance. "People have a tendency to want to hold on to everything, to bring everything into status and put that on a shelf somewhere, and that's where it's supposed to stay. That's not my way of life," she sums up.

And then comes Corona

"It sounds cynical, but we've actually benefited from the crisis," she says. Swiss Ladies Drive with all its own brands is behaving like a speedboat in a sea full of sluggish tankers. Each unit is set up independently, concepts for webinars and hybrid events have all been in the drawer for a long time, even though there were no fixed locations for the live events at the beginning. Home offices are standard, as Swiss Ladies Drive never had an expensive office in Zurich City. The magazine is gaining new readers, the community is already sending short videos shortly after the first lockdown and sharing their experiences on the Sisterhood website. And what has Corona done with Sandra-Stella Triebl in private? "Corona has made me more submissive to life and to our fellow human beings." All the more important: "What can I do for you?"

Video podcast with Sandra-Stella Triebl

The portrait is based on Anna Kohler's conversation with Sandra-Stella Triebl in the video podcast studio.

SISTERHOOD: Swiss Ladies Drive

Magazine: "Ladies Drive" comes out four times a year and is written about by up to 30 women writers.

Website and social media started at the same time as the print magazine and keeps the community up to date with a newsletter.

Bar Talks, Events/Club digital/Club privé: Bar talks, digital club talks with guests, shared dinners with select speakers.

Business Club: Members of the club are entitled to a place at the bar talks, these are booked up very quickly.

League of Leading Ladies Club: Business club for women in international leadership positions with regular online masterclasses and an annual conference.

Female Innovation Forum: Full day event with interactive workshop as well as award night.