"If we can do it, so can other women from different backgrounds": The Hoss sisters on building an empire

Stockholm-based Sharareh and Roshi Hoss sit in their brand new office on Eriksbergsgatan 8B, each of them looking effortlessly chic despite it being Monday morning. Roshi rushed off to swap her knitted sweater to a blue silk wrap dress as she greeted me, while Sharareh walked into the office wearing an oversized blazer she got at a flea market in LA, paired with a black fedora hat and blue denim.

The two women are not your regular business partners, they’re also known as the ‘Hoss sisters’, representing two out of four sisters from the Hoss household. Sharareh and Roshi decided to take their relationship to another level six years ago, when they launched their very own PR & Production agency called Hoss Agency.

Roshi tells the story of having recently moved back to Stockholm after spending some time in London working as a singer and an actress, while Sharareh returned to Sweden from having worked as a stylist in LA. Upon moving back to the country they used to call home, they were both looking for what they wanted to do with their lives, which ended up in them finding each other in a way they hadn’t before. “We weren’t really best friends until I was around 21 years old,” Roshi says looking at Sharareh.

Two years after they had both moved back to Sweden, the two wound up planning Swedish artist, and their mutual friend, Danny Saucedo’s 30th birthday party, which in turn led to the two planning Swedish influencer Kenza’s 25th birthday party, and then things began snowballing from there. Today it’s obvious that the two launching a company together was the right thing to do.

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While Sharareh had dabbled in some event planning back in LA, the two didn't have the relevant experience traditionally speaking. They didn't have, what they describe as, the ‘right’ education or the ‘right’ skills, but what they did have was the mindset needed to succeed. They further express how thankful they are for the influential people they have met throughout the years. “We're so thankful for them and we’re happy that it wasn’t even about support, it was about the people we knew wanting to actually attend the events we were planning,” Roshi says. “They wanted to have a good time,” Sharareh chimes in.

Although Hoss Agency has become an established agency at this point, the sisters still believe in maintaining relationships and connecting their network with their clients. “For us, we jokingly say that ‘PR’ doesn’t mean public relations, but personal relations,” Sharareh explains.

Their relationships obviously mean a lot, and they believe that an entrepreneur’s golden rule should be to be kind and humble. They look to each individual when planning events to ensure that every client feels seen and heard. Roshi compares their way of working to being in a relationship: “When your partner shows their appreciation for you, it makes you want to return that appreciation.”

What further drives the two sisters is the aspiration to inspire young women everywhere, specifically those that may not feel as represented within the industry. “I emigrated to Sweden from Iran with my parents and older sister, while Roshi was born in Sweden, but we both felt growing up in Falun, Dalarna, that we were missing representative role models,” Sharareh explains. “We didn’t really see any powerful women with immigrant backgrounds that had succeeded, and this was definitely a driving force behind us wanting to do this. If we can do it, so can other young women with different backgrounds.”

The team they have acquired represents their ethos, a team that consists solely of women - women with different educational and ethnic backgrounds, and in a varied age group. Roshi further explains the importance of representation, "We want to be part of change, to make change.”

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Firstly, the Hoss sisters believe that you should celebrate your background and put in the work. “Education doesn’t matter”, Roshi says. “Look at us, we’re the perfect examples of this. What does matter is putting in the work. Take a job at a restaurant, learn how to speak with customers, every single thing you do where you move forward, is an experience. There’s no right way to do this.”

Although the Hoss sisters firmly believe that it’s all about your attitude, they admit to frequently waking up with imposter syndrome, wondering if they are good enough at what they do, before realising that they just have to keep on working. Secondly, they believe in the power of the individual, and they are well aware that sometimes you have to work twice as hard as a woman, particularly a woman with an immigrant background. “It’s an industry dominated by men, by white people, and looking at us, we’re women, with an immigrant background, and we look good."

"Sometimes people wonder if you can be smart if you look good,” Sharareh explains. Roshi has in the past gotten the question ‘are you hot or are you smart’, where she believes the obvious answer is: both. “A man would never get that question,” Sharareh agrees. The sisters conclude that women shouldn’t have to question their worth in the industry, but that their approach is to continuously work hard and know that they don’t have to prove themselves to anyone.

Another aspect that has contributed to the women's success is how closely they work with each other and their employees. While Sharareh has the role of CEO, Roshi is the company’s COO, and the two are well aware that they have to work closely together to succeed. “We fight like sisters and we make up like sisters,” Sharareh says. “We fight, we cry and we laugh,” Roshi agrees.

Their close relationship translates into the company values, where they treat each employee like a member of the Hoss Agency family. They argue that the wellbeing of their staff is of utmost importance and that they would rather each member of the team takes care of themselves. “We try to see everyone’s needs, what do you need to be happy? Do you need to sleep in and come to the office at 10am?” Roshi says. “Or do you need to take some time out of your day to go to the gym? Our employees’ happiness is so important,” Sharareh continues. These values translate into a work climate without hierarchy, where they all help each other no matter what their role is, leading to mutual respect.

The sisters further believe that their success comes from being a brave agency where they don’t give in to fear. “We’re an agency that dares and we believe we attract clients that aren’t afraid,” Roshi explains. “We’re not for everyone, and everyone’s not for us, but we want to work with clients that aren’t afraid to have an opinion.” Sharareh believes that their bravery may lead to some prejudice, “sometimes people think that we only do crazy things, but we’re all about daring to make an impact, no matter how ‘crazy’,” she says. “We’re not a creative, crazy, agency,” Roshi continues. “We’re strategic in everything we do, we always look for the ‘why’ to the ‘what’, as in why are we doing this.”

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Six years in, it’s clear that Sharareh and Roshi’s hard work is paying off. When asked what advice they would give themselves if they could go back in time, they are both inclined to answer that everything would eventually work out. “I would go back and give myself a big hug,” Roshi says, while Sharareh responds, “I’d tell myself not to worry so much.”

Although starting a company might seem daunting to many, the Hoss sisters are thankful for their parents. After having emigrated to Sweden, their two Persian parents let their entrepreneurial spirit flow and launched their own businesses to see what would work out in their favour. “They started quite a few different companies and even though some failed, they kept working hard,” Sharareh says.

Their perseverance rubbed off on the two sisters and that’s why they’ve always felt that launching their own business has been quite natural, and that all you need to do is dare. When asked how they’ve tackled new challenges throughout the years, they say they ask the question “What could go wrong?”, to which they both give the same answer at the exact same time: “Everything.”