Can I tell you a little secret? 🤫
Our featured Entrepreneur of the Month is Spark Program alum Tássia Rebelo, the mastermind behind Secret Club!
Secret Club is, to put it frankly, anything but secret, and you might have heard about it already. It’s a growing community and friendship network specifically for women in Helsinki, which helps to solve the issue of adult loneliness. Secret Club offers various monthly events and meetups for members, as well as a supportive, fun, and welcoming environment for women in a city where it can be challenging to break the ice.
The First Rule of Secret Club Is… We All Talk about Secret Club!
I sat down to interview Tássia the very day after Secret Club’s second anniversary, when they had a big party to celebrate two years of the community – an incredible milestone! She was excited to tell me all about Secret Club and reflect on how it all came to be.
In Tássia’s own words, “Secret Club is more than just a group — it’s a lifeline for women who, like me, were searching for that sense of belonging”. She went through this personal struggle herself when she first arrived in Helsinki and experienced major cultural differences between Finland and her home country Brazil.
“When I moved to Helsinki, I found it incredibly difficult to connect with people despite my efforts. Back in my home country, people are naturally talkative, and friendships form easily. But in Finland, I quickly noticed that introducing oneself to strangers isn’t common, and people often prefer silence. Even after learning Finnish and attending various social events, I realized how different the cultural dynamics were. I met people but found it challenging to create deep, genuine connections where you can laugh, chat, and be yourself.”
The frustration and desperation to make friends led Tássia to a decision that would change her life forever: sending out a simple questionnaire to other women in the Helsinki City’s Spouse Program, sharing a bit about herself and asking others to do the same. Little did she know, this simple email would garner incredible response from over 60 women in the program and lay the first foundation for the future Secret Club.
Now that she knew she wasn’t alone in feeling disconnected, Tássia organized the first Secret Club event: a small intimate 10-people coffee meetup in October 2022. The chemistry was instantaneous, and 2 years later, the community has now grown to be so much more than its humble beginnings.
“The community has grown since then. I started an Instagram account first, just posting whatever and whenever I have time. Then came the newsletter, and now we have a WhatsApp group of over a hundred women. We go to museums, have coffee, watch outdoor movies, and enjoy each other’s company. One member is even traveling with me to Brazil to meet my family!”
Never a Dull Moment at the Club
If you’re asking yourself ‘What does Secret Club do?’, a better question might just be ‘What doesn’t Secret Club do?’.
Secret Club offers various kinds of events for the community members, such as meetups, workshops, and even a book club. The theme of the events changes monthly, usually with an emphasis on Finnish nature and integration of new people into Helsinki. Tássia organizes the activities by herself, including setting the date, advertising the events, and bringing the people together.
“We have a paid monthly newsletter that has all the events in there. Each month, there’s also a theme for the events, usually it’s something to do with the Finnish nature. In October, the theme was ‘Coziness’, and for November it’s ‘Embrace the Darkness’. I write the newsletter, select the theme, and organize all the activities every month. The events and workshops can be about anything really. For example, we have two very different workshops coming: belly dancing and pasta making!”
At the moment, the business is still in its early stages, and Tássia is actively testing and refining her business model to create a sustainable and valuable service for the community. The recent introduction of paid events and paid subscriptions have been well-received by the club’s members as well. In the future, Tássia hopes to expand the catalog of activities based on the feedback from the community.
“We’re focused on expanding these offerings by carefully listening to our community’s needs and continuously iterating on what works. This phase is all about experimenting, learning, and building a solid foundation that will allow us to grow while staying true to our mission of fostering genuine connections among women. As a community-driven business, we’re always co-creating with our members. We’re constantly learning from feedback and adapting quickly. Every small misstep is a chance to refine our approach, stay connected with our community, and keep growing together.”
The big open secret behind the name
But where did the name Secret Club come from exactly? Tássia explained that the name came to her as she was trying to navigate the social dynamics in Finnish society. She quickly noticed how tight-knit the average Finn’s social circle is, which she referred to as everyone having their own “secret club”.
“The Secret Club name actually started as a placeholder. Before I started the community, I felt that people in Finland seem to have their own “secret club”, which I couldn’t get in. So I told myself that I’m going to start my own secret club one day and invite everyone to my club, so that I can completely transform that concept. Secret Club ended up being the perfect name, so it’s stuck until now.”
At first, Tássia could only reach international women. However, as the community began expanding and she established a paid business model, more and more Finns are joining Secret Club as well!
Interestingly, Tássia didn’t originally intend to run Secret Club as a business at all. When she first joined the Spark Program earlier this year, she had another idea to create a content studio, based on her background as a designer. However, during the course, she began to realize the business potential of Secret Club.
“Spark made me realize that this idea could actually become a business. I entered the program with a completely different concept, and initially, Secret Club was just an example for a class exercise. But as I worked through it, I started to see the real potential. My research revealed a significant issue: adult loneliness is a widespread problem, one that I could genuinely help address. With funding, I could expand my reach and make an even bigger impact. People are already telling me I’m on the right track, and I’m driven to take this further.”
Looking ahead, Tássia dreams of scaling Secret Club across Finland by leveraging technology to enhance its impact, with the help from the International Mentoring Programme for Female Tech Founders by Tech Nordic Advocates. Currently, she’s busy working behind the scenes with her team on how to expand Secret Club beyond the Helsinki region and connect with more people.
“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a team of optimistic and innovative individuals who thrive on creativity and problem-solving. Together, we turn uncertainty into an opportunity to create something truly special and impactful. We aim to use these insights to multiply our presence and create vibrant, interconnected communities throughout the country.”
Much More than Just a Club
Tássia created Secret Club out of the need to make friends and social connections. Now that Secret Club is going two years strong, what does the community mean to her? And what has she gained from it?
“It’s been amazing! I wish I had Secret Club when I was new here. I feel much safer here because now I have so many friends thanks to the club, and I have the feeling of getting closer to calling Finland my home. Career-wise, it’s something that allows me to use all of my skills, get paid doing what I love, and receive positivity and love from everyone. People see all the effort I put in and I get it back in return, which is very fulfilling. I’m a person who loves to give, so getting really good praises from members feels amazing.”
You can follow all of Secret Club‘s activities and events on the Secret Club website or Instagram page. And if you feel like being unapologetically friendly, give it a try and join the club!
Author & Editor: Evan Bui
Photo credits: Mika Mussalo, Tássia Rebelo
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