Eight key tips for female tech entrepreneurs who are just starting out
The world of tech startups can be challenging. Female entrepreneurs who are just starting their own company have to deal with the usual issues and problems any new business faces — as well as periodically overcome bias from their male counterparts.
There are a lot of things for new leaders to keep track of, from building the right team to understanding partners and investors to establishing connections with mentors. None of these issues are insurmountable, however.
To find out more, we asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council to share some of their experiences and offer their best advice for female entrepreneurs who are working to get their tech startups up and running. Here is what they said:
1. Don’t Focus on Your Gender
Don’t focus on your gender but on what you want to accomplish. The media makes too much of the idea of a woman in tech. It should be the norm, so don’t fall into the hype of it. Keep to the course of what you want to do based on you as a talented visionary. — Angela Ruth, Calendar
2. Follow in the Footsteps of Those Before You
Find women in tech who are doing what you want to do, and follow them across social media, sign up for their newsletter, and look at news articles about them. What do you admire about what they’ve done and how can you join them or incorporate it into what you’re doing? You will find what sets you apart. First, follow the road paved by the pioneers, then branch off to blaze your own. — Kerry Guard, MKG Marketing
3. Find a Mentor
When starting a new tech company as a woman, you can sometimes feel like you’re all alone and you can’t relate to your male peers. So, it’s important to find a mentor. It doesn’t have to be a mentor in the traditional sense, but find a female tech entrepreneur that you can look up to and communicate with from time to time. Finding a mentor you can relate to will help push you through tough times. — Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
4. Don’t Let Others Be Condescending
I see many younger female entrepreneurs in the tech industry be demeaned by their male peers. As a woman who runs a tech startup, I’ve had my fair share of my peers try to lecture or demean me (for a number of reasons). But after being in the industry for more than two years, I’ve learned to brush off rude or condescending behavior. — Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
5. Surround Yourself With the Right Team
One thing that is assumed is that you need to be an expert with decades of experience to start a company. But you really don’t. You just need the right team. You need to surround yourself with people who have the experience and expertise you don’t. If you have that team, you’ll have an incredible pool of resources to use and you’ll acquire decades of experience to support you. — Suneera Madhani, Fattmerchant
6. Don’t Settle for Subpar Talent
Particularly in the early days, the people you surround yourself with to execute your vision can make or break your company. Too often, I see female entrepreneurs “settling” for talent they know is not competent enough, believing that because of the stage of their startup, their budget, or just their own bias, “good enough” will work. Good enough will not. Hold out to find your aces. — Beck Bamberger, BAM Communications
7. Understand the Intent of Partners and Investors
As a young female entrepreneur entering into a male-dominated field, it’s very important to seek clarity in the intention of the people you meet with. I have found that myself and other female entrepreneurs have lost valuable time and effort in meetings and writing proposals with men whose intentions were not professional, but rather for personal interest. Communication in this regard is key. — Victoria Brodsky, BlockchainBTM Inc
8. Build a Rock-Solid Foundation
The most valuable asset you have is grit. The key is having “sticktoitiveness” despite what others may say. Carve your path and avoid changing your decisions based on others’ opinions. But remember, tenacity can only take you so far — you must still have the basics in place: a rock-solid product or service that functions, paying customers (or at least LOIs), and a reliable team investors trust. — Cooper Harris, Klickly
