Published on: May 23, 2013
The founder and CEO of Stitch Fix explains why her company dodged the press, spent nothing on marketing and avoided hype in the initial phases of their startup.
By Jessica Stillman (Editor, Women 2.0)
Most startups would drool at the prospect of journalists knocking on their door desperate to hear about their business. Not StitchFix. When Fast Company came calling last year, CEO Katrina Lake was reluctant to be featured by the magazine.
“Stealth–not the hardly quiet ‘stealth mode’ we hear about so frequently–was a linchpin of her business plan,” explains a recent post dissecting this strategy and why it worked well for the San Francisco-personal shopping startup. Read More »
Published on: May 23, 2013
“If you want to go fast… go alone. If you want to go far… go together.” – African proverb
By Sumeera Rasul and Sheila Iverson (Founders, Madesmith)
We created Madesmith to tell the story of the makers who are producing well-designed goods locally and sustainably. We know that this is a very ambitious undertaking that demands a lot of resources to do it well and ensure that it thrives. In the short amount of time since we launched, we have received an overwhelmingly positive response from makers, designers, customers and everyone we’ve met. In the process, we have also created many close friendships with our community. We strongly believe that any new venture needs a very strong community to help it survive and prosper.
Here are some of the tips that will help you form and build a strong community to support your business, no matter what stage you’re at. Read More »
Published on: May 23, 2013
The journey of one Latin American entrepreneur has taught her the importance of choosing the right team and the benefits of accelerator programs.
By Angela Cois (Co-founder & COO, LastRoom)
My story as entrepreneur starts late and, unfortunately, it’s not full of impressive numbers or big successes. I’d rather say that it’s a story of building awareness and learnings compromise. I’m 30 years old and I launched my first company in 2010, curiously the same year I decided to be mom. To my parents, it was a strange decision, complete madness to my friends but the best thing I ever done for me. Read More »
Published on: May 22, 2013
Facebook COO and Lean in author Sandberg placed at #6 and Mayers placed at #32.
By Rachel Lehmann-Haupt (Editor, Women 2.0)
Tech titans Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayers were two of sixteen tech leaders on the infamous Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Facebook COO and Lean in author Sandberg placed at #6 and Mayers placed at number #32.. The list also included Google SVP Susan Wojcicki at #30, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood at #63, and HPs Meg Whitman at #15. Read More »
Published on: May 22, 2013
Companies that persist in picturing early adopters as exclusively male are missing out on massive business opportunities, claims Sephora’s CMO.
By Jessica Stillman (Editor, Women 2.0)
Who’s the stereotypical early adopter of tech innovations? For the answer look no further than satirical Tumblr ‘White Guys Wearing Google Glass.’ This white dude image might not be correct (in fact an African-American man is apparently one of the most prolific Google Glass testers, and plenty of women are trying it if not necessarily loving it) but it is the kneejerk picture that pops into many heads when they hear the phrase.
But not only is that image of early adopters totally wrong, writes Sephora CMO Julie Bornstein on Business Insider this week, it’s also terrible business. Read More »
Published on: May 22, 2013
A female programmer who worked in tech in the 80s talks about what has changed, and what younger female technologists can do about the sexism that persists.
By Jessica Stillman (Editor, Women 2.0)
Compared with farming or carpentry, computer science may be a fairly young field, but women entering tech careers today can still benefit from the wisdom of at least a few generations of women that have come up before them. What did these older generations experience, what has changed, and what wisdom can they offer younger women?
Those the questions tackled in a recent New York Times Sunday Review column by Ellen Ullman, a former software engineer and the author of the memoir Close to the Machine. Read More »
Published on: May 22, 2013
How do you get unstuck when life is not what you imagined it to be?
By Bo Ren (Technical Project Manager, Opower)
You’re in your 20s, a couple years into your first corporate job and you feel stuck; you’re in a less-than-ideal living situation; you’re in an unhappy and unhealthy relationship but you just can’t seem to leave. Let’s be honest, life is pretty low, underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time, and downright shitty. Your post-college years are not what you imagined. You thought you’d move to NYC, go to grad school, meet that Mr. Right etc…Instead you embarked on a circuitous path full of unexpected twists and turns.
This was me at 25. Less than ideal. Read More »
Published on: May 21, 2013
By Nicel Jane (Contributing Writer, Femme-o-nomics)
While women are equipped with the necessary skills to perform well as leaders, they are not exercising “the ability to self-promote.” They hesitate getting their accomplishments known to the people in the highest rungs of the organization resulting to their inability to get the support they need to advance.
This was one of the findings of the latest Conference Board of Canada report released May 2013. Donna Burnett Vachon and Carrie Lavis authored Women in Leadership: Perceptions and Priorities for Change which is based on the results of a national survey of more than 800 men and women as well as in-depth interviews with female leaders and women who are aspiring for these positions.
Read More »
Published on: May 21, 2013
“Women and men tend to network differently,” observed Anne Day, founder and president of Company of Women, a network for entrepreneurs in the GTA. “For women it is more about building relationships, while for men it is much more transactional,” she added.
By Leah Eichler (Founder, Femme-O-Nomics)
I may have to say good-bye to coffees.
Not the caffeinated beverage, per se. I subsist on 5 to 6 of those a day, but the activity of “having coffee” in an effort to network with a potential business associate. In my mind, enjoying a cup of coffee while engaging in stimulating conversation remains one of my favorite activities of all times. Add to that equation an iced caffeinated beverage on a patio in the summertime and you have my personal definition of nirvana. Why wouldn’t I try to turn that into a productive, work-related activity? Read More »
