To celebrate International Women’s Day, we spoke to some of the women taking the UK tech scene by storm. These women are heading up some of the biggest technology companies in London, running extremely successful websites that help female entrepreneurs to network, and are founding some of the most successful up and coming start-ups in the UK.
We got in touch to find out what their secret to success is and discovered they all have one thing in common; these women will never put a limit on what they believe they can achieve in life and they are all absolutely fearless!
Be fearless!
“I am often quoted as being fearless, with the ability to “move mountains.” Success is defined by not being afraid to look at every situation and – to “#OwnIt” … When we are at peace with our abilities, anything is possible.”
Jennifer Arcuri, Founder of InnoTech Summit
Understand the sector
“Business success is driven by the execution of great products that match clients’ needs, and the ability to scale a business model. It has nothing to do with gender, so women can succeed similarly to men. They just have to understand the sector, start projects and work with both men and women, with no preconceived ideas.”
Nathalie Gaveau, Founder of Shopcade and PriceMinister
Live the life you want
“A woman succeeds in a sector dominated by men, by focusing on her own definition of success and achieving that, and not giving a damn what anyone else thinks. My definition of success is living the life you want and doing the work you want to do, in a way that creates and leaves lasting benefit in the world, and makes a lot of money in the process. I emphasize that last part, because we don’t get taken seriously as women, until we get taken seriously financially. I believe the future of business is doing good and making money simultaneously, and I’m out to do that with both my startups, IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn.”
Cindy Gallop, Founder of MakeLoveNotPorn and IfWeRanTheWorld
Channel your inner confidence
“Don’t focus on it being a male-dominated industry. Channel your inner confidence (even if it feels like you’re faking it sometimes!) You’ll find success by doing what you do best and just getting on with it. Success is following your passion and finding happiness in how you spend your life.”
Lora Schellenberg, Managing Director of Girls in Tech
Inspire others
“I never saw my gender as a barrier early on in my career, however as my career progressed I became acutely aware that there were less and less women around me. The numbers of female CTO’s and CIO’s has improved, however there needs to be an equal representation of both men and women at the top of our industries. I truly believe that women who hold senior technology roles have a responsibility to inspire other females technologists to pursue their true potential, be it mentoring, sponsoring or just sharing stories about their career paths.
In terms of success, everyones definition is different and mine changes daily. Sometimes my definition of success is merely to clear my inbox!”
Vanessa Vallely, Founder of ‘WeAreTheCity’
Be determined
“I think the easiest way to success is to be determined to succeed. I think that women hear ‘no’ more regularly than their male counterparts in this industry, however my choice is not to focus my time and energy on those that say ‘no’. I’d much rather keep searching for and focussing energy on those who are willing and able to say yes.
Success is relative to the person with a goal in mind. My vision is to give every child an equal opportunity to be successful using superhero characters and the technology we have at our disposal. Ultimate success will be seeing that vision become a reality. That said, I celebrate the steps I take in getting there – from the email from a parent saying my app has made a difference in their home, to winning an award, to a feature on the news or in a blog post like this. It’s a privilege to be able to do what I love to do, help others and make a change to the society we live in.”
Erika Brodnock, Founder of Karisma Kidz
Are you a woman trying to carve out your niche in tech? Let us know in the comments below…
Photo credit: deathtothestockphoto.com
The post How to succeed in tech – top tips from 6 female founders appeared first on Women Unlimited.
