My first experience in the tech scene occurred when I moved to Chicago from the UK almost 10 years ago. I worked for a travel technology startup (which was founded by my husband!), called Where I've Been. I spent two years single-handedly managing their entire marketing strategy, helping them grow to almost 10 million members, before it sold to Tripadvisor in 2010.
After the acquisition, I spun off and started my own social media marketing agency, SocialKaty. I ran it for four years, built a talented team of social media marketers that managed online campaigns for big brands, until I sold the business to an award-winning marketing agency called Manifest in 2014.
I then moved on to become the CEO of Techweek, the nation's largest traveling technology festival. There, I had the fantastic opportunity of meeting all sorts of interesting entrepreneurs, VC's, engineers, and organizations that are huge proponents for the advancement of technology in their respective fields. It was at Techweek where I got the idea for my new business, Codeverse - the world's first fully interactive coding school and educational technology platform for kids aged 6-12!
You could say that the past decade has been extremely eventful for me, and I have learned a lot about business, the tech industry, and myself. I'm here to share some words of wisdom about my personal journey.
1. Regardless of gender or age, entrepreneurship is hard. Very hard.
If it was easy to start a business, everybody would do it. And let me tell you that your successes or failures as an entrepreneur have nothing to do with your gender.
Entrepreneurship takes hustle. It takes a constant willingness to learn new things. It takes pushing yourself, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, and continuing to move forward with a positive attitude. It takes asking questions and challenging everything. It takes focus, passion, and most of all, perseverance.
Anyone prepared to push themselves every day is almost certainly going to be successful.
2. Surround yourself with other amazing women (and men!) that will lift you up.
I'm fortunate to live in a city where there are multiple resources, conferences, seminars, and networking opportunities for women and girls. However, it wasn't always this way. When I moved to Chicago in 2007, I could count the number of women, at tech events, on one hand.
I recognized very early on in my career the power of networking. Every time I saw a woman at an event, I'd speak to her. Doesn't matter whether she was a web developer, a seasoned entrepreneur, a teacher, or a marketing intern, I made sure that I made the effort to speak to and share ideas with every woman I met.
I'm glad I did this for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, a conversation would almost always lead to a meaningful introduction to someone else. Secondly, I love hearing ideas and getting perspective from other females, especially those in a similar field as me. Thirdly, it is wonderful, useful, and empowering to have a support system of ladies who have your back!
Throughout my career, I have been exposed to great opportunities that I would have never known about if it wasn't for my network. It takes time (and stepping outside of your comfort zone) to create and build good relationships, but it is rewarding and worth it.
3. Define your mission, your vision, and your values.
Every great company documents and shares their mission, vision, and values with employees and the outside world.
Whether you're interested in becoming an engineer, an entrepreneur, or an executive at an established tech company, I highly recommend that you define your own personal mission, vision, and values.
Your mission - What is it that you are ultimately trying to achieve? What are your life goals?
Your vision - How will you go about reaching your goals? Who do you need to talk to/connect with? What new skills do you need to develop?
Your values - What do you stand for? What matters to you? What do you detest?
Why is this exercise important? Because your mission, vision, and values will become your guide for every decision that you make in life. If you're unhappy with your workplace, speak up. If you want to connect with like-minded women and expand your network, show up to events. If you want to build a multi-million dollar tech empire, never give up!
