This year, EY announced a partnership with SheWorks! to support and accelerate the platform in order to maximize employment opportunities for women through the gig economy. The initiative has the objective of leveraging this technology to create 100,000 job opportunities for women by 2020.
Why did you become an entrepreneur?
I’m passionate about having an impact and leaving this world a better place than how I found it. This excitement and drive have led me to create an ecosystem of innovative companies that leverage the power of the technology to connect companies with on-demand talent and make remote workforce management simple, transparent, and most importantly inclusive.
What’s the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur?
There are many challenges being an entrepreneur, however, barriers are always put up when bringing a new concept to the table that changes the rules and breaks free of the “norm” making it difficult to find initial supporters. Most people appreciate innovation, but when it comes time to change, putting words into actions, most will revert back to traditional systems and rules. I have been so fortunate to have had a valuable network of key leaders, advisors, and investors that embrace change and welcome the future of work with open arms.
What’s the key to developing successful partnerships?
Business is a contact sport and as such, one of the keys to establishing a successful partnership is to build relationships that are long term and mutually beneficial. You need to have access to the decision-makers of your prospective partners; find the internal champion who will help you lead to success, and navigate the complexity of large organizations.
In our case, at SheWorks!, we had significant momentum and support from leading companies such as EY, Danone, Pepsico, Google, and HBO because we firmly believed that doing good is the key to doing well, and were joined by companies who believe in the same concept. We made our goal to drive Women Economic Empowerment by moving from talking about how nice it would be to empower women, to actually doing something about it; our partners agreed and followed suit. We saw a global trend and an opportunity to make a difference, so we aligned our strengths: technology for transparency to create opportunities for women via remote, flex jobs to address an issue that was an emerging trend and later became a key driver of global agenda: Goal number five of UN Sustainable Goals: Gender Equality.
What does success look like for you?
For me, being successful is being happy.
I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to put my heart and soul into an initiative, and have found my voice to change the status-quo. I want the ability to inspire little, and not so little women to be their own person, stand up for themselves, speak out, and never give up – that’s what makes me happy. So, find your passion, your purpose, and find the small or big things that make you smile.
What’s one thing companies can do to build more diverse teams?
We are living in the digital era where the internet is one of the most important factors of transforming business practices. Internet technology enables companies to find talent from all over the world, wherever they are located and empower them to work remotely and with flexibility.
My advice for companies wanting to build more diverse teams would be to rethink their hiring strategy, steering away from traditional, obsolete, and rigid working schedules. If companies embrace technology and change the way they engage with talent they can empower women to work on their own terms, find a balance between work and life, work remotely, and transparently. Not only will flexible working arrangements attract more female talent that is available (51% of women leave the workforce due to inflexible working models!) but set the foundation for distributed teams to be built on trust, engagement, and accountability.
What’s your one piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
There’s no giving just one piece of advice – but here’s what I can offer:
1. Build a big company. Only big companies make BIG impact.
2. Be impeccable on your word: We are what we DO, not what we say we will do – and reliability is key for business success.
3. Find your tribe, and surround yourself with people you who lift you up and believe in you.
And last, build a company with a vision of social impact (join Endeavor!), set up for success, and success is what you will get – then pay it forward!
Endeavor’s #HerImpact series is part of our ongoing commitment to increase gender diversity within the Endeavor network. #HerImpact is devoted to elevating the voices, sharing the perspectives, and showcasing the professional expertise of women in Endeavor’s global network. Learn more about how you can get involved with Women in High Impact Entrepreneurship at Endeavor here: endeavor.org/whie
