Career tips and advice for entrepreneurs and women in tech-- all from Washington DC!

1. 29 TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
& WOMEN IN TECH

2. ALIYA RAHMAN
Program Director
Code for Progress
Rise Together.
“Remember that no one really does it alone -
and if they claim as much, they're leaving
something out of the story. Set concrete goals
around boosting the capacity of other people's
projects, give lots of credit to those who work
alongside you, and turn solo ventures into
community building projects.”
@AliyaRahman

3. AMY WILKINSON
Author & Senior Fellow
Harvard University
Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable.
"When you are trying to solve a problem that no
one knows the answer to or come up with an
unexpected insight that might crack open a new
market, you face a myriad of questions, uncertain
decisions, missteps and U-turns along the way.
Creating something new requires courage. The
promise of entrepreneurship isn’t that it’s easy, but
that it’s worth it.”
@AmyMWilkinson

4. BONNIE BOGLE
COO
Mapbox
Have high standards.
“...for yourself and your work, for your
company and its goals, and for the
people you work with. If you're not fired
up about all three, make a change.”
@Bonnie

5. COURTNEY
WALLACE
Software Engineer
BlueLabs
Research & take notes.
“One thing I did when I was starting out was to
write down every technology that was talked about
that I didn't already know about. I would later take
some time to research it, at least a little bit, and
then next time someone brought it up I would have
some knowledge about that technology so I could
either contribute or at least be able to follow the
conversation.”
@CourtPholio

6. CARLA VALDES
Founder, CEO
Handpressions
Don’t make assumptions.
“It's easy to get wrapped up in what-if situations
and to overanalyzing what went or would could go
wrong. Focusing on assumptions can make your
mind spin and be very unproductive. Remember to
bring yourself back to the facts. Who are your
customers or users? What does the data tell you?
Facts are key to determining a successful strategy.”
@CarlaMValdes

7. DAYNA GRAYSON
Partner
NEA
Don’t be afraid of failure.
“Successful entrepreneurs and executives alike
say that their best experiences were ones they
ultimately failed at. It’s no different for women. You
must be able learn from these, pick yourself up,
and gain the experience to navigate waters more
successfully next time. Be confident about the
value of these experiences and recognize that they
can make you more prepared to succeed.”
@DaynaGrayson

8. DONNA HARRIS
Co-founder
1776
Embrace your talents.
“Everyone has a gift or talent to offer the world -
don’t squander it by being afraid. If you have
ideas, embrace them, start socializing them
with others and listen to the input you get. You
never know when the person standing next to
you might be the one person who can help you
succeed.”
@dharrisindc

9. ELISE WHANG
CEO & Co-founder
SnobSwap
Validate your ideas.
“If you have a brilliant idea that is SO exciting it
keeps you up at night, you owe it to yourself to
go explore it! A good test is to bounce it off
complete strangers who maybe in your target
market to see if it sticks. Gather the feedback,
let it sit for a few days or weeks and see if
you're still in love with your idea.”
@EliseWhang

10. EMILY WILLIAMSON
Co-organizer
Rails Girls DC
Rally the men.
“Sometimes the best way to get more women
involved in tech is to rally the men. Men can be a
strong force in encouraging women they know
who may be too shy or lacking confidence to get
involved with tech. I've met numerous women,
and include myself in this list, that have found
tech and development through a man in their life.”
@DistrictEm1

11. GEORGIA BULLEN
Field Operations Technologist
Open Technology Institute
Ask questions and be direct.
“Most of the time we're worried that being direct
will make us seem aggressive or nosy, but that's
more about the delivery of the question or the
context at the time. The more direct you are the
less likely that there's ambiguity about what's
being done, who's in charge of it, how it's going to
happen and why it's even happening in the first
place.”
@GeorgiaMoon

12. HIBAH HUSSAIN
Public Policy Analyst
Google
Champion other women!
“[Make] the conscious effort to publicly support
one another's work. This is especially effective
for women like me who struggle with self-
promotion-- by paying it forward and fostering a
collaborative, supportive environment, you end
up in a much better place than you would
otherwise.”
@HibahSays

13. JACKIE KAZIL
Founder, PyLadies DC
Co-founder, GeoDC
Organizer, Django District
Push boundaries, and don't be afraid of anyone or
anything.
“Push boundaries, and don't be afraid of anyone of
anything. When you are intimated, ask yourself,
"What real power does this thing that intimidates me
have? What might I lose by pulling back, and what
might I lose by pushing forward?" If you are going to
die by pushing forward, then you have a real reason.”
@JackieKazil

14. JENNY ABRAMSON
President & CEO
LiveSafe
Think big!
“As a leader, it is important to decide how
you can have the most significant impact.
Pick big things that can move the needle.
That said, at the end the day, all the
building blocks matter, so don't be afraid
to dig in and get your hands dirty.”
@AbramsonJenny

15. JESSICA JACOBS
Director of Innovation
Aetna
“Deserve your dreams.”
@jess_jacobs

16. KRISTiN MUHLNER
CEO
New Brand Analytics
Be present with friends & family.
“The world isn’t going to end if you go on
vacation and aren’t available. In fact, it’s
probably good for the rest of the team to figure
out how to survive. I love what I do and I hope I
get to do it for a very long time. It’s equally
important to me that I am mentally and
emotionally present for my family and friends.”
@KMuhlner

17. LAURA MCGUIGAN
VP, Design Maven
TrackMaven
Take a leap of faith.
“It can be an intimidating but necessary
challenge for your career. You will be given
opportunities you didn’t expect but the
growth potential as a result will only set
you up for further success down the road.”
@grafxnerd

18. LEAH BANNON
Co-Captain, Code for DC
Organizer, Tech Lady Hackathon
Product Manager, GSA 18F
Google it.
“Smart techies just know how to work through
problems and find answers -- and they're willing
to work hard to figure it out. How? Google your
question. Start curating a list of great places to
check – people or organizations who you know
“get it” and are doing cool things. If that doesn't
work, ask a friend.”
@LeahBannon

19. LEAH BELSKY
SVP of Operations, Kaltura
Board Member, Public Knowledge
Engine Advocacy
Embrace the flexibility.
“Running a startup gives you the flexibility
to control your time, team, work
environment, and priorities in a way that is
so very rare in this town. Embrace this
power and use it to build the life and
company of your dreams.”
@leahbel

20. LISA FOREMAN
Founder and CEO
Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu
Network, Network, Network.
“Networking is priceless. It can help you
find a mentor, a job, and new
connections. You never know when a
connection you've made will come in
handy.”
@womencyberjutsu

21. MICHELE
WESLANDER QUAID
Chief Technology Officer (Public
Sector) & Innovation Evangelist at
Google
Trust your gut instinct.
“Stay true to yourself and your
convictions. Have the courage to
speak truth to power.”
@michelewq

22. MISTY MELTON
Founder & Chapter Leader
Girl Develop It Baltimore & DC
Be the solution.
“If there's a gap in the community around you
that you'd like to see filled, step up and create
that resource! All it takes is willingness to be the
person that takes the lead. You are just as
capable as the next person and even better
equipped because you bring passion and a
drive to see the change.”
@m0onb4by

23. RACHNA
CHOUDHRY
Co-founder & CMO
POPVOX
Know the problem.
“It’s critical that you’ve experienced the pain-
points of your users or customers. If you know the
problem first hand, it’s likely you’ve been thinking
about solutions for years — and you’re a founder
with issue expertise. Trust your instinct as you set
out to build your company and solve the problem,
but make sure you validate your idea with others.”
@rachnacDC

24. ROSEMARY
WARDLEY
Senior GIS Cartographer
National Geographic Maps
Be open to opportunities.
“Especially early on in your career, saying yes to
a side project or favor that a colleague asks will
broaden your skills and create connections
outside of your division. Everyone has a
different definition of what 'tech' means,
embrace your tech expertise and be willing to
learn about others'.”
@RosemaryDaley

25. SHANA GLENZER
VP Social Marketing
SocialRadar
Offer to help.
“When starting out, make a concerted effort to get
to know others in the DC tech & startup
community. Remember to support their endeavors
by offering to help in any way you can, whether it’s
volunteering your time or being their public
advocate. When you focus on building a few
honest relationships from within that community,
you'll be glad you did.”
@ShanaGlenzer

26. SHANNON TURNER
Software Developer
Founder of Hear Me Code
Learn something new everyday.
“In this field, no one knows everything
-- and you don't need to. The most
important skill to have is being able to
learn something new every day and
using your mistakes as a way to grow.”
@svt827

27. SONG PAK
General Counsel
Revolution Growth
Practice confidence.
“Make an effort to practice confidence
everyday. Make the tough ask in a negotiation,
propose that off-the-wall but potentially brilliant
idea, make your voice heard. You will not
always get what you want, but sometimes you
will. And, no matter what, you will be flexing
that confidence muscle and making it stronger!”
@revolution

28. SUSAN TYNAN
CEO
Framebridge
Trust yourself & charge ahead.
“When you solicit career advice, remember that
most people are risk averse. And the people
who care about you the most are the most
likely to want to protect you from failure. So, if
you feel confident in your big idea, you may
have to filter out some cautious feedback.”
@SusanRTynan

29. TAMMY WINCUP
COO
EverFi
Get comfortable with the unknown.
“The journey will never be linear, so
embrace the turns. Become the competent
team player that can deliver. You will make
mistakes, claim them, and then keep
going. It's a recipe for a career of no
regrets.”
@TMWincup

30. VERONICA ERB
Co-chair
Information Architect (IA) Summit
Be intentional.
“Whatever I do, I gather input,
experiment, and customize as I go. I do
my best work and build my best
relationships when I give myself time to
find what works for me.”
@verbistheword