Hello, lovely defties!
Last week, when I read this post by Sallie Krawcheck from Ellevest, it struck me to my core!
Sh****t! She's so right - and I hate it! Like clenching-my-fists-stomping-my-foot-roaring-like-a-tigress hate it!
I mean, I get it. As women and people in the minority, especially in tech, we are often the only one in the room that looks and talks like us. Over time, we build this armor around us against interruptions, having to prove ourselves time and again, microaggressions, etc.
And it still hurts.
So we do like a hermit crab would do, we’re crawling back into our shell to be safe…
And as founders, when we look around our family and friends, very often we’re the odd ones out. There’s no one really like us - again (sigh!). We quickly learn that we need to fend for ourselves, that nobody really understands us, we're in this alone.
And we get used to it.
Maybe we even start enjoying it a bit as we get celebrated for being the one who made it despite the odds, the first [insert a word other than whitecismale] founder. Somehow we become the proof that you can achieve anything if you just work extremely hard. Woohooo! Champagne, strawberries, flowers, lots of confetti (not recommended on a fluffy carpet, I’m warning you!) 🎉 You feel like a superhero!
And superheroes are supposed to be lonely, right?
Right?
Well, let me introduce you to the Marvel Universe1 *tadaaaa*
Turns out, even superhero:ines have a huge network of people with a similar mindset (we can do this!) and a collective mission (make the world a better place!). And if superhero:ines are not working alone - why should you?
Honestly: 👏 Why 👏 should 👏 you 👏?
We’re defties, we’re entrepreneurs, we’re in this together! We see you and we feel you. So tell us what you need, show up with what you can give, and form bonds with all the other amazing superhe…founders, builders, makers in this world :)
You owe it to yourself! Because you are a defty on a mission and we’re a team, remember?
What are you waiting for, huh? *tilting head*
Okay, okay, yes. Superman is actually from the DC Universe, but hey, let’s not get petty here.
Image Credits: Hermit Crab, Superman, Marvel Universe, Preview Image ‘Hands’