columns you wrote last month titled, "Don't Cry for Us, Silicon Valley," is about the lack of women running technology companies and about some of the women who are doing well in the high tech sector. Do you think it's hard for women to be successful in what may have been seen as a "man's world" and why?
S.L.: I think it is hard. It's an inescapable fact. There are just no women. There are a lot of theories about why that may be. One theory is maybe because the Valley's so male dominated with studies. Others think it's because of this old-boys network that exists and the fact that they just don't want to fund women. I think now we're testing whether or not these theories are true because Web 2.0 has really changed how you start a business. It's not so much about the technology now because you're building out the Web infrastructure. It's about marketing, brand and communications. The excuse of computer science is gone with the Web and you no longer need Venture Capital (VC) to get started. You can raise money. To me, the biggest thing is a lot of women want to have families. It's very different to be the dad versus being the mom. The way business works in Silicon Valley and the start-up scene is that people have to work so hard. Especially if you're an unknown entrepreneur trying to make your mark, you have to be in the scene and be out there building your product. I don't think there are a lot of women who are willing to make those sacrifices.
CDN Now: What's the biggest industry trend happening right now with Web 2.0 and where do businesses fit in with this phenomenon?
S.L.: When you're talking about existing businesses, in the late 90s, the way the Web was revolutionary, was that it was about being able to have a public face for your company where you were accessible to the public. Having everything in one place was really revolutionary in how companies were able to communicate with their customers. Now, Web 2.0 has turned that on its head, and it's about customers communicating back to the companies now. What's amazing about the Web is how prevalent it is now. (Businesses) should try to use the Web and social networks to their advantage. The way I always advise companies to go after this, is to think about the technology and the strategy. What companies should do is really think about who their audience is and decide what message it is they want to get across. Once they decide this, they have to be as specific as possible. Not "we're a leading provider of this...," and so on. Do you want the audience to know "This is a great place to start your career? Or, this is where you can find the best deal in this particular city?" Come up with answers to these sorts of questions. Then, think about the person who's going to be delivering this message through the network. If you have the wrong person trying to reach your audience, you're going to fail. There needs to be someone behind that tool.
CDN Now: What are some of the biggest challenges start-up companies usually face and how can they work to overcome these issues?
S.L.: It's tough for anyone starting out now, because it's a period where there's lots of business-model innovation that's still being worked out and it isn't so much about product innovation right now. There are so many companies that have been built over the past couple of years and they all look alike right now. I think there's a ton of money in the economy still that can back up a good idea. Entrepreneurs in the Web space should put off making money as long as they can. Once that entrepreneur has that killer product, than they
Post new comment