Why We Need To Encourage Girls To Learn How To Code

Kathryn Minshew, Founder & CEO, The Muse & The Daily Muse

"Just pretend you're a man and go with that." "I got this advice while raising a seed round for TheMuse.com, and it was terrible. The same behaviors don't always come off the same way from a man vs. a woman, and I could have saved myself a lot of trouble by eschewing the 'startup founder in hoodie' ideal and trusting my instincts earlier."

Photo courtesy of Kathryn Minshew

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Christina Wallace, Co-founder, Quincy Apparel

"Sit tight, pay your dues, and let your work speak for itself. People will notice you and give you opportunities at the right time."

Photo courtesy of Christina Wallace

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Cindy Gallop, Founder & CEO, IfWeRanTheWorld & MakeLoveNotPorn

"Your problem, Cindy, is that you're thinking too big. You need to think really small." "Worst career advice I've ever received, from a VC to whom I was pitching my startup IfWeRanTheWorld."

Photo courtesy of Cindy Gallop

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Brenda Romero, Chief Operating Officer, Lootdrop

"Oh, Brenda. Don't do it." "The translation of this advice is, 'Stay away from potentially controversial topics and risky projects including starting your own business.' What if you fail? What if you stir up trouble? Staying the status quo and doing only the known thing are sure routes to mediocracy and intellectual stagnation. "I have created games about challenging topics that no one else dared approach and, as a result, found new ways to educate people about difficult historical topics and opened many eyes to the power of games."

Photo courtesy of Brenda Romero

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Rachel Sklar, Co-Founder, Change The Ratio & TheLi.st

"I wouldn't ask for too much. The economy is pretty bad. You're lucky to have a job." "[This] from a friend of mine in 2009 who came from a VC/private equity background, on how I should broach the equity discussion around Mediaite, for which I was employee #1 and recruited the entire core team. I candidly admit that I knew very little about norms around startups and equity back then, despite being a former corporate lawyer. "Now that I am much more aware of how key early startup employees are compensated I am amazed that my friend -- who really did know -- reinforced all the tropes around women (that they shouldn't be pushy, that they are lucky, that they should just be happy to help, etc.) "It's my mission to let women know, loudly, that they should know what they bring to the table and what the market value of that is, and what it will mean to the organization, so they can be clear on what they ought to be entitled to -- and that even if they are lucky to have a job, well, that job is lucky to have them."

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Kellee Khalil, Founder and CEO, Lover.ly

"Failure is for failures."

Photo courtesy of Kellee Khalil

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Maya Baratz, Senior Product Manager, ABC News

"Find a mentor." "Mentors come and go, offering advice throughout your career, but it's unlikely you'll have one dedicated person in your life -- like a career messiah -- who will guide you. That guide should be you. You'll need to carve your own path, while making sure to listen to and parse out the good advice from the bad, as it comes in via different influential people in your life."

Photo courtesy of Maya Baratz

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Claire Mazur, Co-founder, Of A Kind

"Play games." "This is something that comes up a lot in relation to the fundraising process -- this idea of trying to manipulate a situation by being incredibly tactical. And I'm sure it works for some people, but any time I've tried to do it I just end up feeling really inauthentic and uncomfortable -- and it's never had particularly amazing results."

Photo courtesy of Claire Mazur

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Anthea Watson Strong, Consultant, Google Public Policy & Elections

"It's not what you know, it's who you know." "Instead of valuing your network by the quantity of connections to people in places of power, value quality connections at all levels. Take special care to identify up-and-coming rockstars, and make sure they have what they need to be successful. Those relationships will return tenfold over that coffee chat you once had with the CEO."

Photo courtesy of Anthea Watson Strong

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Erika Trautman, Co-Founder & CEO, Flixmaster

"Some of the worst advice I ever got was from an entrepreneur who told me to 'Stick to your guns, no matter what.' He gave me the advice in the context of our product vision as well as our investor relations. "There is no doubt that a huge part of successful entrepreneurship involves having vision for something that might not exist yet and having the fortitude to hear hundreds of no's for every yes. But there are also critical (and frequent) moments in entrepreneurship when you have to adapt and adjust. Its a fine line to walk. "But I think there is a lot of mythology around sticking to your guns in the face of insurmountable opposition. The reality is, even in the face of insurmountable opposition, there is a lot of adjustment that has to go on to be successful."

Photo courtesy of Erika Trautman

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Leslie Bradshaw, Chief Operating Officer, Guide

"When I was 23, I was told in my annual review that I was delivering 'Bentleys' when they were asking for 'Fords.' In other words, my boss was looking for me to pare back the depth of and breadth of what I was delivering. He went on to add that I was 'too enthusiastic' and 'too grateful' about everything I was working on. "Although I did heed some of his advice and learned when and where to over-deliver, seven years later my positivity and 'Bentley' approach has brought me more long-term business relationships, meaningful collegial bonds and industry respect than any amount of 'Ford' production could have."

Photo courtesy of Leslie Bradshaw

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Whitney Johnson, Co-Founder, Rose Park Advisors

"'Keep your head down."

Photo courtesy of Whitney Johnson

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