Forget Silicon Valley, The Best Founders Are In Baltimore

Spent the (bitterly cold) morning yesterday in Baltimore speaking to black business owners about the value of collaboration, partnerships and information sharing. We all want to succeed as individuals of course but when you’re part of a group that’s being marginalized you have to think bigger than that.

I’m committed to supporting female founders and not just in the ‘popular’ cities like NY and SF but across the country and especially in cities with higher concentrations of founders of color. Baltimore has some very interesting things happening in the startup scene and has been described as a hotbed of black innovation. A recent study ranked Baltimore as the No. 2 city in the country for women in tech, with a lot of that innovation being driven by the University of Maryland and The Johns Hopkins University.

Thank you for having me Baltimore. I’ll be back!

Time To Start A Business?

It’s that time of year when we all start contemplating big career changes, and a common one is transitioning from a regular job to entrepreneurship. It’s the most common advice I’m ever asked for. Should I do it? What’s it like? Will I survive? Well here I am all smiles even though I’ve been in the office all week. Much as I’d love to be somewhere glamorous and sun drenched, that just isn’t in the cards for me right now. I have to hit the ground running in January and I see that as a good problem. And by the way, the office building was packed with fellow founders working away, recognizing the sacrifice that comes with working for yourself but fully appreciative of the autonomy and flexibility that also brings. Although this has been far from an easy road I would recommend this life to anyone toying with going out on their own. Why not put all your hard earned experience and relationships towards something you fully own. Think of the possibilities. I’ve personally never looked back.