ARYZE is interested in showcasing the perspectives of successful entrepreneurs from the technology sector. As a fintech startup, we interviewed Louise Ferslev to gain insights and tips on how to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs and how companies can foster diversity.
Louise Ferslev is the founder of the fintech company MyMonii since 2015 and co-founder of the non-governmental organization Women in Tech Denmark, which seeks to get more women interested in building businesses or choosing a career in the tech industry.
What drove you to become an entrepreneur? What helped you in particular to become an entrepreneur?
“It was myself and my ambitions on creating something which would go from nothing to something – and which would someday create value for real users.”
What should companies or industries change in order to support women to become more enthusiastic about entrepreneurship and technology?
“They should have more women in the boards and in leadership roles.
They should give more paternity leave to their male employees (+three months).
The educational institutions should be more focused on showing photos of female students in IT. The media needs to show the role models to the world. “
Did you ever doubt whether you had the ability to establish your own business? How did you overcome these doubts?
“Yes, of course. I mean, almost every day. I think this doubt is in every entrepreneurs brain all the time, but the believing side keeps fighting to reach the end goals. In the hard periods its worse, but even in succesful periods the doubt is there. And I also actually like that part of it – this is what keep the energy high and the adrenaline pumping”
What do you think women should improve at? What should be done by women in startups and technology to gain a competitive edge?
“Women should know that they have to fight a bit harder. They should also know that the unconscious bias is strong and women should simply be aware of this and turn this into an advantage. Fx Studies show that VC’s ask preventive questions for the women about how it has been in the past – but ask men about the potential in the future, ask into the vision and future and how big everything can be.
So when a woman answers these questions they should change the answer and tell about the potential, the vision, the future and the Growth.”
What five tips would you give other women so that they dare to take the step of becoming entrepreneurs?
- Get started while you are still studying or working. You can get started slowly and don’t have to quit your income from day one.
- You don’t have to be perfect and be able to do every predictable task in the future. Just get started and don’t worry, you will learn by doing.
- When you hit obstacles on the road, and cannot find a solution, don’t give up. Reach out to people in your network and ask them to help and give inputs. If they cannot help you directly, they can connect you to someone else.
- It is okay to oversell a little bit, as long as it is not too much. Men do that at job interviews, VC pitching etc.. So remember that you should do so too.
- When you get started, be prepared that everything will be much harder and will take a longer time than you expect.
Women in Tech is an open community where they encourage everyone to participate in their events. You can also participate in their online forum and support their mission to create diversity in the tech industry. If you want to find out more about Louise Ferslev, feel free to follow her on LinkedIn. More informative articles from successful women in entrepreneurship can be found on our ARYZE blog. To learn more about ARYZE, please visit our website.