Take a Chance on Us

March 8, 2024

By Sue Niewiarowski, Director of Business Development

Hello world, Happy International Women’s Day! I have an awesome career in tech, a wonderful family, and I take great pride in what I’ve accomplished. It wasn’t an easy road for both, so I wanted to share a bit about my story in hopes I can inspire other women to be persistent and accomplish their goals, no matter what!

In 2010, I was at a crossroads in my career. I had been working for myself since 2004 and when that chapter ended, I was open to many different opportunities and directions, but ultimately I chose tech. 

My many interviews and conversations were all with men. Owners, management, sales guys, yup, all men. Cute, single 30-something-year-old me thought, oh I’m going to kill it! So I started out as you guessed it, the only female salesperson on the team. Learning this world that I have now lived in for 14 years was hard. Definitely way harder than I thought it would be but of course, failure wasn’t an option, so I just worked harder. 

“I would lead the conversation and would, unfortunately, get mistaken for a note-taker or task-doer vs the one leading. That particular feeling of not belonging sucked. I hated it, and on a rare occasion, it still happens.”

I traveled to all the tradeshows to meet with folks who only knew my LinkedIn profile or my voice from the relationships I had with their voicemail boxes. Being a female at shows that was walking the floor and not a “booth babe”, was kind of cool! I felt proud in a weird way that I didn’t belong. I led countless conversations with team members and prospects globally and endured culture shock at times. I would lead the conversation and would, unfortunately, get mistaken for a note-taker or task-doer vs the one leading. That particular feeling of not belonging sucked. I hated it, and on a rare occasion, it still happens. 

In time, I learned that my approach was different from my male counterparts. I wanted my prospects and customers to know that I cared, I listened, and that the promises I made to them, I would fulfill. That became my superpower, differentiator, my female edge, and my key to success. As I have grown into my role now still working with prospects and customers but also, my direct reports, it’s still my most important goal on a daily basis, that everyone knows I care, I listen, and that the promises I make, I fulfill. 

“The sea of men that once flooded the floors of the trade shows now have more and more women each year. There are noticeably more women on calls and, more importantly, more women in leadership roles!”

I’m happy to say that the industry IS changing, slowly. The sea of men that once flooded the floors of the trade shows now have more and more women each year. There are noticeably more women on calls and, more importantly, more women in leadership roles! But, we still have a long way to go. There are still many barriers and it’s up to us to break them. We need to continue to convince the tech world to take a chance on us. We need to help mentor the next generation and teach young girls that it’s ok to want to work in tech, it’s not just for boys!

Today, I have a seat at the big table as the Director of Business Development for an awesome forward-thinking company that took a chance on me. I have been blessed with the ability to mentor some incredible, intelligent, and very capable women who I know will, in turn, mentor future women. 

So happy International Women’s Day to all my fellow women in tech, women who are working to get a seat at the big table, women working hard to grow their families (I was one of those for 5 long years), and those little girls we are raising (now I’m a mom to an IVF miracle one) who dare to dream of doing something different. Cheers to us!