Kiddocare founder Nadira Yusoff shares her story of running a thriving tech business and managing self-doubt even after more than two decades in the tech industry
It’s funny how the industry views women. First, it doubts you—it thinks you will run off and leave your business behind the moment your child starts crying. Then, after some time when you’re ageing, it questions whether or not you have the stamina for the business.
“Do you understand the business?”
When I started my first IT business, I would get questions about whether or not I had a male co-founder supporting me. Those early days as an entrepreneur were riddled with comments such as, “Yes you have an engineering background, but what do you know about running a tech business?” or “Do you really understand the technology?” or “This industry is full of men. Do you speak the same lingo as them? Can you gain their trust?” Never mind that I had a tech background and an engineering degree.
It took me a while to build my credibility and earn the respect of the industry, and I get less of those questions now. In the early days of my tech startup Kiddocare, it wasn’t so much about investors questioning my ability (by then I was already known for building successful businesses). The questions I did get about Kiddocare were along the lines of whether or not the business model would work, whether or not the business was something that people would pay for, and whether it was solving an actual problem or not.
Read more: Kiddocare CEO Nadira Yusoff on empowering parents through technology
When pitching to investors, the key abilities they want to see is how you answer those questions with facts and not emotions, says Nadira (Photo: Nitat Termmee/Getty Images)
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“Do you have the stamina to manage your company?”
Then, I also became a single mum and divorcee, and the perception about me changed once again. Like ‘this woman will do anything to get a business deal.’
It took me 20 years to get to where I am and even then, it is still not without doubt. People doubted Kiddocare’s business model and ability to hold out in the very fast, ultra-competitive and technology-intensive start-up scene. Here I am, after 25 years. But today the questions I get are “Do you have the stamina to run this? Don’t you have responsibilities for your ageing parents?” (After a while, it’s no longer a question about children, but about your elderly parents).
“Can you still make time for this? What if you have to relocate to start a business somewhere else?”. Of course, I understand what it would take from me. I understand that if I take an investor’s money, I have a responsibility to that investor to scale and expand my business. Of course, I know I’ll have to allocate time for it. It is sad knowing that every time you want to go out and do this job well, there is a certain perception you have to deal with. You just have to carry on and work twice as hard to prove you have a right to be in this space.
But, over the years, I have realised something. A business is a business. It doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man. When you are pitching to investors, the key thing that they need to see is how you answer questions, and how you debate with them using facts and not emotions.
When you learn the ropes of your business and you’re able to talk to them based on facts and data, from my experience, they respect you more. Sometimes when investors question you, it may feel like they’re demeaning or undermining you. But, if you can hone your intelligence and speak to them with confidence, they will ultimately have respect for you. Today, the biggest supporters in my circle are men, because over time I earned their respect and learned to speak their language.
My advice? Become a great leader. Don’t get stuck talking about women or men entrepreneurs and who does it better. Just become the entrepreneur that your business needs. Make time to understand your business. Learn the same language as your investors. While we do want to change the bias in the system, we can’t simply go up to them and make them change. The best thing you can do is to let them change their minds as soon as they see you and hear you speak.
