5 things i wish i knew then & the fire starter's manifesto

Sarah Bird, CEO of Moz@Sarah Bird

I Wish I Knew Then…

Things I wish I knew then…5

The Fire Starter’s Manifesto

TransparentAuthenticGenerousFunEmpatheticExceptionalHold me to it!

Brief Intro to Moz

Moz Basics

$35.6 million/year in total revenue

155 talented team members

Moz BasicsMoz Basics

Over 30,000 paying customersfrom all over the globe.

Moz Basics

Moz makes software that helpsmarketers

understand and improvetheir SEO, business listings, social media,

links and brand mentions.

It looks a little like this…

And this…

And this…

Lots of Awards ‘N Stuff

Best Places to Work

Brief Intro to Me…

I’m on my journey.

I started as a cleaning lady.

Chains!

College Librarian

Studied Literature & Philosophy

So… Law school then!

Practiced lawFor a few years…

Rand’s company was taking off right at the moment I decided to leave the firm.

Joined Moz as General Counsel in 2007

I can’t go on.

Fuck it.

That’s my job!

Things I wish I knew then…5

1 Get out of your own way.

This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

“The most obvious and important realities are often the hardest to see and talk about.”

We don’t see the world as it is. We see it as we are.

Initial conditions

We’ve inherited layers of culture.

Helen taught me that you can fly, if you want to.

Find people who ‘see’ your potential better than you do.

Find people who ‘see’ your potential better than you do.

The Confidence Gap

I’m still growing.

ALL YOUR MENTORS ARE BELONG TO US2

They don’t come with a capital ‘M.’

Take what you want, and leave the rest.

Invest heavily in professional

development.3

It takes technique.

It’s not like riding a bike.

It’s more like

weight training.

Manage your energyLike an athlete.

Why?

Shit happens

Don’t pray for easy times, pray for the

strength to endure hard times.

--Bruce Lee

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to

endure a difficult one.”

--Bruce Lee

Google It4

Let go of the guilt.5

Figure out matters to you, and let go of the rest.

What my dad taught me.

McBird Family Dinner

Don’t lose track of what’s important.

Keep reminding

yourself “this is water.”

Make your subconscious

choices…

Conscious.

The Fire Starter’s Manifesto

Access to technology is not optional. It is not a

lifestyle.

Technology fundamentally transforms…

Access to capital and critical services

Technology fundamentally transforms…

Access to capital and critical servicesEmployment opportunities

Technology fundamentally transforms…

Access to capital and critical servicesEmployment opportunities

Human connections

Technology fundamentally transforms…

Access to capital and critical servicesEmployment opportunities

Human connections Health & wellness

Technology fundamentally transforms…

Access to capital and critical servicesEmployment opportunities

Human connections Health & wellness

Education

The rate of innovation is increasing.

Technologists, therefore, have an outsized impact on our experience of the world.

There is a widening chasm between the urgent need for qualified technologists and our ability to

develop them.

The technology industry does not

reflect the diversity of

experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds that

make up our communities.

The overwhelming

homogeneity of the tech pipeline

is acute early on…

The overwhelming

homogeneity of the tech pipeline

is acute early on…

And becomes excruciating at

executive levels.

We believe a person’s opportunity should not be limited by gender, skin color,

religion, or socio-economic background.

Fostering a diverse and rich tech industry is a

moral imperative.

Access to technologies created by and for diverse perspectives will

improve income equality and social justice.

Although we face powerful structural barriers that erode the tech talent

pipeline…

…there is nothing inherent about technology that makes it unfriendly to

women and underrepresented minorities.   

The structural barriers are man-made and they will be unmade.

We believe in tackling big, seemingly

insurmountable challenges by breaking them

down into smaller tasks.

As Martin Luther King reminds us, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”

Every small act of virtue

creates a ripple effect beyond measure.

Together, we are creating a more

welcoming, enriching, and equitable

technology industry.

 It is difficult to dream about

something that you have never seen.

Many people are discouraged from pursuing tech careers simply because they either do not know anyone who works in these fields, or they do not understand what people in

these fields do.

We believe that telling our stories matters.

You can change the course of someone’s life by

sharing the right idea at the right moment.

Telling someone “It’s important to me that you’re here” and “You can do this” makes a profound

difference.

"Education isn't the filling of a pail, but

the lighting of a fire."

--William Butler Yeats

We believe in lighting the fire and inspiring everyone -

We believe in lighting the fire and inspiring everyone -

especially women and underrepresented minorities

We believe in lighting the fire and inspiring everyone -

especially women and underrepresented minorities - to explore the compelling

world of technology.

We are the fire starters.

It’s important to me that you’re here. You can do this.

The last thing that I wish I knew then…

I wish I knew then, that I belong here, with you.

Fin