Mar. 26, 2018 The Ladder: Rahim Fazal: Today I found this article in the Globe and Mail:
Rahim Fazal, 36, an initiator of startups and co-founder of SVAcademy in San Francisco, clarifies how getting fired from his first job at McDonald's changed his life.
I think of Canada as a mosaic and the U.S. as a melting pot. I don't know if that was still relevant when I moved to the U.S. in 2006, but that was in my mind. I tried to fit in more than stand out. My name is 'F-A-Zed-A-L.' People have no idea what you're talking about so immediately you stand out; it's pronounced 'ZEE.'
I was born in Vancouver, have wonderful parents. They came to Canada through the expulsion of the Asians in East Africa. That's a big part of my identity, Canadian and Ismaili.
You see the immigrant work ethic everywhere in the world. I see it here daily. My parents organized their lives around my sister and I; how they spent their time, I don't know if I would make those trade-offs.
You see the immigrant work ethic everywhere in the world. I see it here daily. My parents organized their lives around my sister and I; how they spent their time, I don't know if I would make those trade-offs.
At 16, I was fired from my part-time job. If you want a job, but were fired from McDonald's, who'll hire you? I decided I'd never work in fast food again.
My best friend Husein Kaba and I had the same curiosity which led to complementary roles in the business we started in 2000. When we were young, our parents would drop us to school early because they had to get to work. There were Commodore 64s, so because we were bored, we developed a love for computers, how they work, programming, creating something.
We started the company on a lark, almost led double lives. Because we didn't know any better, nothing deterred us; like playing hockey, if I won a game or didn't, it wasn't end of the world.
We were watching the news – people not more than five years older than us had companies, IPOs. Successful people didn't look, sound, have names or backgrounds like us.
We were just going through capers building our business – MailBC, a website hosting and design platform – a secret to our parents. It was such a shock to them. We had 25,000 customers, selling the business while we were in high school [for $1.5-million].
We were just going through capers building our business – MailBC, a website hosting and design platform – a secret to our parents. It was such a shock to them. We had 25,000 customers, selling the business while we were in high school [for $1.5-million].
When creating companies, you had to appear bigger. Now, it's almost the opposite – I take pride in having a small high-powered team versus growing up, when I was trying to appear 10 times bigger.
During the business, Husein and I shared experiences, learning skills like how to work with adults, selling, branding, understanding finances, how to interact with customers, conflict resolution, on and on.
Skills developed supplemental to education are in high demand, but the market doesn't have an easy way of teaching these to young people. SVAcademy provides that same employer-driven training, helping young people transition into entry-level full-time opportunities that otherwise would require years of work experience, and not just where they can start with a high salary but get high-quality skills, closing that gap between school and work.
Skills developed supplemental to education are in high demand, but the market doesn't have an easy way of teaching these to young people. SVAcademy provides that same employer-driven training, helping young people transition into entry-level full-time opportunities that otherwise would require years of work experience, and not just where they can start with a high salary but get high-quality skills, closing that gap between school and work.
My perception of Silicon Valley is rooted in reality, one reason we started SVAcademy; its mindset, lifestyle, opportunity and entrepreneurial ideals rather than geography.
Half our team is Canadian. I connected with a Canadian from Montreal, who had been in the U.S. maybe 25 years.
Joel Scott and I got to know each other on different sides of the table and realized we had so much commonality and wonderful energy, rooted in shared values and experiences.
Joel Scott and I got to know each other on different sides of the table and realized we had so much commonality and wonderful energy, rooted in shared values and experiences.
There's a lot of homogeneity here, which is viewed as the gold standard; Ivy League schools, a particular background, knowing particular people, particular internships or work experiences – why there's a movement now in diversity, including gender, race, culture and other differences. I think Canada sees these differences as opportunities, strengths.
Being Canadian is part of the way we'll solve elitism in Silicon Valley.
I'm a big believer in network intelligence and resourcefulness, my advice is to see people as allies in your life and career. With increased automation, the real value in human-to-human connections will increase because co-operating with others will be the areas machines can't help.
One of my favourite books is Sapiens [A Brief History of Humankind] by Yuval Noah Harari – life-changing, phenomenal – about the history of our species, world events that in those moments might have been seen as failures.
Now I have this view, failure or success is defined by the period of time you're reflecting on.
Now I have this view, failure or success is defined by the period of time you're reflecting on.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Mar. 27, 2018 "'She-working' offices swap beer kegs for nursing rooms": Today I found this article by Dina Bass in the Globe and Mail:
The first thing you see when you leave the reception area to enter Riveter Inc.'s Seattle co-working space is the Mothers Room. It's an intentional signal to visitors that they're entering a place designed for women.
As the corporate world grapples with issues of sexual harassment, gender-pay disparities and too few women in leadership roles, female-focused work spaces are having a moment.
Besides Riveter, there's Radiant in San Francisco, the Hivery in Marin County, Calif., and the Wing in New York. They promise the usual co-working amenities of power outlets, Wi-Fi, coffee and spacious light-filled spaces, along with women-centric mentoring, workshops and a community of like-minded female professionals.
Besides Riveter, there's Radiant in San Francisco, the Hivery in Marin County, Calif., and the Wing in New York. They promise the usual co-working amenities of power outlets, Wi-Fi, coffee and spacious light-filled spaces, along with women-centric mentoring, workshops and a community of like-minded female professionals.
These "she-working" spaces intend to be different from what you typically see at offices operated by WeWork Cos., the dominant force in co-working. The New York-based company has some big advantages over newcomers: more than 200 buildings worldwide and US$4.75-billion in funding, in an industry where it costs a lot of money to set up and grow.
WeWork caters to millennials, both men and women. In the past, the head of WeWork has used the number of beers consumed at its offices as a measure of success.
WeWork caters to millennials, both men and women. In the past, the head of WeWork has used the number of beers consumed at its offices as a measure of success.
The vibe at WeWork won't appeal to everyone, which could create an opening for alternatives. (WeWork seems to recognize this and is an investor in the Wing.)
"Most co-working spaces, you see kegs; you see foosball tables; you see Ping-Pong tables, video games," said Amy Nelson, co-founder of Riveter. "It creates a certain type of culture, and it's a good one, but it's not one where I felt like I could find community and talk to women who have done what I was trying to do."
"Most co-working spaces, you see kegs; you see foosball tables; you see Ping-Pong tables, video games," said Amy Nelson, co-founder of Riveter. "It creates a certain type of culture, and it's a good one, but it's not one where I felt like I could find community and talk to women who have done what I was trying to do."
Ms. Nelson, 38, left a career as a corporate litigator to start Riveter last year after she "ran headfirst into the maternal wall," as she described it. While on parental leave from her job as a lawyer, Ms. Nelson said the company promoted a more senior lawyer, and she wanted to be considered as his replacement.
She paused her leave to come into the office and make a pitch for the position. She said she was informed that it wasn't the right time to promote her. After all, she had a new baby. She decided not to submit an application, and shortly after, she left the company. Ms. Nelson declined to name her former employer, but her LinkedIn profile shows she worked at T-Mobile US Inc. at the time.
She paused her leave to come into the office and make a pitch for the position. She said she was informed that it wasn't the right time to promote her. After all, she had a new baby. She decided not to submit an application, and shortly after, she left the company. Ms. Nelson declined to name her former employer, but her LinkedIn profile shows she worked at T-Mobile US Inc. at the time.
(A spokeswoman for T-Mobile said it doesn't comment on personnel matters but provided a statement via e-mail. "We pride ourselves on our diverse work force, and we value the contributions that each employee brings every day to T-Mobile. That very much includes parents," she wrote. "If an employee ever raises concerns about any workplace practices that are counter to our culture of inclusivity, we promptly investigate and address them.")
Initially, Ms. Nelson planned to create a child-sleep consulting practice and started attending workshops for entrepreneurs. Most of the sessions were located in shared offices, and she noticed the spaces weren't really designed to appeal to women. Most of the attendees at the classes were men.
Ms. Nelson named her startup after Rosie the Riveter from the Second World War era "We Can Do It!" posters. She wears a pin depicting Rosie's muscular, flexed bicep.
Riveter now has two locations in Seattle, with plans to open another in Los Angeles this spring and three to four more later this year in Denver and Dallas.
Last week, Ms. Nelson announced a US$4.75-million investment by Madrona Venture Group, which includes funding from others including Helm, X Factor and Brilliant Ventures.
Last week, Ms. Nelson announced a US$4.75-million investment by Madrona Venture Group, which includes funding from others including Helm, X Factor and Brilliant Ventures.
Ms. Nelson outlined her vision from the company's original location, in a century-old building with high ceilings and antique wood flooring, tucked among bars, coffee shops and homes in the hip Capitol Hill neighbourhood. As she spoke, her third child, a chubby-cheeked six-month-old, cooed in her lap and proceeded to remove both her socks and throw them on the floor.
Riveter buildings are designed to have more open space than private offices because many women who build companies do it alone and want to meet lots of people who can help them, Ms. Nelson said.
Instead of arcade games and beer, the Capitol Hill space has a podcast studio, showers, changing rooms and an exercise studio. On-site classes range from yoga to salary negotiation.
Instead of arcade games and beer, the Capitol Hill space has a podcast studio, showers, changing rooms and an exercise studio. On-site classes range from yoga to salary negotiation.
There's a monthly potluck and a breakfast called the Assembly, at which members can come and ask for anything they need – advice, a good coder or a nanny. The company is planning an online site for collaboration and networking.
Of Riveter's more than 700 members, 20 per cent are men. Ms. Nelson opted to create something female-focused, rather than ladies only, to avoid alienating teams with male employees, co-founders or investors. Still, the setup could deter some clients or job seekers who want a neutral office that doesn't cater to one gender over the other.
Riveter's approach to real estate could help it stay out of the money pit other co-working companies have fallen into, said Hope Cochran, a venture capitalist at Madrona and the firm's only female partner.
Because Riveter is trying to court women who may want to squeeze in a few hours of work between child pickups or exercise, it's renting properties in residential areas and near SoulCycle or yoga studios instead of in pricey urban centres, Ms. Cochran said. "It's good for the customer and brings costs down," she said.
Because Riveter is trying to court women who may want to squeeze in a few hours of work between child pickups or exercise, it's renting properties in residential areas and near SoulCycle or yoga studios instead of in pricey urban centres, Ms. Cochran said. "It's good for the customer and brings costs down," she said.
Ms. Nelson deliberately positions herself as a working mother-entrepreneur. (One data point: She gave birth to three girls in three years and 12 days.) She chronicles her experiences on Instagram, where she posts monologues about pitching venture capitalists while pregnant and nursing.
At eight weeks postpartum, she posted a photo of herself with a pump attached to both breasts at 3:30 a.m. before heading out for a flight to meet investors in New York.
At eight weeks postpartum, she posted a photo of herself with a pump attached to both breasts at 3:30 a.m. before heading out for a flight to meet investors in New York.
One VC asked if she was truly capable of running a business while raising three small children, Ms. Nelson recalled. Her response: "I built this company while I was pregnant, which means I can physically do anything."
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