Meet Jeanette Cheah - Co-founder of Hacker Exchange + Youth Catalyst

GUEST BLOG by JEANETTE CHEAH

I'm Jeanette Cheah, Co-founder and CEO of Hacker Exchange.

Hacker Exchange works with students and early-stage founders all around the world, helping them to turn their ideas into reality and launch their very own startups.

We work across great startup and entrepreneurship ecosystems such as Silicon Valley in California, Tel Aviv in Israel, Singapore, Melbourne in Australia, virtually, and more. 

Before I founded Hacker Exchange in 2017, I actually worked for about 14 years at some of Australian's biggest companies like ANZ Bank and Origin Energy. That experience gave me a really good background in understanding how a business works from the inside.

From an academic perspective, my studies were in economics, sociology, and postgraduate marketing. Plus I also up-skilled in user experience design because I thought it was really important for me to understand the technology side of things, and how a business person can translate their knowledge into tech.

But when it came to me transitioning from the corporate world to the startup world, there were a few things that definitely influenced that decision. 

Firstly, I was looking for an opportunity so I could stretch my muscles and run as fast as I possibly could, without the constraints that are around you when you're in a corporate business. Don't get me wrong - the restraints are there for a reason! They are important to protect a company's shareholders and customers. But for me, I felt like that environment was putting a lid on how quickly I could move and how far I could reach as an individual. And I wanted to really challenge myself to see what I could achieve without boundaries.

Secondly, it was about passion. I found myself becoming increasingly passionate about helping people: to get their voices heard, turn their ideas into reality, and discover their potential. So by becoming an entrepreneur in the education sector, it was a chance for me to channel that passion into something that could tangibly - and actually - change lives and career trajectories. 

Finally, from a financial and lifestyle perspective making that step and transition was a huge change for me. It was a big change from even the way I think, act and dress! Gone were the suits, the 'work mask' and a fear of speaking out of turn, and in came the t-shirts, my authentic voice - and a true expression of who I am!

I am more than grateful for the decision I made over 3 years ago.

However, in hindsight, I probably wasn't 100% ready for all of the ups and downs and twists and turns of entrepreneurship!

And when I reflect on the journey, neither corporate nor startups are better than the other - I'm just really glad I got to experience both. But, now, as an entrepreneur, I get to live my passion and work with people that I love every single day. And if I do my job well as a CEO, one day my startup could grow into a big business too!

For anyone who is curious about getting into entrepreneurship or starting their own business, I have three simple bits of advice.

Tip #1: TAKE SMALL STEPS

Be action-orientated. Take a really small step in the direction that you're passionate about, even the small actions can have a big payoff. They'll also help you build confidence as you see the progress you're making. 

Tip #2: FIND YOUR TRIBE

Really embrace your community. The people around you have your back and they'll support you as you go through the journey, it's pretty tricky to do it alone. I loved finding a tribe of founders who I could bounce ideas off whenever I was stuck. 

Tip #3: BE SEEN

Be courageous! As Brene Brown says, courage is about stepping up and letting yourself be seen. And now more than ever, we need more courageous entrepreneurs and innovators to change the world. 

Good luck! I can't wait to see the new innovations and startups that will come from this next generation!

Bringing up businesses and babies: Why women need mentors to make it work

As a working female who knows all too well the pace and juggle of balancing the needs of four busy daughters with the mid-career portfolio demands of building a startup, speaking engagements, active mentoring and board directorships, time is the core currency I trade in these days.

There are only so many hours in any given day, and the opportunity cost of time ill-spent down an email black hole or in zero-outcome meetings mean I've become more binary about how I will and won't spend my business time.

I choose to work with people and on projects that align to my purpose, and that solve for problems that really matter. It means the work can dial up and down as the projects demand, and it also means I therefore have to know when to flick the switch to family.

But like many women of my generation raising businesses and babies, finding true balance can be a challenge.

Sometimes the mix is just right, other times all wrong. You wing it anyway, and remind yourself that balance isn't static, and life is a continuum of change within which we chart our course, adjusting sails along the way where we need to. Some days are rough and tough, others blue-skied and calm watered (personally and professionally).

But in the mix of busy, I have, and always will, carve out time for mentorship. Because bringing up businesses and babies is not an easy juggle, and to make it work I have relied on the active mentorship of generous, intelligent women to help me navigate the way.

Because I have lived the benefit of having other women empower and mentor me, I believe in paying it forward. Daily, I still draw on the power and knowledge well of my collective circle to stay afloat, accelerate my opportunities and make strategic career choices. In fact some of the best business decisions I've made were shaped with mentors.

Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will To Lead has a dedicated chapter called Are You My Mentor? and in it she explores the idea of mentorship, and how to find the right mentors for your personal and professional stage.

Some of her key points about mentorship are that at its best it must be:

1.  AUTHENTIC: Healthy and effective business relationships take time to nurture and develop, and most often arise organically from real human connections where there is inherent mentor/mentee chemistry, authenticity and generosity. Find mentors who understand who you are, what your values, vision and purpose are, and who will then bring people into your network who share this, too.

2.  RECIPROCAL: Mentorship cuts both ways, and provides both parties with the opportunity for growth, transfer of knowledge, personal learning and professional extension. The mentor can sharpen and shape their leadership style through mentee feedback, and the mentee can also provide “grassroots intelligence” on industry insights, market intel and internal culture (access the mentor would not otherwise gain). In turn mentors can push you to your limits, challenge your thinking, strategically connect you to key stakeholders, champion your cause and actively market you and your business to amplify your message/vision.

3.  ACTIONABLE: Mentors and mentees must commit to progress, and measurable outcomes. In order for both parties to benefit most from the relationship, mentees must create actions around advice dispensed, embed key learnings, and then circle this back into the learning loop with mentors.

4.   AUTONOMOUS: Great mentors don’t cut the path but light the way. The greatest learning for mentees is learning by doing, even if it means failing and floundering a few times before charting the right path. Taking autonomous steps but knowing you have someone to bounce off when the going gets hard can be just the support you need to realise your potential and better achieve your goals.

Some of the most successful women I know have attributed active networking and mentoring to their success, saying that by putting themselves out there, finding their tribe and building a trusted group of people around them, they have achieved far more than could ever have done on their own.

If you’ve been thinking about becoming a mentor or seeking active mentorship as a mentee, there are now multiple organisations, digital platforms and online communities offering professional and personal coaching services if you’d like a hand to get started rather than reach out to your existing networks. Everwise, Mentorloop, Inspiring Rare Birds, Business Chicks and Mogul are just a few.

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SHE MENTORS - SUMMER NETWORKING PARTY

Inspire9, Richmond, Wednesday November 1, 6.00pm-8.00pm

Alternatively, if you’re in Melbourne and would like to connect in the real with a room full of female business women from all walks of life, register for the She Mentors Summer Networking Party at Inspire9 in Richmond on Wednesday November 1 6.00pm-8.00pm, and join me alongside Gemma Lloyd of Diverse City Careers as part of a She Mentors event celebrating female mentorship and the power of networking.

Lloyd is the co-founder of DCC Jobs, Company Secretary of the Diversity Practitioners Association (DPA), winner of the Sue Wickenden 2016 Entrepreneur Of The Year Award and has served on multiple not-for-profit Boards including IT Queensland Females in and Technology and Telecommunications (FITT).

In this event Lloyd will share her journey at the helm of DCC Jobs, where she has been campaigning for flexible working conditions for women, and regularly presenting on topics including diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship, developing confidence for career success, and personal branding strategies, so will have a wealth of knowledge to impart to the audience.

DCC is a social enterprise helping women pursue rewarding careers, particularly in sectors with high gender inequality rates. Since its conception, DCC has grown rapidly and is now regarded as one of Australia’s leading authorities on gender diversity.

The DCC jobs board is Australia’s only exclusive jobs board, meaning employers must be pre-qualified before advertising to ensure a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. DCC were winners of the 2016 #techdiversity awards and finalists in the 2015 ARN Women in ICT Awards in the Innovation category.

I’ll also be sharing my story and some of the thrills and spills as a social entrepreneur, Mum, mentor and co-founder of girledworld.

Mainly, I’ll be chatting about how I’ve charted my career path around businesses and babies, built connections and communities along the way, and what I’ve learned from mentors and other extraordinary business women in my network.

There’ll be plenty of time for Q&A and networking afterwards, so we can all share stories, forge new connections and learn from each other.

I look forward to seeing some of you there.

Madeleine Grummet
Co-Founder & CEO girledworld

She Mentors Summer Networking Party.
Bookings here.