My undergrad business major had a strong finance component, and while I don’t see myself as a spreadsheet marketer, there is something about the rigor of achieving mastery in an area outside your passion that prepares you for overcoming obstacles in your career. I advise people not to stress too much about having the right college major from the right school for a career in technology. Some of the most vital skills aren’t in academic courses of study-- you get them from summer jobs, internships and college leadership opportunities. The school of life is just as important as the degree.

Eddie Bauer saw the potential of e-commerce early and really invested in the channel. The leadership team went around to various departments in the company and hand-picked folks for the e-commerce team. I believe they were looking for open-minded, creative leaders who were comfortable with ambiguity. We learned as we went along, creating a totally new way of doing things in uncharted waters-- I thrive on that stuff!

My first role in the e-commerce division was leading a team with a divergent set of skills and disciplines; designers, copywriters, database and project managers. My team completely rocked it during a crazy, high-stress time. I think demonstrating collaborative, supportive leadership coupled with the ability to forge relationships across various departments is what worked for me.

Early on, I was told that I needed to take voice lessons since I had a high-pitched voice. I was also told that I needed to learn golf so I could conduct business the way men do. But I had enough self-confidence to know that I didn’t want to imitate men to move forward as a woman. I knew I had to find success on my own terms. 

However, at that same time I was being sexually harassed by a colleague. When it was brought to my manager’s attention (a woman, no less!), she told me I needed a thicker skin. I thought being a strong woman meant pretending that it didn’t bother me, but in retrospect, I wish I’d taken it further, so I could have helped other people who were affected by this person.

I started working at Picnik about a year prior to the Google acquisition. Even though I ended up leaving Google, I have nothing but positive things to say. It is full of smart, earnest people who truly want to make the world better. It was an inspiration to be working with such passionate people. As incredible as Google is, I was made for the startup life. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the 24/7 food at Google!

The day Picnik closed was one of the hardest days of my professional life. When an extremely popular service closes without a suitable replacement, those 60 million monthly users are going to say something. The outcry on the Internet was emotional and immense, causing #Picnik to trend worldwide on Twitter. It was hard to watch all the feedback roll through. At the same time, it was empowering to know we could help, and the team set out to fill the void. It wasn’t about doing the same thing all over again, it was about reimagining what it could be. How could we make things better? Faster? More fun? We hired a crack team and went to work on PicMonkey.

Startup life isn’t for everyone. There’s a lot of ambiguity and a lot of course correcting or straight up change of direction. I’ve seen some who are paralyzed by this, while others thrive. There are various sizes and flavors of startups from early to later stage; determine which stage best suits you. I suggest really taking stock of your personality and what brings you stress and what energizes you.

A common misconception is that startups are full of unbathed guys in t-shirts and shorts coding away over the tops of their pizza boxes until 2 a.m. Of course these exist, but there are also startups with more seasoned teams who work hard and have a reasonable work-life balance.

We have a daily stand up meeting that’s a quick check-in to share our top three items for the day, discuss road-blockers and share new opportunities. Then we go off to get stuff done solo, or regroup again in smaller striker teams. We laugh a zillion times a day (and sometimes even snort!). I am so lucky.

I watch over our priorities. Are our efforts driving awareness of PicMonkey? Driving traffic? Return visitors? Are we helping our existing customers feel awesome about the product, and feel loved and appreciated by Team PicMonkey? I ensure these things occur in a way that is true to our brand. I’m constantly reassessing our strategies and tactics as our business, products and users evolve.

My advice is to do what works for your family. There isn’t a magic formula to keep everything humming. What works for one family, making them feel connected and sane, may drive another family to crazy-ville. Listen to well meaning advice and then carve a unique path for you. Trust your gut!

I was advised to let go of mommy guilt, which sounds like great advice, but it’s impossible. I’ve come to a place where I accept that guilt is a human thing. Some days I feel like everyone is shortchanged and other days I feel everyone is getting my all. I have to trust it’s going to equal out in the end and both my family and my company feel loved and supported.

I have to say building PicMonkey! We’ve created a company and a culture around our own unique ideals and values. It’s powerful to know we’ve built something millions of people around the world find useful and fun. That’s a thrill that never grows old. One belief that’s been reinforced by experience is the idea of surrounding yourself with smart people and then turning them loose to do what they do best.

It’s a very different feeling moving from a leadership role to an owner. In some ways, there is an added pressure to ensure you are successful, while in other ways you get the freedom to do things your own way.

We have an adage-- when in doubt, make it funny. Our market may be viewed as crowded, but when you take the totality of our features, the ease of use, plus the brand delight, we really stand alone. Our entire team from engineering and design to marketing recognizes we aren’t just building a utilitarian tool. We are building a helpful, delightful experience. This mindset is in our company DNA.

We’ve built an amazing work culture at PicMonkey, I honestly wake up psyched to go to work, ready to come in and collaborate to drive business. PicMonkey is transitioning from a scrappy startup to a more mature company which is both exciting and challenging. I need to shift my thinking as we evolve to support different strategies and flex different muscles. The trick is to do this without totally shedding all of the great things a scrappy startup teaches you.