Edith Harbaugh is a savvy, female CEO, and right now, she’s at the forefront of the tech industry. She doesn’t let the male-dominated dynamic of the tech space faze her — the feature management platform that she co-founded in 2014, LaunchDarkly, has seen 3x year over year growth. Her work is paving the way for more efficient software development, and she is an outstanding role model for any business person looking to tackle tech. Here are some of her thoughts on entrepreneurship and its obstacles.
What has been your biggest obstacle so far in terms of your career?
The early days were hard. Our company was in a new category, so convincing customers to use our solution was a huge obstacle we had to overcome.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I’d tell myself that even the jobs I didn’t enjoy would help me learn a lot and become a better person.
What advice do you have for female entrepreneurs – especially in industries dominated by men?
For any entrepreneur, if you have an idea, and, if you’re really passionate about it, you should really see if you can make it work. Make sure you really like your idea; if you’re just in it because you think it’s trendy, it’s not going to work out. There are going to be a lot of difficult days, and you’re going to have to really believe in what you’re doing to make it through those days.
Do you have any closing thoughts?
Entrepreneurship is hard. You have to be a perseverant person. It’s been rewarding to start a company that has over seven-hundred customers using our products, but it’s a path you have to be fully committed to.