Shadiah Sigala has always been a nimble person.
The 38-year-old Mexican immigrant Her mother moved her and her two siblings to southern California when Sigala was 7 years old. “My number 1 dream in life is to be the best educated person possible,” she said. But she doesn’t know how to get there.
“My mother and all my aunts and uncles never went to college,” she said.
With help from her in-school guidance counselor, Sigala eventually attended Pomona College for Latin American studies and then Harvard Kennedy School for a master’s degree in public policy. So setting goals she wasn’t sure how to achieve and figuring out how to achieve them became her MO
“One of my superpowers is having the ability to be very comfortable with working through uncertainty, gathering facts, and making decisions,” she says. This superpower eventually led her to co-found HoneyBook, a technology platform for financial management for small businesses. HoneyBook be valued at more than $2 billion by 2021.
This is how Sigala build her careerand her advice for anyone looking successful career path.
‘I’m a builder’
After earning a master’s degree, Sigala was hired as a project manager at the health insurance company Aetna. “I get paid annually more than any member of my family could ever dream of earning,” she says of her $80,000 annual salary.
However, she added, within the first week she knew, “I’m going to be very depressed here.” She didn’t like the feeling of being just a small cog in a big machine. She stayed with the company for two years, saving as much as she could, and considering her next move.
During her time at Aetna, she began to learn about entrepreneurship and realized, “I’m a builder,” she says. Starting her own company seemed like the best route.
Drawing on a love of cooking that began with her mother teaching her as a child, Sigala founded a personal chef business in 2010, tapping into her Pomona University alumni network to find fellow chefs. Well-off students are willing to pay someone to cook their meals.
“And I paid my bills for about a year that way,” she said.
‘Why Not Digitize All These Bad Tasks’
As a young business owner, Sigala learned that she could be self-sufficient. But she realizes cooking isn’t for her. “My timing hasn’t changed,” she says. Plus, it’s a low-margin business.
Sigala’s then-husband eventually moved the two to San Francisco in 2012 where she discovered the world of technology. She started booking informational interviews with anyone in the industry who would talk to her and ask questions like, “Do you work at a startup? What does that mean? What is technology? What is software? What is hardware? What is a consumer? What is a consumer?” market?”
When she learned that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs build technology, in part, to solve problems, she realized the problem she wanted to solve was the problem she faced as the owner. business: There’s no logical way to deal with backend logistics like email, payments, and invoices.
Shadiah Sigala and her daughter.
Courteous Shadiah Sigala
When she met three Israeli entrepreneurs solving the same problem, they realized, “Why not digitize all this hard work that micro-small businesses have to get out of so they can really focus. into doing what they love?”
That idea will translate into HoneyBook, which will be founded in 2013, and Sigala will spend five years in key sales and HR roles. The company currently has more than 200 employees, according to LinkedIn.
Scary opportunity is ‘how to make an excellent career’
In 2018, Sigala co-founded his newest venture company, Kinside, a childcare marketplace offered as an employee benefit. As a mother of two, inspiration for the company came as she tried to navigate the complex US childcare system on her own. Kinside offers new parents a single place to find childcare in their area.
The company has raised over $16 million, according to Crunchbase. Sigala currently holds the position of its CEO.
When it comes to advice she’ll give others looking for their way in the workforce, Sigala suggests letting fear and excitement be your guide. When you’re looking for your next role, question the people around you and open up new avenues. If an opportunity “looks like it’s higher than your salary, that’s exactly the way to make a stellar career,” she says.
Payment procedures:
Former monk Jay Shetty’s best advice for building a ‘successful anyway’ career
3 LinkedIn Creators Share Their Best Career Advice For New Graduates: ‘Be a Matching Pro’
Register now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter
