Serial-Entrepreneur, Aliza Sherman Tells Her Entrepreneurial Story, Speaks About Women Entrepreneurship & Social Media.

Aliza Sherman needs absolutely no introduction when it comes promoting women entrepreneurship and social media. Voted among the most influential women in technology in Bloggers category by Fast Company and 100 most powerful women on Twitter, Aliza began her online entrepreneurial journey way back in the year 1995 with Cybergrrl, Inc and later founded the first global networking organization for women, Webgrrls International. She presently co-owns Conversify, a social media consulting company and helps web companies in their SMM endeavours. She is also a social media strategist, public speaker, author and a greatly respected women’s issues activist in technology.

Aliza, in spite of her busy schedule, was humble enough to take some time out for Foundora and in this interview, she gives her insights about women entrepreneurship, social media marketing, her “very-interesting” story behind getting into entrepreneurship and more. Read On…

Hi Aliza, tell our readers a bit about your entrepreneurial journey, how did you get started? What inspired you to take up entrepreneurship?

The dramatic version of my entrepreneurial journey is that I was held up at gunpoint and kidnapped with my boyfriend, we managed to escape, and then I decided that I needed to pursue my own dreams so started my first company.

Yes, that is a true story, and staring down the barrel of a 9mm handgun shook me to my core and made me realize that I had to face fears that were holding me back in my career. Starting a business seemed terrifying to me, but I did it with no money in the bank and just a straightforward business idea: help companies and nonprofits get a website. This was January 1995.

I spent almost five years running Cybergrrl, Inc., the first woman-owned, full-service Internet company. I also started the first women’s Internet organization, Webgrrls International. Then I walked away from the company I had started to try to salvage my relationship with my boyfriend at the time who was also my business partner. The five years we ran the company together were tumultuous to say the least and wreaked havoc on our relationship. I decided that one of us had to get out of the company, and I could never get the courage to kick him out even though I had majority share of the company and a cadre of advisers who said that I should. Instead, I gave up my shares and stepped down as company president. I walked away from everything I created hoping for a better “life”.

Cautionary tale for anyone going into business with a romantic partner. Learned so many hard lessons worthy of a book. I’m open about it now because it has been over 10 years since it all ended and because I hope to help others avoid similar mistakes.

After I left Cybergrrl, I embarked on a new Internet venture – Eviva.net – a bilingual community and resource for Latinas to network and do business online. Then the Internet bubble burst and my business partner and I worked to return the $250,000 funding we received from an angel investor. We could have burned through it but felt the relationship with our investor was much more important and busted our tails to get the money back to her – even the money we had spent.

At that point, I was essentially broke but took part of a book advance and bought an old RV then spent the next year driving around the country by myself. You can still read about that trip here.

After a two year stint working manage public relations and marketing for an economic development agency in Wyoming, I started an Internet consultancy and by 2007 was focusing almost exclusively on social media marketing such as blogging, social network community building and virtual world development. I brought on a very savvy business partner in 2008 who tripled our revenues in the first quarter. We renamed the company Conversify, and it is still going strong with an awesome team and a third business partner brought on this year.

You’re a mom alongside being Social Media geek, consultant, blogger and second lifer, how do you manage your family and work?

I don’t think I manage work and home life very well, and I’m not really sure how anyone does it because in my experience, if I put a lot of effort toward work, my home life and personal relationships suffer. If I devote more time to family and friends – which I truly believe is the more important part of life – I produce less work.

In many ways, the Internet has been both my work and my tool for working efficiently. I’ve been able to rebuild my profile in my industry over the last few years because of the interconnectedness of social networks. There are pros and cons of this. An upside is that I can carry my work with me and access it via my iPhone. A downside is that I can carry my work with me and access it via my iPhone.

More than anything, I think realizing that we all should just try do the best we can. We get out of things what we put into them whether it is work, relationships, hobbies, our art, you name it. Put forth your best efforts. And above all else, be kind.

You have been promoting women entrepreneurship throughout these years; what was your motivation behind it?

I used to be in the music business, working with bands like Metallica and Def Leppard in the late 80s and early 90s. I saw firsthand how women were treated and experienced firsthand how I was less valued in my job and the music industry because I was female. Even my bosses who were in theory very supportive me still reminded me that the reason I made 50% as much as my male counterparts was essentially because I was a single female “without a lot of expenses”.

During this time, I picked up a copy of Ms. Magazine. I had never heard of it but it said on the cover that it was “ad-free” so I was intrigued. It was the first time I had read anything articulating the status of women in society and industry, especially globally. The information blew me away.

I left the music business to help run a nonprofit on domestic violence awareness, immersing myself in women’s issues and being mentored by an incredible feminist, Donna Ferrato.

When I started my first Internet company, women made up 10% of the Internet population. I felt so empowered by the Internet and wanted to help other women learn how to go online, to gain skills as web developers and to break into a decidedly male industry. That’s when Cybergrrl and Webgrrls were born.

You started up your first company, Cybergrrl Inc back in the year 1995. What exactly was it about? Also, tell us something about your present venture, Conversify?

Cybergrrl, Inc. was a full-service Internet company meaning we started out developing and hosting websites and as soon as a few companies began advertising on the Web, we began offering advertising and sponsorship opportunities on our three main websites for women – Cybergrrl.com, Webgrrls.com, and Femina.com. Then we began developing Web content. Then we started building and managing online communities for others. This was all in the mid-90s.

We even helped pioneer online shopping carts (building a shopping site for the Atkins Center) and Web-based online communities with the Cybergrrl community that integrated live chat, forums, and Instant Messaging custom-built to mimic commercial online services like AOL but entirely on the Web. Unfortunately, we didn’t know how to package or license a product and a few years later commercial online services shut down and online communities moved to the Web.

Conversify is now a thriving social media marketing consultancy led by my friend Monique Elwell, a brilliant businesswoman and by Steven Jackson, a kindred Internet veteran. Conversify is a natural progression from the work we were doing back in the 90s and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. I think we are one of the very few social media marketing agencies with Internet experience dating back to the 80s. What we’re all doing today via social media has a foundation in what we were doing in the 80s and 90s but many other agencies are playing catchup with only a few years of deep Web experience under their belts.

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished to date and love being back in an industry where strategy – but also innovation – are key.

What do you think has changed in the state of women entrepreneurs on the web since Cybergrrl till Conversify?

I think over each decade, women make incredible strides but there is a fundamental problem with the very foundation we all work on top of in our industries. There is still inherent sexism in places, there are still gross inequities in places, and I’m not talking just about third world countries but also here in the U.S.

People are afraid to rock the boat or talk about the prejudices out there for fear of being blacklisted. But I’m getting a little too old now to care what people think. I think you hit middle age and realize “half my life is over. Have I lived a good and honorable life yet?” Okay, maybe not everyone thinks that, but it is something I’m grappling with now. My mission used to be to help women and girls embrace and benefit from technology. Now I think it is more to speak the unspeakable so others don’t feel so alone.

There is huge buzz going around these days that the situation of women entrepreneurship should be improved; What do you think are the core problems holding women back from starting-up? Do you think it is the nature v/s nurture issue?

I think it is more societal which I guess means nurture. There is not a dearth of women entrepreneurs or even women tech entrepreneurs but women may gravitate toward less “hard tech” ventures so may be in different circles or held in less regard because they aren’t hard core. But there are many capable and awesome female programmers, techies, nerds, geeks and brainiacs who are doing incredible work. We just don’t often toot our own horns so those of us who aren’t afraid to do that should do so and then share the spotlight.

And, what according to you can be done to change the present situation?

I think we talk talk talk this stuff until we’re all blue in the face so action is in order. I’m starting a project called Chain of Daisies to create not only a pipeline to help business, tech and venture conferences find more qualified female speakers but to also help transform the landscape, tools and resources available to women to help them identify, submit proposals to and land these coveted speaking opportunities. We just have to work together to put virtual jackhammers to the status quo, shake up the foundation, and rebuild it with better ways and attitudes. We need to do something or support those who are doing something positive.

You have been an entrepreneur for nearly two decades now; what has been your key learning in entrepreneurship? According to you, what does a women need to have in order to achieve her dreams like you did?

My key lesson about being an entrepreneur: Do what you love. Do what you are good at. And partner with or hire others who are better than you at doing the things you don’t do well. Also don’t be precious about your “baby” i.e. your company. Your company is not your baby. It is a business entity and a means to an end. Don’t wrap your whole identity into your business.

You have been into social media for quite some time now; And a lot of businesses have also begun moving towards social media marketing lately, but not all get success at it. Where do you think they go wrong?


I think that most people go wrong by assuming that social media is the next big thing. Enough of the hype. It’s a set of tools. Social media marketing best practices start with the Golden Rule. There are no secrets, there are no get rich quick schemes that apply the Golden Rule. Too many people don’t have a strategic reason for adding social media tools and tactics to their marketing mix and that is a huge mistake.

What do you think is the exact role of social media in marketing? There seems to be a lot of confusion as some try to engage, some try to make sales, while others seem to be doing everything worthless?

Social media is a set of tools that create new ways of communicating, interacting, transacting. But once you learn how the tools work, the rest is communicating with, interacting with and transacting with human beings.

The problem with social media is that there is a lot of information overload, what do you this can be the solution to this ever growing problem?

Make conscious choices about what is truly important. I am exploring some of these issues in my new podcast The Zen of Being Digital – I talk about the Social Media Triad – pick only 3 social networks where you will create a strategic presence and where you will engage. You don’t need 10. You don’t need 20.

What advise would you like to give to young girls aspiring to become web entrepreneurs?

You can be anything you want to be. Just set your heart, mind and spirit in that direction and nothing can stop you. Find mentors, accept help from others when offered, and never hesitate to lend a helping hand to others as you gain success. You are the future. Make it incredible.

  • Monique

    I am Aliza’s business partner in Conversify and have had the sheer pleasure of working with her and experiencing her incredible visionary mind. While I am certainly biased, she is unquestionably one of the top 50 Social Media minds in North America, if not the world. Her ability to understand the new media and how consumers, especially women, will engage with them is amazing to watch. I am honored to be able to see her in action.

  • http://twitter.com/SNaimath Syed Naimath

    Hey Monique, thanks for stopping by. Nice to hear the kind words from you for Aliza. She is truly inspiring in her own way and we really appreciate & acknowledge her accomplishments. All the best for Conversify!

    Syed Naimath
    co-founder, Foundora.

  • Bilal Alam

    Interesting interview. Thanks for sharing your experiences Aliza.

  • Qweqwge

    qweqwe

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