How to Unlock Tech Wealth in a Recession
^{_{A REALISTIC STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE}}

Three years ago, my advice for building tech wealth was straightforward: join a big tech company, work there for two years, then leverage that experience to secure a director/C-level position at a soon-to-exit startup. This path helps you capitalize on significant equity and set the stage for future financial independence.

However, if you were to ask me the same question today, I would not recommend applying to big tech. The current down market in the tech industry, coupled with big tech's reduced hiring, especially for entry-level positions, calls for a different approach.

Here’s what I would do instead —

1️⃣ Join (literally any) startup, ranging from seed to series C. This gets your foot in the door of the tech startup ecosystem and is much more practical than aiming for a big-name company right now.

2️⃣ Start networking with as many startup founders as possible and ask for intros to their investors. Build relationships with these investors. As the recession nears its end, ask them which companies they think did well despite the downturn and are now trending upwards. You'll notice a pattern in 1-3 companies everyone highlights.

3️⃣ Ask that investor to refer you to those companies and join one of them. Since this isn’t your first job, you’ll have more leverage in negotiating your title, salary, and, most importantly, equity. Securing a senior role in such a startup can lead to substantial equity, potentially resulting in 7-8 figure wealth upon a successful exit. This is a level of wealth that is challenging to achieve even with 20+ years in big tech. The reason why everyone doesn’t do this is because it's difficult to identify which companies will succeed, and most lack the necessary insider knowledge. However, by following these steps, you'll acquire insights and develop a network that can greatly increase the likelihood of identifying and choosing companies that are poised for success, rather than leaving it to chance.

4️⃣ Repeat steps 2 and 3 as you progress in your career, and the likelihood of landing a job at a successful startup that exits increases.

Or, start your own company! Since you've already networked with all the investors, you can raise money directly from them. Also, by this point, you should have collected a significant amount of stock from previous startups you've worked at, which might be worth a considerable sum one day. 😉

TBH, I wish I could go back in time and follow this strategy. From what I know about big tech, that's not where real long-term tech wealth comes from. Plus, this approach doesn't work well in any other market than the one we have today!

Better convinced now about the startup life? Grab this free guide to learn how to find startups that align with your skills, aspirations, and values.

_{ENTREPRENEURSHIP & VENTURE CAPITAL}

🛠️ Build Gen She With Me

The next episode of Diary of a Delulu CEO is out, and it’s all about finding your passion and turning it into a successful career!

And if you comment on Ep 3 with a 💫 emoji + what your dream job is, you will be entered to receive $100 of beauty/wellness products!!! Good luck!

Missed episode 2? Check it out here 😊 

 💰️ Mom, I Am a Rich Man
_{An interview series uncovering the stories and strategies of badass women on a quest to find richness in health and wealth.}

Shania Bhopa (25)
Shania is a level three Doctoral Global Health candidate and founded the Canadian Courage Project, a national non-profit organization. Shania is a published children's book author and angel investor. She has built the Do It All girl^TM community of over 170k women globally. Shania has received the Queens Jubilee Community Impact Award, the American Eagle Community grant, and the RBC Women of Influence award.

P.S. She was also featured in a previous newsletter about going viral for her egg-freezing journey! If you missed it »

1. What's your biggest secret to being a Do It All girl^TM? I built the DIA community on social media and IRL because women can do it all at the same time; we just need the systems and tools to be efficient with the hours we have in a day. The biggest secret is knowledge of self and then applying your learnings of self to find the systems and tools to be efficient. Being efficient with the hours in a day allows you to get more work done in less time, to have more free time to be well, and to foster purpose. 

2. How much do you make? I have scaled two wellness companies to over 6 figures in the last few years while being a full-time PhD student. 

3. Best money advice you’ve ever received? 1. Have a budgeting system; 2. Always buy things on sale, and 3. Only take $$ advice from those that you wouldn't mind trading bodies with. 

4. What’s one non-negotiable for your mental health? Meditation, the research I have done in my master's on the power of mindfulness, is undeniably brilliant. Finding calmness amidst your busy day and life is the goal of a life filled with meaning.

🤝 Invest With Me
_{Turns out you don’t need to be crazy rich to own a piece of the trillions of dollars that flow through the tech industry every year! Wefunder is a platform that allows anyone to invest as little as $100 into startups, and each week, I’ll be sharing one company that I’m investing in with you!}

Sool (Makku) is America's 1st craft Makgeolli and Korean rice beer.

✨ 6th fastest growing independent craft beer brand in NY

✨ Available in Total Wine, Whole Foods, Walgreens, and BevMo! across the US

✨  Gross margins of 40% (impressive for CPG!), with over 3.3M cans sold

✨ The company is female and Asian owned

Podcast Rewinds ⏪️ 

Do THIS to Increase Your Job Opportunities:

“Just put on your LinkedIn Profile that you live in NYC or SF. Don’t move there, just say you live there already. And then apply for jobs in those cities. Because once you get the job and land that offer and get that salary, then you can afford it, then you can move.”

- Avni from “It’s Not That Deep: Answering Your Career Crises Pt.1”

_{RESOURCES + JOBS}

Don’t miss these 👀

^CAREER

🏰 Disney star Bridget Mendler turned space CEO is THE girl showing us you can truly reinvent yourself into anything.

💰️ The secret to financial freedom…

📺️ A new show by Hello Sunshine on women quitting their jobs to pursue their dream businesses? Sign me up!!

🤝 Looking to break into venture capital, build your network, and get equity in startups without spending your own money? Apply to be a Gen She VC Scout! Applications are rolling in, and decisions will be announced in March.

^WELLNESS

🥛 Oats can cause infertility? Good thing I was never an oat milk girl…

👯 Turns out having superficial acquaintances are just as important as having close friends! Read more here.

🎙️ Fasting can be a powerful tool for women to balance their hormones and improve overall well-being and productivity. Check out this podcast with Dr. Pelz, a world-renowned women’s health expert, where she talks all about it.

What’s new on our job board 🔥

1️⃣ Chief Technology Officer @ Fika

2️⃣ Senior Product Manager @ Ylopo

3️⃣ Customer Advocate, Social Media @ MoneyLion

4️⃣ Web Developer (Contract) @ Twine

5️⃣ Experience Designer @ Manulife

6️⃣ Growth Marketing Associate @ Offline Media

… and more! 😉

❤️ Avni, Founder @ Gen She // Sponsor this newsletter