Lauren Hasson is the Founder of DevelopHer, a technology platform that fosters gender equality by helping professional women in tech build their professional value and stand out among their peers, as well as a senior engineer in apps and information security at a leading Silicon Valley fintech company that processes billions of dollars in financial transactions each year.

Lauren shares through DevelopHer how she transformed her career from rock bottom into a top, high- profile professional and nearly quintupled her salary in less than four years, and that other women can follow her lead in transforming their careers and break glass ceilings. Lauren's professional engineering work has been featured in Apple keynotes, she was one of 100 top innovators invited to attend the UK G8 Innovation and Decide Now Act Summits, and she's won multiple, high-profile hackathons. In addition to her professional work, Lauren's work with DevelopHer has won many awards, and she has been featured in publications such as the international IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine and has been hired by top companies like Google, Dell, Intuit, Armor, and more to train and inspire their women. Website: http://www.developher.com

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I am the Founder of DevelopHer and a senior member of the engineering team and principal member of the security team for a Silicon Valley payments company that processes billions of dollars in financial transactions annually.

Six years ago, I transformed my career from rock bottom into a top, high-profile professional and nearly quintupled my salary in less than four years. Now I am moving the needle to bridge the gender wage gap and inspiring thousands of women to build their best careers and break glass ceilings.  The DevelopHer platform has empowered thousands of women to earn 26%, 43%, and 67% salary increases in just a single negotiation. 

My professional engineering work has been featured in Apple keynotes, I was one of 100 top innovators invited to attend the UK G8 Innovation and Decide Now Act Summits, and I’ve won multiple, high-profile hackathons. Throughout my career, I’ve held both senior leadership and senior engineering roles at startups and prominent agencies alike. 

My work with DevelopHer has also been recognized with many awards, and I've appeared in media outlets that include Indeed, CBS, NBC, Dell Perspectives, Security Intelligence, Thrive Global, Authority Magazine, and the DataBird Business Journal as 1 of 250 Inspiring Female Entrepreneurs. 

What inspired you to start your business?

Six years ago, I had just returned from a UK G8 Innovation Summit and had a conversation with a male coworker that changed my life. During our conversation, he complained to me about how little he made. When he told me his salary, I was stunned. He was making exactly what I made at the time though my experience and credentials far outweighed his relative value to the company. I also found he had been hired at a rate 50% higher than when I first joined the company at his level.

Instead of blaming others, I didn't wait and became the change I wanted, and I got it. This has been repeated throughout my life. I don't expect opportunities to be given to me. I go out and create opportunities for myself! 

At that moment, I started a journey of learning, action, and growth that would change my life forever. Within two years, I was able to triple my salary and that difference meant an additional six-figure amount that I would earn EVERY year moving forward.

I launched DevelopHer in late 2017 with only my personal savings and no outside investment, and all while working full-time as a successful software and application security engineer. I created DevelopHer to share my experiences and help other women see there is always a way to get through challenges and be a positive force in their own careers. I wanted to distill the essence of how to negotiate for higher pay into a scalable, relatable, and affordable program to help women overcome pay disparity and arm them with tools to earn higher salaries and give them the confidence to reach higher in their careers.

Where is your business based? 

I am based in Dallas, but work internationally. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took? 

I'm best known as the face of DevelopHer, and for sharing my own personal story of overcoming pay inequity and building my career from nothing. What is most interesting, and what people don't often realize, is that when I founded DevelopHer, I had so much imposter syndrome that I didn't think anyone would care about my own story. Instead, I shared stories of other leading women in tech and their career journeys. 

I started out calling my business, “Engineer Your Comeback," but I wasn’t getting traction. I decided to start a podcast with a title with something like “The ______ Show.” I came up with The DevelopHer Show because I am both a developer and a woman, so it was a double entendre as well as catchy and descriptive.

That was the start, the idea of sharing a relatable story, a decision to develop a podcast, and of course, the brand name which captured the essence of who I am and the business I wanted to build. I acquired a trademark, and the rest is history. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

I built DevelopHer based on having quality, relatable content, and getting myself out there in front of people on a regular basis.

Each time I meet someone, hold a speaking engagement, create a new business relationship, or acquire a new client, I publicize it. Each interaction and taking the action step to put it out there in the world build on each other. Taking consistent, intentional action and self-advocacy are part of the DevelopHer tenets.  

What have been your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?

Some of the biggest challenges have been on the operations side.

I would say the first challenge was in putting a team together. It was a challenge getting the right people with the right skills to move the business forward. Now I have a great team and have invested in people I feel are great assets. I am very cautious when bringing on new people after all people are one of the most important assets in your business.

The second biggest challenge was onboarding new business relationships while wearing the multiple hats you need to wear as a business owner. An example of this is when I onboarded a recent higher education client. The first step was setting up a contract, where I not only needed to negotiate the contract but also had to work with legal and procurement services to put the contract in place.

I am very creative and am very much about building relationships. I enjoy initiating the relationship and working to continue and build on the initial engagement but realize that hand-in-hand with that is the onboarding process and the subsequent legal and administrative requirements.

How do you stay focused?

I regularly revisit my mission, and what it is I am trying to accomplish. The first DevelopHer tenet is to own your outcomes, which means realizing where you are and owning it.  Revisiting my mission helps with this. 

I also keep my core competencies in view and continuously ask, "Is this where I want to go, and is this moving my business forward?" This consistent check helps me stay focused, course correct if needed, and ultimately ensures I am moving in the right direction.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

The difference is me. There are a lot of people out there who are career development and negotiation coaches or trainers, and who provide different courses and tools, but the difference for me has been authenticity.

I found that people relate to me personally and want to learn from me and my experiences. My story is one of the every-woman. Because I have been genuine and authentic, without glossing over the less glamorous details of my experiences, I have consistently found they want to hear more of my story. Since I found my own voice, and have been successful in communicating with that voice, I have been able to engage more audiences, reach more women, and impact real change more than ever before.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

One of the first things I stumbled onto was awards. At first, I didn't think I was doing anything noteworthy, that is until I was approached and nominated for an award. I didn’t think anything about the nomination at first, that is until I won! I was shocked!

I had started self-advocating and building my reputation through my work, but now my reputation was further solidified through this award.

That first award was a lesson. I had worked to build my career and my reputation through owning my circumstances, gaining knowledge, self-advocating, and then empowering myself to move forward. These are the DevelopHer tenets and what I live by and act on daily. 

Since that first award, I have won many awards for my professional engineering work and continue to win awards for the DevelopHer platform. 

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

It’s all about your network and your reputation. Who knows you and knows what you do is the most critical piece of not only building your network but building your reputation and, ultimately, your value.

In my professional career and through DevelopHer, I continually work with corporate executives, rising stars, and other entrepreneurs. I have found and continue to educate others that it’s not only about building your value but making sure that people know your value. This is a vital part of DevelopHer’s platform. 

What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why? 

My favorite app is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is how I manage my brand, my platform, and how people know about me. I religiously publish to build my reputation and ultimately grow my business. 

I have two favorite books, The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy, and Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. Both books provide foundational advice on how to grow from where you are today and actionable steps to get you to where you want to go. They are must-reads if you're going to get to the next level in your life.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why? 

My favorite tool is Zoom. In addition to running DevelopHer, I work remotely full-time as a senior engineer in apps and information security. Zoom is how I connect with clients, team members, and even my family and friends.

I founded DevelopHer to be an international company. Subsequently, my team is all remote. Zoom allows me to really connect with people even though we are not in the same room. It’s just like we are all there! 

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Sarah Blakely, the entrepreneurial founder of Spanx. She started Spanx with $5,000 of personal savings, hustled, and made it happen for herself.

I haven’t waited for things to happen to me, or for others to invest in me. Instead, I’ve taken immediate action, invested in myself, and gone out to make it happen.  

How do you balance work and life?

I am the Founder of DevelopHer and also work full time as a successful senior engineer in apps and information security. I live an absolutely full life. I love my day job and love the company I founded as well.

I focus on micro-actions each and every day to move forward on every aspect of my life, which results in tremendous benefits over the long haul. I also make sure to get time in for myself and my guy. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

It depends on the day. If I am frustrated or have a lot of nervous energy, I work out. Before the pandemic, I went to Orangetheory regularly to work out. During the shelter-in-place, I began running and finding ways to work out at home. 

If I am feeling unusually tired or drained, I take a hot shower and curl up on the couch to read a good book.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

The COVID-19 crisis has delayed some of my plans, but for the latter half of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, I plan to continue expanding my higher education partnerships. I also plan to roll out a new corporate program, increase my visibility, and secure more corporate partnerships. 

How can our readers connect with you? 

Of course, readers can always follow me on LinkedIn. If they are interested in learning more about DevelopHer, they can visit www.DevelopHer.com and join my newsletter.