We recently connected with Jen Henderson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jen , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My parents divorced when I was young. The judge involved allowed my brother and I to be split up so my brother went with my dad and I went with my mom. My brother followed a difficult path growing up- drugs, teenage pregnancies, school issues, etc. so I felt that it was my responsibility, at a very young age, to not add any other stress to my mom. Therefore, I was determined to lean into hard work, excellent work, and success anywhere I could achieve it. I also had a front row seat to our financial hardship as my mom found retail work to make ends meet as a single parent. I grew up fearing the power that money had on life and subsequently have learned that hard work is a path out of financial strain.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As a professional mom with 2 small children, I experienced career stagnation and pregnancy discrimination when I disclosed both of my pregnancies. My employers simply didn’t know what to do with me, or women like me, to maintain career growth with pregnancy and young children. The penalty of motherhood that women incur to ‘choose’ between their career or staying at home with children is antiquated, short sided and shuts out an immense talent pool that is more educated, experienced and driven than ever before in history.
So I set off to try to make what happened to me, not happen to others- enter Tilt. https://hellotilt.com/
We exist to make leave easier, reduce career stagnation, bring the human back to leave and allow people to successfully and confidently navigate how life and work intersect during our most vulnerable moments.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Resiliency, grit, and a learner mindset at every turn.
My advice has been the same for the 7 years that I have been on this entrepreneurial journey- if you don’t have a visceral connection to the problem you’re trying to solve in the world, I believe you will have a hard time getting up everyday and fighting the fight needed to be a successful entrepreneur. I look into my kids eyes everyday and feel the responsibility I have to ensure they don’t experience what I did when they need a leave of absence. It fuels the incredible ups and downs I endure as a founder- especially a female founder.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
2% of venture funding goes to female founders. We are approaching our Series B and the reality of being a female founder at that stage of growth is incredibly frustrating. I took the advice very early in Tilt’s existence that if we focus on just building a great company, investment will come. “Great companies are investible in any climate.’ That’s not proving to be accurate and the 2% reality is felt everyday. The venture game needs to fundamentally change if we ever want parity in gender and diversity of backgrounds for the future of entrepreneurship in this country.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hellotilt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiltleavemanagement/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hello-tilt
