This year marks the 7th year of Dallas Startup Week, a week long celebration that brings together North Texas entrepreneurs and innovators for education, mentorship, and community. The annual event is created by The DEC Network and powered by Capital One. This year DW’s COO Jess Washington had a chance to speak with keynote speaker for Women’s Innovation Day, Tiffany Pham.
Tiffany is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of the Board at Mogul, Inc., and has been named to the 2022 “40 under 40 List” by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). Founded in 2014, Mogul is an online platform designed to bring women together globally and help them reach their full potential, and partners with top workplaces to attract & advance our diverse talent, from rising talent to the most senior women & minorities worldwide. The award-winning woman-owned company has been recognized by Forbes, Amazon and Inc. magazine, showing Tiffany Pham a powerhouse in the HR industry.
First, the Vietnamese Plano native gleamed when explaining why she chose to participate in Dallas Startup Week. She said quite simply, “This is my hometown!” Tiffany mentioned during her keynote that as a young girl she always had an entrepreneurial spirit. It is important for Pham to give back to the community that helped her succeed. Also, being the keynote for Women’s Innovation aligns with Pham’s mission to uplift women, for you can also see Tiffany as a judge on the TLC TV Show “Girl Starter.”
As a minority and a woman, we asked Tiffany what would be the number one thing she would advise to that little girl out there who wants to start a new business? She mentions “Anna-Maria” (who is the daughter of one of the audience members) and places emphasis on the importance of creating the prototype and perfecting it from there. Pham explained that so many times people delay the “launch” of a good idea or business plan because they’re wanting everything to be perfect. One major thing you learn as an entrepreneur is that you’re always changing and adjusting, but you must still execute.
Tiffany detailed the series of events that made the “light bulb” go off , and take that leap of faith into entrepreneurship.
For me, it was always there. I was always driven and somewhat of a perfectionist. Also, my parents raised me in an entrepreneurial environment. They came to the US from Paris when I was a little girl and overcame a lot. They raised us with their small business… it’s all I’ve ever known.
During her keynote’s Q&A, the Harvard grad explained the various ways she manages a work life balance. Tiffany explained that she purposefully blends certain aspects of her life to ensure balance. For her family, she co-operates Mogul with her brother and her parents are super-users of her platform. For her friends, she spends the most time working out with them and ensuring she simultaneously focuses on her health. Pham admitted she doesn’t sleep as much as she should, but is cognizant of that and is something she’s working on amongst other things.
Tiffany tells DW that she sees the landscape of opportunities improving for women of color drastically. Not only because of platforms like Mogul but simply because, “it’s time.”