June 2021 Female Tech Leaders Magazine

A day in your business life!
ERNA ŠOŠEVIĆ
Being a woman entrepreneur in Bosnia and Herzegovina is very challenging. We are a very
traditional society and family is always a priority, which requires a lot of time, as well as your
business.
My workday starts at 6 in the morning when I start the day with my morning little rituals: I
drink coffee, put on make-up and get dressed, after which I wake the children and prepare
them for school and kindergarten, while I schedule daily responsibilities with my husband. I
have been in the office since 9 am, where we usually hold a team meeting to plan activities
and analyze current problems, and suggest potential solutions that will be tested in the
coming period. I dedicate the first part of the morning to writing emails and responding to
partners, clients, and associates. Meetings are present every day on my workday, online or
offline, because it is very important for me to expand my network and connect with people
who can improve my business in various ways, but also to meet those whom I can use
through business.
Often I have lunch with the team because it’s a great way to connect on a human level and
learn more about them, which helps me make a variety of decisions related to their positions,
potentials and promotions.
After lunch, I use the time to review our finances, review the bills we need to pay, check how
additional features are developing and when they will be released, face customer support
issues and plan the next workday with a cup of coffee.
There is a lot of work every day for the founder of a tech startup, but I have learned to set
priorities, which makes it much easier for me to handle several important things at once. It is
not always easy, but it should not be, because that is exactly what makes us constantly
develop and improve.
Technology is a male-dominated field. How could the tech industry be more inclusive for
women?
Yes, that male-dominated industry has put women at a disadvantage from the beginning,
with no desire or strategy to put diversity on the agenda. The advantage of the change is
various organizations and movements that have dealt with gender issues at tech and startup
conferences, but again, we can talk about the problem, but that does not mean we will solve
the problem, so we have to do something about it.
That is why I became the chapter lead for Sarajevo for the SoGal Foundation of New York, the
largest global platform for diverse entrepreneurs and investors, with a mission to reduce the
gap in diversity in entrepreneurship and venture capital. Through working for them, I realized
that diversity gives value to every business, mostly because diversity teams bring better
results, while women founders are more innovative in their solutions than their male
counterparts.
Therefore, we need to start from ourselves, be an example of diversity and show the
advantages of those who are underrepresented in entrepreneurship. To be more advanced in
providing diversity, the technology industry needs an alternative approach to finding and
keeping women who are talents in this field, and more investors willing to invest in women’s
tech startups. Not to be misunderstood, I do not think that women need relief, but the same
conditions and opportunities as their male colleagues. We also need to highlight women
leaders in this sector, inspiring those looking for ways to realize their tech ideas. Finally, we
need to build a community of women in the tech industry that will support each other, but
also encourage the development of their companies by hiring and strengthening diversity in
entrepreneurship.