It's About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage

You must become not just valuable but undeniably invaluable. And the way to do that is through having more knowledge about your corner of the world than anyone else.

no matter what you do for a living or where you are in your career, you deserve to walk through the door of any room you want to be in.

I have always felt a little bit like the odd person out in any given room. Sometimes it’s because of my race, my gender, or my sexual orientation. Other times it’s because of my thoughts on philosophy, religion, and spirituality. Or sometimes it’s because I have an odd sense of humor or because I have a “strange” way of viewing things.

It seemed really natural to give more funding to people who could do more with it and to find great deals for people who had money but didn’t have differentiated or interesting portfolios.

My mind, my information, my brain trust became the assets.

The assumption that underrepresented means underqualified, unaccomplished, inexperienced, or unskilled not only is false, it also shows how far we have to go to change the idea of what a successful founder is.

This is something I would recommend to everyone; use the energy that anger gives you to create something new or to get your house in order. Repurpose it. The next time you feel as though everything is broken, as though you have nothing to give, get creative.

knew when I saw those statistics that the mythology around Silicon Valley was basically a lie, because ingenuity, hard work, hustle, grit, and innovation aren’t traits that are prevalent only in the straight White male population.

You can do it. You deserve to be backstage, on stage, and in the front row. And once you make it there, don’t forget to let someone shorter stand in front of you.