Regina Noriega

I attribute my success to having four mentors who literally supported me throughout my career. It didn't matter - I could call them 10 times a day, and they would answer. Some of my mentors have been with me for 20 years from the beginning. They combined their age and wisdom and put it into guidance that propelled me faster in my career than anything I could ever invest in. Having the right people as your cheerleaders, people you can lean on, makes all the difference. I even reached out to people on Wall Street to be my mentors, and they did it. You just have to open your mouth and ask, and you will not get rejected.

The best career advice I ever received is that you don't know what you don't know. When you're growing your career, you get down and go down rabbit holes asking why - why didn't I get this promotion? Why isn't this person nice to me? Every time you say why, remember you don't know what you don't know. Usually, it doesn't even involve you. It is so hard to understand when you're growing up and building your career, but if you could just understand that principle, it will help you tremendously. Stop asking why they didn't say yes or why they did something - you simply don't know what you don't know.

Find a mentor. Find someone that is going to be your cheerleader that you can lean on. You don't need to have 10 mentors, you just need one or two good people to be your cheerleader. I know this is probably old school for this generation, but I just think that when you find the right person that can combine their age and wisdom and put it into guidance, that propels you faster in your career than anything you could ever invest in. And here's my advice on the mentor part - ask. Ask someone to be your mentor. Do not be shy, because I did the impossible. I reached out to people on Wall Street, and they did it. You just have to open your mouth, and you will not get rejected.

I believe the biggest challenge is putting people in the right seats. As I'm building and growing my company, we want to add more people, but finding the right people that have not just communication, but digital skills and soft skills is super important. And I think that has to do with marketing, period, not just my business. Finding people that want to make an impact, finding people that have soft skills, not just tech skills - that's the real challenge right now.

Following the golden rule - treat people like the way you want to be treated. That's what guides everything I do in my work and personal life.