Sarah Ibeziako

I would say being organized is definitely number one - if you're not organized, you'll get swallowed by all of the people who reach out to you because you're the middleman. It's so easy to get lost in pipelines, but organization has been really crucial for me. Strong communication skills are also essential because you're talking to all sorts of people, and you want to make sure you relate things correctly and with the correct verbiage. And then being detail-oriented - those are the things that I think help me succeed in this role.

Don't give up. I know that sounds really corny, but literally do not give up. My mentors, who were friends a few years ahead of me in the industry, prepared me for it to be difficult and for me to run into a lot of problems at first, but they told me not to give up on it. That advice has really stuck with me and helped me push through the challenging times.

I would say that she should trust her instincts, but also look beyond the problem. A lot of times, when you first look at a situation, you think 'this is what it is,' but you also need to play devil's advocate and look beyond the problems to figure out all the whys before coming up with a conclusion. I think she can do it - it just takes work and learning the process. It took me years, and I failed a bunch, so it's important to know that success doesn't come overnight.

I think there are a lot of opportunities for women entering the field right now. Business analytics is a growing field for women - I've had a ton of women who do it, and that are good at it, and that have multiple contracts and multiple jobs. A lot more women are breaking into the tech industry in general, so I think they could go for it. I wouldn't say there are significant challenges specifically for women right now.

I value family above anything else, and camaraderie to a certain degree. I like things to be cohesive, so when I think of most situations, I try to approach everything like it's family - like we're all trying to get along, we all have a goal, and we care for each other. At work, that kind of helps me with how I communicate with people. People feel comfortable communicating with me, letting me know when there are issues or maybe certain things that they don't like, and I'm very open to receiving feedback. I approach work the same way I approach family, so that's one of my core values.