Meet Georgene Huang, the boss behind Fairygodboss. Fairygodboss is the largest career community for women. It provides millions of women with the hard-to-find intel on work-life balance, salary, maternity leave policies, and how companies treat women. Founded by women, for women, Fairygodboss connects female job seekers with employers who believe in gender equality. We caught up with her to hear how she got started.

When did you know you had a good idea on your hands?

I launched our first anonymous survey as an experiment while I was job searching. It was a small group, but the response I received was very encouraging, so I’d say the more I talked to women and the more responses I received from my initial outreach, I knew there was potential in the market to build something really valuable for professional women.

What was the inspiration behind Fairygodboss? Which came first—the desire to start something or seeing an opportunity that you felt must be created?

I founded Fairygodboss a few years ago, when I was suddenly fired from my executive role at a major company as part of an unexpected management shakeup. At the time, I was two months pregnant and hadn’t yet told anyone. So I was in this position of Iooking for a job and going on interviews — and feeling quite pressured to hide my pregnancy. 

While interviewing, I wanted to ask certain questions — like, is work-life balance enabled here? Are women paid and promoted fairly? What’s the maternity leave policy? — but feared being judged as less than fully committed to my career if I asked. So, I turned to the internet for answers, and was surprised by the lack of information I found, given how crucial this information is to women’s careers. It was then that I decided to start an online database where women could anonymously crowdsource this information, and that’s how Fairygodboss was born. Today, we’re connecting millions of women with job reviews, salary info, maternity leave intel, career advice, and job postings at partner companies that believe in gender equality.

I’ve always been entrepreneurial, but I think my own experience definitely helped me see a gap in the market for everyday, working women. 

What are some short and long term goals you have?

In the short-term, as a company, we’re focused on connecting with more women, continually improving our product, and building a company that our employees love working at. I believe doing this means we’ll end up being the career community for all women.

What has been one of your biggest career challenges? How did you overcome it?

I’d say one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced was losing my job. It was a tough time, especially trying to conceal my pregnancy while interviewing. But ultimately, it was for the best as it led me to found Fairygodboss!

What advice would you share with other entrepreneurs who are just starting out?

My best business advice is to go for it! If you have an idea or want to start your own business, do your research obviously, but go for it. This doesn't, however, mean taking risk recklessly. I believe there are a plenty of ways to "road test" your ideas without throwing all caution to the wind, and with so much technology at our fingertips, there are plenty of ways to simultaneously do market research and start building a business (while testing your idea) without quitting your day job right away.

What are some things you always carry with you?

I always have my laptop and iPhone, and since I am always trying to make sure I exercise when I have 30-45 minutes, I never leave the house without a change of gym clothes.

Meet Georgene Huang, the boss behind Fairygodboss. Fairygodboss is the largest career community for women. It provides millions of women with the hard-to-find intel on work-life balance, salary, maternity leave policies, and how companies treat women. Founded by women, for women, Fairygodboss connects female job seekers with employers who believe in gender equality. We caught up with her to hear how she got started.

When did you know you had a good idea on your hands?

I launched our first anonymous survey as an experiment while I was job searching. It was a small group, but the response I received was very encouraging, so I’d say the more I talked to women and the more responses I received from my initial outreach, I knew there was potential in the market to build something really valuable for professional women.

What was the inspiration behind Fairygodboss? Which came first—the desire to start something or seeing an opportunity that you felt must be created?

I founded Fairygodboss a few years ago, when I was suddenly fired from my executive role at a major company as part of an unexpected management shakeup. At the time, I was two months pregnant and hadn’t yet told anyone. So I was in this position of Iooking for a job and going on interviews — and feeling quite pressured to hide my pregnancy. 

While interviewing, I wanted to ask certain questions — like, is work-life balance enabled here? Are women paid and promoted fairly? What’s the maternity leave policy? — but feared being judged as less than fully committed to my career if I asked. So, I turned to the internet for answers, and was surprised by the lack of information I found, given how crucial this information is to women’s careers. It was then that I decided to start an online database where women could anonymously crowdsource this information, and that’s how Fairygodboss was born. Today, we’re connecting millions of women with job reviews, salary info, maternity leave intel, career advice, and job postings at partner companies that believe in gender equality.

I’ve always been entrepreneurial, but I think my own experience definitely helped me see a gap in the market for everyday, working women. 

What are some short and long term goals you have?

In the short-term, as a company, we’re focused on connecting with more women, continually improving our product, and building a company that our employees love working at. I believe doing this means we’ll end up being the career community for all women.

What has been one of your biggest career challenges? How did you overcome it?

I’d say one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced was losing my job. It was a tough time, especially trying to conceal my pregnancy while interviewing. But ultimately, it was for the best as it led me to found Fairygodboss!

What advice would you share with other entrepreneurs who are just starting out?

My best business advice is to go for it! If you have an idea or want to start your own business, do your research obviously, but go for it. This doesn't, however, mean taking risk recklessly. I believe there are a plenty of ways to "road test" your ideas without throwing all caution to the wind, and with so much technology at our fingertips, there are plenty of ways to simultaneously do market research and start building a business (while testing your idea) without quitting your day job right away.

What are some things you always carry with you?

I always have my laptop and iPhone, and since I am always trying to make sure I exercise when I have 30-45 minutes, I never leave the house without a change of gym clothes.