I am CEO in Diga33!, a strategic design company founded in 2007 in Madrid, today with 16 employees. I came to this point when I was 25 years old and divorced with two young children.
I was working as a senior consultant in CAP Gemini but I decided to leave my job in order to combine my working life with being a mother and I became a freelancer. From that moment, I started teaching in schools and universities, collaborating with various publications. I wrote 13 books on design for MacGrawHIll in two years and worked for companies that needed to improve their experience (as a customer, employee or supplier) in their digital products. Until I founded my own company, Diga33! 13 years ago :-) from where I worked for hundreds of projects, designed an event to bring international speakers from the world of design and UX to Spain and directed 8 postgraduate courses in UX and product design.
As an entrepreneur I participate in two startups, one of them, Woonivers, has already obtained 1,600,000 euros in the first round. I love to keep learning, that's why I started studying Psychology 2 years ago and I just started my third year.
Tell us about a day at work you'll never forget!
I am a typical ADHD with high abilities. I feel comfortable working on different projects at the same time to be able to change between them and let the decisions rest to review later with new eyes. But I am a difficult profile for long projects that require very rigid planning. I have always worked with a senior team, three weeks ago I incorporated three interns to learn directly with me. For the first time, I have managed to organize my schedule to establish such a commitment and I am enjoying it very much: they are brilliant, they have a very fresh mind and they pass on their enthusiasm to me every day. I really like the training and now I can see how my students-workers grow every day by my side.
What's your advice about growing a brand or a personal brand?
Don't be afraid to show the world what you're doing. And not just to get compliments, criticism is good and teaches you to separate the worthwhile from the unworthy.
How do you prepare for negotiation conversations?
My company has no commercials, no one goes out and sells. We don't need it because the customers come looking. I think honesty is the key. I’m always honest about what I provide and how much it costs, exactly the same when I pay, I maintain transparency, that creates lasting relationships with both your customers and your employees and suppliers.
“it’s not personal, never make it personal.”
Did you ever agree to something in a negotiation you now regret doing?
I think very carefully about decisions, and when they do not turn out as I expected, I prefer to analyze the causes and learn from them so that they do not recur. We cannot go back, regrets are fruitless, but mistakes provide lessons that are of great value.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve experienced imposter syndrome, or not feeling good enough? How did you overcome this?
It happens to me every day. I think it's because we've been taught that success is hard to maintain but the reality is that the more you get it right and the more you get it wrong, the more information your brain accumulates to do things better and faster. Reaching the level of expert in your profession makes it easy for you to do things that other people find difficult, that doesn't mean you're not doing them well, just that you've practiced a lot. The impostor syndrome is inevitable when you are humble and often question yourself, but you also have to learn to recognize your own worth and congratulate yourself on it.
What one tip would you tell your younger self about negotiating?
You have to negotiate on objective terms: what you are offering and what is its fair value and, on the other hand, what they need and how much they can or want to pay for it, the middle ground is the key. And, important: it's not personal, never make it personal.
How do you define a #NaturallyDaring woman?
Honest, confident, active and conscious.
What's your personal quirk or point of difference that has helped you to excel in your field?
Always keep a great curiosity for everything and everyone. It's the way to question whether what you do is the best solution to the problem or whether there are easier and better ways to get there.
Who do you draw inspiration from?
Of women who have paved the way, who integrate their feminist demands into their work environment and who act according to what they think, professionals who do not hide the fact that they are women and that the world of work has not made it easy for us.
Who has taught you the most about knowing your value in the workplace? We'd love to know what their advice was too!
My father taught me to question myself and not to settle for the easy solutions that appear at first sight, to always go further. My mother taught me to dare, to be brave and to launch new projects off the beaten track. I still learn from many people every day: my partners are a source of inspiration for me, my students, my children...
Do you have a routine or habit that you practice that allows you to do what you do?
Life is not just work: I take care of myself (I do sport, I eat well...), I plan my week to enjoy free time with my family, partner and friends, I disconnect from social networks and mobile phone when my day is over and I read every day.
“I learned that to grow you have to have time and calm and that money is not enough, a team needs to be nurtured and for that, you have to give them your time.”
Has there been one person instrumental to your growth and success? How did they impact you?
I'm now at a stage in my career where new partners have joined my company, helped me learn the value of trust, delegation and sharing, sharing responsibility on several shoulders. Thanks to them I have been able to grow, dedicating time to new projects with greater guarantees of success.
What has been your biggest or best failure and what did you take from it?
Ten years ago my company was going through a very good time, we had sold a two-year project to CocaCola and we were working for Banco de Santander on another big project. I was working long hours and decided that I had to grow because I had the money to invest in employing people. What I didn't know was that I didn't have the time or the team to accompany the new employees. It was a disaster. I was still working the same hours and they felt alone and abandoned in their responsibilities. I learned that to grow you have to have time and calm and that money is not enough, a team needs to be nurtured and for that, you have to give them your time.
How would you best describe what and who you currently are?
I am in the middle of a growth phase, enjoying learning and teaching, imagining new projects and designing how my professional life will be for the next ten years.
How would you describe you have got to this point in your life and career?
Being brave, grateful and humble.
What's the worst piece of advice you've been given and why was it so awful/useful?
When I started working I was a young woman in a man's world. And I was always recommended the same thing: Make yourself beautiful. I always gave a unique answer: Making myself pretty doesn't make me smarter.
What would you be doing if you weren't on your current path?
I think I would be an artist, a painter or a musician.
What’s your favourite quote?
"Fear is the only enemy that defeats you without a fight" (unknown)
Are you reading or listening to anything at the moment?
I usually listen to this playlist at work.
“Making myself pretty doesn’t make me smarter.”