Does anyone feel very behind in life career wise and that they’re not actually an adult? Whitney Herd, CEO of bumble is 31. I’m the same age. She just made history as the youngest CEO female to take a company public. How does one become so successful and entrepreneurial at that age? I feel so lost in my career and unhappy, and that I don’t know what I’m doing. Does anyone feel this way?

likesmarthelpful
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She comes from and married into a lottttt of money (her circle of friends are the elites of the world..and I know this because we have a close mutual friend). When she left tinder to start her own dating app, she had a rich Russian billionaire who requested to (initially) be Bumble’s sole investor and provided a shitton of capital.

Don’t be so hard on yourself!!!

likehelpfulsmart

The sun and moon shine at different times and are not judged against each other. Everyone shines in their own time. Love where you are currently, work toward where you want to be, and enjoy the ride. The only person you should be comparing yourself to, is the old you. Keep growing, inspiring and pushing yourself toward your goals. And make sure you have fun doing it!

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I hear being married to an oil heir is a great safety net for trying out new business ideas that might not work all.

likefunnysmart
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Why all the shitting on the Bumble CEO? Why all the discussion about her family’s money? I promise you if I married into wealth I would not have founded a company and taken it through to IPO 😂

Good for her. Women supporting women is important. I have a different life than hers, and I LOVE seeing other women achieve success. Water your own grass and don’t begrudge others’ success.

Also, it’s odd to me that you measure yourself against an outlier. It’s like any random dude measuring himself against Steve Jobs. Of course you’ll come up short?

likesmart

This is me every day. I struggled to finance college so I ended up graduating with a bachelors at 29 and going to public accounting. It was really awkward seeing co-workers younger than me with houses, and coworkers my age as managers and senior managers while I was a staff.

I got carried away with adulting and got an apartment that was too pricey with furniture to match and quickly regretted it. I am now In the process of getting roommates so I can start saving for a house and retirement.

It just sucks to come to fishbowl and see 24 year olds making 6 figures with 3M net worth. I know my attempts to catch up are futile but DAMN.

My friends in real life aren’t ambitious so they don’t get why I’m stressing. They think that telling me they’re in the same club as me and that I’m in good company should make me feel better but it doesn’t. 😔 sigh. Thanks for listening.

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Similar experience & feelings here. It’s tough but I just try to be proud of my path here.

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Set measurable goals for yourself and YOUR actions. Do NOT make someone else’s success the measurement for yours. This was good advice I got from “the subtle art of not giving a fuck”. Check it out for an entertaining and enlightening self help read.

likesmart

THIS 🙌🏼

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Not just career wise but also personal life milestones wise. Not only is she CEO and youngest female to take a company public but is also married to an oil heir and has a 1 year old. Meanwhile, I struggle with basic adulting 😥

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Key there - married to an oil heir.

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It’s like winning the lottery. Is Bumble a groundbreaking invention? Not really. Don’t sweat it

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This × 100.
For every super successful entrepreneur that made it, there are thousands that don't. You don't hear their stories, because they didn't make it. Some of them worked their asses off too, but luck wasn't on their side.
Hard work is a part of it, luck is also a huge factor

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The diminishing of her achievements in this thread are a bad way to help OP imo. “But” doesn’t make it less impressive. Men do that t us enough, come on 😭
Everyone has their own path, and your contributions to this world aren’t null and void if you weren’t labeled the first, best, or youngest at whatever you did. Just have a damn good with with whatever you DO and the people you meet along the way.

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Exactly! As a woman of color and an immigrant I don't enjoy the benefits of taking certain risks, because if I fail, the consequences are a lot more dire. I'm definitely more privileged than a lot of people in the world, but where she started and where I started were nowhere close

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Girrl, comparison is the thief of joy. Everyone has their own path - not everyone has the same struggles and there’s a lot of inequality out there. You do the best you can and lead life your wife.

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Best* not wife lol

Everyone is on their own path. There's really no one way. Are you happy? If you're wondering about Whitney's path, maybe it's a good springboard for finding out what you want to do next - professional envy can be used constructively in my experience

Fwiw I am in my early 40s and appreciate a stupid d*ck joke /emo song reference and don't feel like an actual adult. And I don't want my own company. I still admire her.

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Mo money, mo problems. Grass is not always greener. There are likely downsides of being married to an oil heir that we are underestimating here.

You can be successful in your own way and there’s no deadline for that. Just try your best.

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‘Compare Yourself to Who You Were Yesterday, Not to Who Someone Else Is Today’

There will always be someone who is better than you. It’s just a matter of perspective. You are still more wealthy and successful in life than most of the population and probably anyone who has lived 100 years ago.

likesmart

Thank you everyone for the comments! I love that we have such a strong community of uplifting women on here 🙂

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I believe that every single one of us is capable of building companies from the ground up, without billionaires for husbands. Do not let the devil and the trap of comparison get you down. If you want something, you put pen to paper and you find a way to get it!

I know a person who started their own business at 38. Came from dirt poor family. Hustled to save the money and get started, grew it into a multi-million dollar business. There’s STILL time! 💕

likeupliftingsmart

When I saw her profile, I had about a minute of comparison and envy. Then I said, but you’re killing it at your age (41). There’s no set schedule and I’m only competing against myself.

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You don’t need to be the CEO of Bumble to be successful. I have many friends and associates who are small business owners - they own restaurants, online boutiques, consulting companies, one even started her own monthly box subscription for pregnant and postpartum moms. Most are late 30s / early 40s and started their companies in the mid to late 30s. Before many of them started their ventures, they had regular jobs and a dream just like you. No one is waiting for their companies to do an IPO and they probably won’t make it on Forbes list but they’re still very successful and that level of success is accessible to us all. Make a plan and execute. It takes a lot of hard work but there’s many women you can model off of besides Whitney.

Like others have said, we don’t all have access to the same resources that Whitney had. That’s important to her story and shouldn’t be overlooked. However, even without that access, you can still find success in ways that don’t involve the level of access she had.

likeuplifting

Comparison is the thief of joy

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This.

There are a lot of people that have risen faster than me for a whole host of reasons. However, I make double what my mom made when I was in high school. I can lament the various missed opportunities or can appreciate that I'm 36, have my one house paid off, own a beach house, and have a husband who can afford to quit his job because I make so much fucking money.

This is going to sound so cliche but age is literally just a number! Don’t compare yourself to anyone else and what they have achieved Vs you at the same time - everyone has a different context, a different start and their own challenges. Focus on you and how to be the best version of yourself - at any age!

The best advice I can give is to be authentic and true to yourself - don’t replicate anyone else’s path / success. Keep your head up and don’t be hard on yourself!

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30*

Lol thanks just caught it

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Yes. I feel very behind.

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