In Episode 150, venture capitalist Magdalena Yesil shared with us how taking risks has pushed forward her entrepreneurial career. Christopher Lochhead mulls over one striking line of hers during their dialogue in this Unlocked episode.
 
“I’d rather be considered a bitch than a victim.” - Magdalena Yesil
 
Three Things We Learned
 
So many of us go out of our way to be liked
Christopher recalls times when he worked to hard to please other people. He has also tried to assume the version of him that people wanted him to be instead of listening to his own heart. Most people are guilty of this, and it’s not healthy at all.
 
People have forgotten how to be candid
Our world today is defined by heavy political correctness that can be suffocating, but we have also forgotten how to be honest with each other. Humans tend to sugarcoat things in order to avoid confrontations. We’re no longer straight with the people around us, accommodating them in a way that is by no means correct.
 
People are going to call you what they want to no matter what
And you can only hope that whatever name they come up with, it’s good. But even then, isn’t it better to be called names because you’re strong and able to make a difference in the world?
 
Wouldn’t it be better to be considered a bitch than be a victim? Someone willful and headstrong rather than someone who say sweet things in order to earn useless favors?Bio:Pioneering Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Magdalena Yeşil came to the United States in 1976 with two suitcases and $43, blind to the challenges she would face as a woman and immigrant in Silicon Valley. Today, she is best known as the first investor and a founding board member of Salesforce, the now-multibillion dollar company that ushered in the era of cloud-based computing.  Magdalena Yeşil is a founder, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist of many of the world’s top technology companies, including Salesforce, where she was the first investor and founding board member. Yesil is a former general partner at U.S. Venture Partners, where she oversaw investments in more than thirty early-stage companies and served on the boards of many. A technology pioneer, Yeşil founded three of the first companies dedicated to commercializing Internet access, e-commerce infrastructure, and electronic payments. UUnet, CyberCash, and MarketPay earned her the Entrepreneur of the Year title by the Red Herring magazine. Yeşil is a founder of Broadway Angels, a group of female venture capitalists and angel investors. She is currently working on her fourth startup, DriveInformed, a technology company bringing trust and transparency to the auto finance industry. She serves on the board of directors of RPX, Smartsheet, and Zuora. Magdalena is an immigrant to the United States from Turkey and is of Armenian heritage. An avid hiker and sailor, she lives in San Francisco, California.Magdalena Yesil