Laetitia Martos, Expert(e) interview
Femmes du Numérique: As a woman who has succeeded in the digital sector, can you tell us about your career path and the job you do? How did this vocation come about? Did you encounter any difficulties in finding your bearings, or on the contrary, did you receive support? Later on, did you encounter any gender-related difficulties in your professional development? What’s your next step?
Laetitia Martos :My background is fairly classic, with a preparatory school + a business school. I then spent 8 years living abroad, notably in Costa Rica, Argentina and Ireland, where I worked for major American groups. When I felt like returning to France, everyone told me it was a mistake because there wasn’t enough work! I decided to set up my own business when I arrived, and you see, in the end I did the right thing!
The support I received from the people around me as soon as I launched this project was crucial to the success of my business, and this is still true today. I took the time to train myself while I was already working with my first customers. The income from my first contracts was used to finance this training.
The main difficulty is often reconciling life as a woman with life as an entrepreneur. It’s a real choice to embark on this adventure, especially if, like me, your family life is of paramount importance. I don’t tend to be a “working girl” who doesn’t see her children or her husband. For me, it’s important to have a real balance in order to be in harmony with yourself.
Apart from that, being a woman entrepreneur is a real plus, because there aren’t many of us left, so we’re welcomed with open arms and there’s support for women and between women. So, in my opinion, it’s a great opportunity to be self-employed, to be an entrepreneur and to be a woman today!
FDN:In your opinion, what are the qualities needed to work – not to say shine – in this field and, more specifically, in your profession?
LM :Perseverance, reflection, self-knowledge, action!
FDN:What role models and success stories have inspired you along the way?
LM :Most of the people who inspire me are those I work with. I work on the principle that every person I meet is part of a plot to improve my life. So, in my opinion, every encounter is there to teach me something and enable me to improve. My professional encounters are therefore a daily source of inspiration.
Several authors have been invaluable in moments of doubt:Napoleon Hill,Jack Canfield,Rhonda Byrnehaveall inspired me to progress, question myself and improve… and I still do!
Femmes du Numérique:Today, women account for 28% of the workforce in digital companies in France. What do you think accounts for this figure? How can we increase it?
LM :Perhaps the lack of “glamour” that the technical side of the profession can represent? I think that the generations that are arriving are in the process of changing the codes (in every sense of the word!) and that this stigma is in the process of being modified. We need to give them time to enter the job market! Sometimes the media can also present this as a male sector, when all it would take is not to present it as such, and the question would no longer have to be asked. Instead of saying that there are few women, we could educate our young people to choose what’s good for them and let them choose their sector of activity, without pre-stamping what’s masculine and what’s feminine. As far as I’m concerned, work has no gender. Everyone brings their own touch to it, making it unique.
FDN:What advice can you offer to encourage women of generations Z and K to enter the digital world?
LM :Listen to yourself, learn, come and see, follow personalities who inspire you, accompany them in their work for several days… and follow what your heart tells you! Ask, ask, ask, never stop asking, and you’ll get it!
FDN:To conclude, when you spontaneously hear the word digital, what comes to mind?
LM :I’m thinking of the Ecole 42, the startupsand all the digital entrepreneurs I’m working with who are going to change our planet! Check out myprofile!