Women in Tech Tampa Bay: Ellery Linder, Co-CEO of Wherewithal
In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Embarc Collective is excited to introduce you to Women in Tech Tampa Bay — a content series profiling women who are building at Embarc Collective and how they’ve built their careers.
Meet more women tech founders and investors across the state of Florida here.
Meet Ellery Linder, Co-CEO of Wherewithal.
What pivotal points in your career led to your current role?
In college, I thought I wanted to work for the glamorous, glossy fashion magazines I had become so engrossed in reading growing up. That desire led me to my very first internship in the accessories closet at the now defunct Lucky Magazine. And boy, I am thankful for that experience! I learned a lot, particularly around how to be proactive and provide solutions when there was a problem, but most importantly I realized the fashion industry was not as glitzy as I imagined.
Fast forward to graduation, and instead I had decided to pursue my other passion, cooking (and eating!). I had secured an internship at Food Network Magazine, which turned into a full-time position as an Editorial Assistant. I knew NYC was where I wanted to start my career, but I also knew it was not a place I saw myself long-term, so I started thinking about future opportunities. Low and behold, that led to my transition into retail, and I joined the e-commerce culinary division at HSN.
In this pivotal shift, I discovered my love for the digital landscape and brand building. Through my time at HSN I realized that retail combined all of the things I loved about being in the editorial world — story-telling, shopping, and curating experiences — all into one, plus I really fell in love with the data and analytics side of the business.
Coming full circle, I ended up back in the fashion industry but I’m so thankful for the atypical path that brought me here!
What do you wish you had known earlier in your career?
That there are so many different kinds of opportunities for a “career”, and now more than ever you don’t have to follow any seemingly traditional path. Don’t be afraid to try new things until you find your passion! I worked for larger corporations and had loved those experiences, so I assumed I would likely stay this course throughout my career. It wasn’t until I hit a plateau in my role where I was no longer learning or being challenged that I realized how much I desired change. I never even thought entrepreneurship was a possible career path, especially when I was in college. Stay curious and open, and the possibilities with your career will be endless.
What communities, networks, or resources have helped you build in your career?
Embarc Collective! The founder-to-founder connectivity has been a game changer for my co-founder Danielle and I, as well as the startup programming and resources the Embarc team provides. They truly go above and beyond to understand our needs, and help us achieve the milestones we set for ourselves and our company, Wherewithal. Additionally, the Tampa Bay Wave and University of Tampa’s Spartan Incubator program have also been instrumental in our growth. I highly recommend starting with your local community to see what resources are available for startups, but don’t stop there. Spend some time looking for other ways to get involved in your industry at a national level, from niche clubs, to social media groups, to Reddit threads, to LinkedIn and Twitter. It takes a combination of both to build a solid and supportive foundation!
What is one piece of tactical advice that you would give to another woman considering your career path?
Build a strong network. Networking was not something that came naturally to me, and when I was younger it felt very intimidating. My older sister, Merris, and I lived in NYC at the same time, and she is a networking genius! She took me under her wing, and I learned so much about the power of personal connections and relationship building. Don’t pigeonhole yourself to just your industry either. It will feel a lot easier to take chances when you have a supportive and diverse network. Two others: Don’t be afraid of the “no’s”, there will be many of them. Also, be open to change. Change grounded in insights can create disruption and growth.
Connect with Ellery and follow Wherewithal.
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