Too Sexy

Within the not-so-glamorous desert of URLs, ISDNs and DSLs, there lies a sexy, albeit geeky, oasis. Woodard, president and CEO of The FIX Network, an ISP in San Luis Obispo, California, has introduced her unique blend of deep-seated ambition, fervor for everything high-tech and drop-dead good looks to an industry that isn't renowned for its sexy leaders.

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At one time, however, Woodard's path to the tech world was almost swayed in another direction: swimsuit modeling. In 1993, she was offered an opportunity to sign as a Hawaiian Tropics model, but her thirst for being involved in business drove her elsewhere, leading her instead into the world of computers. With only two volunteers to assist her (and her garage to house them), Woodard launched FIX Net in 1993; since then, the company has grown to 25 employees and projects sales of $1.8 million by year-end. Woodard admits that her intense passion for technology has served as her personal invitation to the land of geekdom. But she also regards herself as having the ability to carry herself confidently while keeping both feet on the ground. Says Woodard, "I've demonstrated that a young woman can run a business successfully and also be semi-attractive." Semi-attractive? Geeks have never looked better.

This article was originally published in the October 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Too Sexy.