Field of Dreams This entrepreneur is making a difference for women in tech--and her SMB clients.
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Lena L. West was initially discouraged by the lack of blackwomen in the tech field when she started XynoMediaTechnology, a Yonkers, New York-based tech consulting firm forSMBs, in 1997. "At the time, there wasn't much of apresence of people of color in general," says West. Then Westbegan noticing that people remembered her specifically because shewas one of the few black females in the field, and she says shestarted to revel in her unique status. However, she hopes more willjoin the ranks and acknowledges the pioneers that came before her:"I stand on the shoulders of a lot of women working in thetech space."
Yet West, in her early 30s, says it's also a challenge"being asked what it's like being a person of color intechnology." Through sharing her experiences and increasingawareness, West wants to be noted less for her race and more forher achievements--from 2005 to 2006, XynoMedia has increasedrevenue by 46 percent, projecting 2006 sales to reach $1 million to$2 million. West was raised with strong women in her family who"always thought in terms of possibility," she says.
West says she also realized business guidance didn't have tocome from someone who "looked like her"--she has hadmentors of many races. She has yet to find a one-on-one black womanmentor and notes that there's no national face for a blackfemale in technology. "If you can't follow the greatest,you have to be the greatest yourself," says West, hoping totake the helm.
"Technology was supposed to be this great equalizer--it wassupposed to give opportunities to everyone, but itdidn't," she laments. She's writing a book exploringwhy women themselves are partly responsible for the fact that womenare not huge players in the tech space. It may raise ire in some,but West says, "I'm a huge believer in personalresponsibility. I believe whatever situation you find yourselfin--positive or challenging--you have, in some way, contributed tobeing there."
Meanwhile, West is contributing to the tech education of SMBs.After providing tech consulting to big corporations in her previouscareer, West believes smaller businesses should have equal accessto knowledge. XynoMedia's mission is to arm 1,000 SMBs withtechnology strategies by 2010. Her company's eight-weekteleconsulting courses, which are on rolling enrollment, offer thesame kind of consultation given to major corporations. Says West,"You can grow your business with great people and products,but if you're not using technology to implement thosestrategies, you're not realizing the full potential of yourbusiness."
