Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Ricks.
Tiffany, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a kid, I never felt like I fit in anywhere. I did not fit in with my family or friends because I was a young kid that talked about starting businesses, science, becoming a singer, and going to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). This was not the things that a normal girl would talk about so it made hard for people to relate to me.
I was super competitive and always wanted to be the best. On the basketball court, I worked hard. Often times I would be the only girl on the basketball court. In school, I always wanted to be the smartest kid in the class. I would sit on the first row and next to the smartest kid in class. I would always be in the library learning so I can be the best.
My drive to be the best and the need to I fit in led me to technology. In my technology classes in high school, I felt like the students appealed more to my intellectual and introverted side. Although I was often the only woman and African American student, I did feel like I finally found a group that I fit into and could understand me on some level.
The journey to becoming one of the top software engineers and entrepreneurs in Dallas has been filled with hard work and persistence. I have often used the lessons that I learned on the basketball court to find success as a software engineer. As a basketball player, I learned how to work hard, give my all, take direction, and “Shut up” the naysayers with my performance.
As a woman in technology and woman in business, I have achieved the most success when I would set my target, aim, and shoot for my goals. In my recent years I have realized that relationships are super important to growing your career and business. This is why I founded a community called Female Founders of Dallas. This community is for women entrepreneurs, creators, and dreamers to connect through meaningful encounters and provide a safe space for the women of Dallas to support one another. This community has helped me to build relationships that have helped Hacware to grow.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road because my career in the software industry has been plagued with prejudice and rejection. My journey has been filled with a lot of “NO’s”.
The initial reason for me starting my career in technology was because I felt like I finally “fit in” but that feeling wore off fairly quickly. I was often challenged and I would have to work really hard to prove to people that I belonged there. My first experience with rejection was in my junior year of college at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I was assigned to a team project and my teammate made it clear that he did not want to work with me. During our first meeting, I introduced myself and asked him his name and he said “I did not need to know his name” and proceeded to exclude me from the project. So I had to complete this project alone. I have been repeatedly judged on my race, gender, and southern accent.
It has been an uphill battle trying to find acceptance in the technology and business community but the lessons I learned on the basketball court has helped me to keep working hard.
Please tell us about Hacware.
Hacware, Inc. is an award-winning emerging technology software development and cybersecurity company. We specialize in building resilient custom machine learning, and artificial intelligence software applications. Hacware has been recognized by TechWeek as a TechWeek 100 company and selected out of over 50 companies to participate in the Women’s Business Council Southwest Power to Potential Pitch Competition. Hacware has also been featured in publications on a local and national level. Hacware’s mission is to “create technology to propel society forward”.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would stop self-sabotaging myself. My lack of self-confidence and not wanting to be uncomfortable has led me to settle on certain career goals. My thoughts would keep me from doing things that would allow me to stand out from the crowd. It was easier to keep to quiet and follow directions rather than being a leader. Now, I know that I was holding myself back. Every time I feel uncomfortable about something I lean into it rather than repelling it. So many great opportunities in my life have come from rejecting those negative thoughts, being (or acting) confident, and embracing discomfort.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1212 East Arapaho Road, Suite 204, Richardson, Texas 75081
- Website: http://www.hacware.com
- Phone: 2146628332
- Email: hello@hacware.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hacware/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hacware
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hacware1
Image Credit:
Addison TreeHouse,
Taye Diggs,
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