Women at Liftoff: Betty Wan, Business Development
This March we are celebrating Women’s History Month across all the Liftoff offices around the world and highlighting some of the amazing women that work here in a series of blog interviews. In this interview, get to know Liftoff’s first full-time female hire, Betty Wan, who manages Business Development & Partnerships and has been with us since 2014.
What motivates you?
Knowing that what I do has an impact and a purpose is what motivates me. Having a deep understanding and contributing to our mission keeps me going every day. It’s one thing to be told what to do, and another to believe in the “why” behind it. I love knowing what I do at work impacts not only our own company culture but also the broader mobile app ecosystem. Outside of work, I’m motivated by realizing how the decisions I make impact my own life goals as well as those of my family and friends.
What woman inspires you and why?
My mother is an inspiration to me every day. My parents are immigrants from China, where my mother was a college-educated professional who taught history at a prominent university. When they first arrived in the United States, my mother took any job she could get to learn English and support her family. Her first jobs in the U.S. were waiting tables and being a hotel maid. She always taught my brother and me that there is no job that anyone is too good for, and to do everything with dignity and our best effort. Growing up, I saw her sacrifice, work ethic, conviction to her values, and her perseverance in everything she did for her friends and family. To this day, she continues to be my biggest inspiration.
If you could meet any woman, alive or deceased, who would you meet and why?
This is cliche, but I will own it: Beyonce – she is so fierce and amazing. I’d like to spend even a few minutes with her to ask her about what inspires her, her creative process, and how she faces adversity. I’d also love for her to teach me some dance moves.
What is one thing you wish you knew 10 years ago?
I would tell a 10-year-younger Betty to be brave and confident in her convictions. I would empower her to stand up for what she knows is right and to not be discouraged by others’ expectations or societal standards. I would also tell her that it’s ok to get out there and dance even if she has no moves. (Which, by the way, she still doesn’t have.)
Can you share what self-care habits help you be the best version of yourself?
I got off Instagram in 2020 and that has been great for my mental health and time management.
What’s a fun fact about you that few people know?
I was the first Chinese baby on record born in Bozeman, Montana.
If you weren’t in the mobile industry, what would you be doing?
I would love to be an illustrator, specifically for graphic t-shirts. Or a voiceover actor.
What is the #1 resource you recommend to women?
I would recommend everyone reads The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It’s a novel (read: children’s book) with so much wisdom relevant for adults. There’s a chapter in the book where the author explains that “grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.” I think we can all learn to reconnect with our inner-child and take time to see the world the way we used to as kids. Doing so occasionally can bring much-needed clarity to some of the dilemmas we face in life today.
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