You won’t be surprised to find out that the always busy, highly professional and business- brained entrepreneur, Fran Hauser, is also effortlessly charming, radiant and kind…something I could tell even through the screen as we spoke over Zoom. After spending a virtual hour with Hauser as she explained to me the career she built over time, I was more than inspired to create an empire of my own, something Hauser not only applauds, but encourages.
Hauser, along with other career women who divide their business ventures into neatly organized chunks, often use the niche and self-coined term “slashy” to describe themselves. This is because on paper, they define their careers using multiple slashes in-between their many roles. For example, Hauser is a proud investor/author/keynote speaker.
Skipping past any digressions, Hauser dove right into the nitty-gritty, detailing her life growing up as an Italian immigrant. Both Hauser’s parents did not speak English, so it was up to her as their eldest child to guide them on their journey of being successful American dreamers and owning small businesses.
Proudly lifting her chin Hauser grins, “I got introduced to business at a very young age, both to business and to responsibility.”
Later, Hauser would be the first in her family to attend college at Pace University and studied public accounting, a role she was familiar with after assisting her parents for so many years. Hauser explained to me the same mantra she projects when she speaks at universities: “be prepared to change your mind.”
Hauser continues on saying, “I’ve had many pivots – many, many, pivots in my career, which is why I always tell college students to not put so much pressure on themselves in terms of what your major is going to be…it's just your first chapter. Right? It's just the first chapter of what will hopefully be a very long career.”
From school, Hauser went on to pursue a very high-profile finance role at the sugary sweet Coca-Cola Company, a job she would later give up to her co-workers' bewilderment.
Hauser explained why she made the decision to step away, saying, “I knew that I didn't want to stay in finance forever, and my desire was to run all aspects of the business. I really wanted to be a general manager or president.” Hauser went on to describe the role she joined instead, the Head of Finance at Moviefone, “I spoke with the founders and basically what we agreed to was that I would go over as the Head of Finance, but that they would give me the opportunity to really learn all parts of the business.”
Hauser went on to tell me that her switch to Moviefone was more than great; it was life changing. She preferred working at a smaller business because it allowed her to learn and grow in areas that she was never able to explore before.
Hauser smiled and said, “It was really one of the best decisions I ever made in my career.”
From there Hauser developed a career in media, with her last nine-to-five as President of Digital Content for Time Inc.
She revealed, “I spent probably 15 years all in, in media, but really on the digital side, which was fun, because that’s where all the innovation was!”
“I was meeting so many startups all the time, you know, I was meeting companies like Rent the Runway, Flipboard, Pop Sugar and Refinery 29. And I loved, I really loved spending time with founders and helping them solve problems. I really enjoyed that part of my job,” Hauser explained with excitement.
After being exposed to so many people during the beginning of their entrepreneurial debut, Hauser’s career took a new path, as an investor.
I ended up with my fist stuck under my chin listening as Hauser further described her investing. She told me with wide eyes that it has been eight years since she first started, and she has invested in over 30 companies, with 28 of those having female founders. From the way she speaks about women, her goals are obvious.
Hauser said, “I'm really focused on changing the ratio when it comes to the percentage of venture capital funding that goes to female founders, because currently only four percent of funding goes to women. So that's something that we've been focused on.”
Hauser went on to tell me all about her coffee date with a work colleague over 10 years ago, and how it changed her perspective on women in business.
“Basically, what she said to me was that she had so many female friends in New York City who wanted to start businesses but then when they looked up, they didn't see any female investors, any female founders or any female advisors…. and she said to me Fran, you could be that person,” she divulged. From there her fate was sealed, and Hauser became a steel shoulder to women to lean on as they started their journey to success.
Hauser clarified, “So, yeah, that's how it started, it started with a coffee date. I think about how some of the best ideas start, like what is that moment? And for me, it was that moment.”
After she explained her path to the present, my next big question for Hauser was how she felt her time in such large corporations like the Coca-Cola Company and Time Inc. prepared her to advise these entrepreneurs. After admiring the question, Hauser got candid on her biggest takeaway: learning to ask the right questions.
“It's kind of like therapy, right? It's like, when you go to therapy, that's what the therapist does. The therapist asks you questions, and you have to do the work, but the therapist is really asking the questions. So, I find that so much of what I'm doing with founders is asking them the questions. And those questions come from my own experience and history. I have found it to be so, so incredibly helpful,” she shared.
Hauser told me she is waiting for the perfect idea to strike before she delves into her own business venture. Until then she stays very busy and feels extremely fulfilled.
“My professional life is so full, right? With the investing, with the writing, with the speaking, it is very full…and, you know, maybe it's because I'm getting my fill from all of these different businesses that I've invested in…it's feeding that part of me that just loves the launch.”
Along with investing, Hauser is a successful writer, and uses the power of language to convey her message to a larger audience. She is the proud author of two works of nonfiction, the first being “The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving A Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate” which came out in 2018 and was named “Best Business Book of the Year 2018” by Audible. In this book, Hauser talks to a female audience about how to become a smart and savvy career woman, without being labeled as bossy or shrill by your peers.
Hauser’s newest book is entitled “Embrace The Work, Love Your Career” and comes out in March of 2022.
When describing the book, Hauser said sweetly, narrowing her brows that “I am seeing so many women because of the pandemic, so many women who are really struggling with their purpose, their career path and with the work that they're doing. So, this book is for them.”
After my asking, Hauser detailed the long and labor-intensive process of writing a book. She began with a deep breath saying, “so the process starts with what problem am I solving? Right? And really getting clear on that and really getting clear on who the reader is. And then it's like, okay, so how do I structure the book? Now? What does the table of contents look like? That's an important part of it. And then it's literally, chapter by chapter, just getting in there and doing the work.”
Having her name published has opened so many doors for Hauser.
She smiled widely and said, “it's, it's incredible, like how much credibility that gives you.”
The popularity of her book has allowed her to speak to women in work/education environments all while promoting the same encouraging ideals. It’s obvious the joy Hauser gets out of seeing the women who read her book come to life right in front of her as she speaks, saying it’s been “really fun, because I get to meet women from all different parts of the world…and all different companies around the world…it's a really, I would say rewarding part of my professional life.”
At the end of our chat, I asked Hauser what advice she would give to any aspiring go-getters and wishful dreamers ready to pave their path. Her answer was simple and charming: just start!
Using her words very carefully, Hauser explains, "I had been thinking about writing a book for 10 years and it didn't happen until I created the time and space in my life for it. And I got started by simply setting aside just a couple of hours to write."
Hauser finished by saying, "Creating time and space also allows you to be curious and open to new opportunities."
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Elizabeth Grace Coyne
- Image courtesy
- Fran Hauser
