As it turned out, Ringo was a born businesswoman and soon had her own consulting firm. Ringo spent nine months researching the market and the product's possibilities, took a deep breath and jumped. Her stock options in Red Brick were vested, she was burned out on fund-raising even though the company needed more financing, and Madge was poised to go public. Still it was a tough decision. When you pour a large amount of yourself into something, it's hard to leave.
Women have such a strong sense of loyalty and creation.
But the opportunity was right and Ringo ultimately became senior vice president of corporate development. A few years later, she was ranked as the second-highest paid female executive in Silicon Valley. I have the dubious honor of having more venture capitalists' cards than anyone I know. That means lots of people have heard your story and turned you down. Laughing now, Ringo remembers it wasn't funny then.