Navigating work life and striving for progress in your job can feel overwhelming. We’ve asked eight women, leading voices behind some of our favourite apps and games, to give us their top tips for career success.

Exton is the founder and CEO of HER, a dating and community app for LGBTQ+ women. Fed up with poorly designed dating sites, Exton learnt to code and made her own. She says:

“Growth comes from multiple experiences of failure and feelings of being out of your depth. Remind yourself to keep going and keep trying. You’ve got to get into the unknown for a while, which is not a comfortable place, to come out the other side smarter, tougher, and ready to face the next bigger challenge.”

Former editor-in-chief of Net-a-Porter’s Porter magazine and Harper’s Bazaar UK, Yeomans is now the founder of Drest, an interactive fashion styling game. She says:

“Trust your instincts. Imposter Syndrome, the feeling of not believing you are good enough, is one of the biggest obstacles women in particular face. Surround yourself with people who know more than you in the areas you have less experience in and listen to them.”

Serial entrepreneur Akinrinade started her career in management consultancy before moving into tech. Her most recent venture is social-audio mentorship app Wisdom. She says:

“A lot of products are developed through the lens of men, so be bold when pitching ideas in male-dominated spaces. We have an advantage because we understand what it is to be a woman, and therefore are best placed to build and to design for women.”

Perkins created graphic design app Canva at age 19. Today it is a go-to platform for anyone looking to make top-notch visual content. Perkins continues in her role as CEO. She says:

“Make sure you’re solving a genuine problem, so that your product or service is needed and wanted by many while providing genuine value. It’s also really important to just get started—if I had realised how much I’d need to know before starting, I probably would’ve been too terrified to get going.”

Having moved into the gaming industry from financial services, Krenzer is now the cofounder and CEO at Trailmix, the studio behind merge game Love & Pies. She says:

“Find a mentor! Having someone who you can ask for advice, bounce ideas off, or discuss your thoughts with is invaluable. We often feel that we have to have all the answers and that admitting when we don’t know something can be embarrassing. This has the potential to hold you back. Asking questions and clarifying things will help you to grow.”

Kabra created By Rotation to transform the way we consume fashion. The clothing-rental app enables fashion lovers and style influencers to borrow and share outfits. She says:

“I came up with the idea for By Rotation through a side hustle. Do things you’re passionate about and that interest you beyond your day job. Start something out on the side. Test and experiment with it on evenings and weekends before you make the leap [from your day job].”

In 2012, Chuang cofounded Supersolid, a game-developer studio that has since released a host of popular App Store titles, including fun, multiplayer battler Snake Rivals. She says:

“Learn as much as you can, and never stop learning. It is never too late to learn new skills. If you break everything down into achievable goals and tackle them one by one, eventually you will get closer to what seems to be impossible at first glance.”