WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?

Ayana: I have been reading a lot of autobiographies, especially as women of color. I just read “The Bomb Life” by Claire Sulmers. She graduated from Harvard, started a fashion bomb daily, and also has a social media presence. I tried to get a feel for who’s out there especially as I grew of my company, PRIVILGD, trying to understand the particular needs of celebrities. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE LOOKING TO FLOURISH IN TECH?

Ayana: You have to pick one particular topic. A lot of people that I talk to want to work in tech and they’re not sure what to do. The reason I have been successful is because I have a very specific focus. The tech industry, they love tech enthusiasts, but they also love creators and so you have to figure out what you’re good at. You can become an expert in one thing. It doesn’t necessarily have to be tech-related, if you’re good at financials, become the expert in that. Tech companies are going to want you to come work for them. I just happened to be in privacy and working on that. But I don’t code; I could go to school for coding. I’m not a traditional engineer in that sense because I develop deep expertise in an area where there’s not a lot of policy and legislation. I’ve been able to navigate the space well and be an expert. Not just because nobody’s there; there’s are a lot of people in this area.

LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW THEY CAN FIND YOU ONLINE.

Ayana: You can follow me @AyanaRMiller. I’m also very active on LinkedIn and try to answer all my messages.