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{summary} Janet Hanson is the Founder and CEO of Milestone Capital Management, an investment management company which manages over $2.5 billion in assets. After spending 14 years at Goldman Sachs, she founded 85 Broads, a network of professional women now including over 15,000 members. She is the author of More Than 85 Broads: Women Making Career Choices, Taking Risks, and Defining Success - On Their Own Terms. As a mother of two, Janet Hanson has spent time both as a stay-at-home mom and a full time working mom to children Meredith, 18 and Christopher, 16. Here she shares her insights. You work in the traditionally male dominated world of finance. Were there ever times when you felt defeated specifically because of your gender? I never felt defeated because I was a woman but because my ability to lead was diminished due to the lack of opportunities to advance. However, I fought very hard to be the best so that I could "re-engineer" the outcome-- and beat the odds. I don't think there's anything democratic about holding people back based on color or gender or sexual preference. I think we will all look back someday and anguish over how badly we squandered the opportunity to become not just a rich economy but a just and equal one. What advice do you have for women facing similar circumstances? To develop an expertise that most of the guys don't have. I believe that the people who get ahead are the ones who are not lazy thinkers. They are constantly educating themselves, learning more, going deeper, and gaining more insight. I would also save as much money as I possibly could so that I could pull the ripcord and move on if necessary. What hampers most women professionally is they seem to be waiting for someone else to do their life planning for them. That is a very big mistake. You are in charge- today, tomorrow, forever. {pagebreak} Did you work full time while raising your kids? Yes and no. I stayed at home with Meredith until she was 3 and Christopher was 10 months old. What was your childcare situation? We had one babysitter who helped out when Mer was little but she didn't last long. Then we hit the jackpot. We found Antoinette. She was quiet and shy and kind. She took care of Mer and Chris when I went back to Goldman Sachs and then when my husband, Jeff, and I launched Milestone Capital. Antoinette was our nanny for 10 years and during that time she never once complained and never missed a single day. Our children adored Antoinette. I believe that the reason my children turned out as well as they have is due in no small part to Antoinette's amazing demeanor and most of all, her kindness. I was never jealous of how close my children were to Antoinette. It was a compliment when they called me "Annie." What prompted you to start 85 Broads? I felt very disconnected and isolated from my former friends and colleagues when I left Goldman Sachs and was at home all by myself with Mer and Chris. I wanted to be back at work without having to be physically in the building. Founding 85 Broads was without doubt what I believe I was put on earth to do. I am so passionate about leveraging technology to keep women connected to each other all over the world throughout their entire lives and careers. {pagebreak} Do you think networking is important for women in different ways than it is for men? I think women need to learn how to really like each other. The "old boys' network" is nothing more than men declaring that they enjoy helping each other and that, they're masters at it. Women need to master the art of leveraging each other's huge talents. Once they've discovered that "the old boys' network" is just a willingness to share your best relationships with other fabulous women, you can network and connect with anybody. What is the typical mistake women make when networking? Thinking that they are their business cards. When you look back, are there any changes you would have made in your career as it related to your children? I would have traveled more with the kids although we traveled a lot. We went to Hawaii when Mer was only 5 months old. We've been to Europe and Australia and to various parts of the U.S. -- they are both incredibly good travelers. Other changes? I would have made sure I got home on time for dinner a lot more often. {pagebreak} Is that a path you would recommend to your own daughter? I hope Mer can pursue all of her passions. I think it is very tough to do if you are in an economically challenging situation. I am a passionate believer in doing everything you possibly can when you're young to save enough money so that you have options and choices. Jeff and I always used to say "poverty is a great motivator." We were totally financially challenged throughout most of the 90's. We had to work very hard to get our financial house in order. That is the one thing that young women have to wake up to. There are absolutely no guarantees in life. If you had an extra hour each day how would you spend it? I would play with my dogs more and I would walk around the reservoir every day. I would indulge my greatest passion which is photography. I would reflect more. I would listen to music. I would get off of my computer to talk to my kids about their day. And I would stop feeling so stressed about how fast life seems to be flying by. To learn more about Janet Hanson visit www.85broads.com Samantha Ettus is a new mother and the creator of The Experts' Guide series. Her third book, The Experts' Guide to the Baby Years, a collection of chapters from the 100 leading parenting experts, was released by Crown Books in October, 2006. You can learn more at www.expertsmedia.com Comments? Email Samantha at samantha@modernmom.com http://modernmom.com/551/