You have probably used Eventbrite to find local events or maybe you’ve simply heard of the website, but what you might not know is that the co-founders bootstrapped the company in the first two years and never expected it to become the multi-billion dollar company that it is today. Julia Hartz, Co-founder and now CEO of the company, was featured on Forbes’ 40 Under 40 list in 2015. This is the same list that includes people like Taylor Swift, Jessica Alba, John Oliver, and more. The reason why Eventbrite has become so successful is because they solved a problem in a niche market that made the ticketing experience simpler for buyers and sellers.

“Hartz is also a proponent of fostering happiness in the workplace, and Eventbrite has been named one of the best places to work in the Bay Area.”

 Source: Mashable

In addition to the usual Silicon Valley company perks, Hartz ensures that she puts people first and encourages learning, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and a gender balance. For example, Britelings host monthly seminars called BriteCamp, where they teach one another how to program or eat a nutritious diet. Since Hartz prefers learning by doing, she must incorporate this in as many aspects of her business as possible. With all these fun events going on at the company, Hartz says her favorite day of the year is their annual talent show. She is also passionate about helping other women succeed and strives to increase women’s presence in the Silicon Valley tech industry.

“The Eventbrite staff is 45% female and the executive staff is 50% female.”

– Hartz

Hartz says this diversity has grown organically and believes that role models are crucial in order to keep attracting a balanced workforce. Not only does she believe in the importance of role models, but she is successfully leading by example by growing an affluent company and inspiring people along the way. When she thinks about how to build a diverse company, she asks herself these questions:

“Where can I find the best talent? How can I create an inclusive environment to make sure we’re not hiring just people that look like ourselves because of network effect, and referrals?”

– Hartz

This is incredibly important for businesses to consider and apply to their hiring process because it is often easier to hire based on referrals and individuals who are similar to the current employees. However, creating a diverse pool of talented people will allow for more differing ideas to be spread that can grow the business in a way that would not have been possible before.

Hartz prides herself on creating and maintaining the company culture, and she should. The team is growing fast and now employs 500 people. With this large of a team, it is difficult to predict what the future holds. However, Hartz started the company by talking to individuals, gathering their input, and making changes, so she will always do her best to put the people in her organization first.

Sources: How I Made It: Eventbrite co-founder Julia Hartz

44 Female Founders Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz: From 4 Years Bootstrapping to a Billion Dollar Company

Julia Hartz: Twitter