Liz

Liz

Tiger Mom, Girly Girl, $elf Made

“I did dream a vision and that ended up being reality. I wanted to be the world’s premier language solutions company and we became the biggest. We’re all over the world with 100 offices in over 90 cities, and about 5,000 full time employees. So the goal was accomplished with a lot of drama along the way, and I recently sold my part of the company.”

“It’s a challenge when kids grow up with privilege and of course there is plenty of that here in the city. We all have to figure out how we teach them about the important values. You know, hard work, integrity, treating people well, being open minded. I think we need to live by those values, we need to talk about them and then say ‘I’m not paying for you to go to Aspen today, go get a job this summer.’ My older son calls me a tiger mom.”

“My parents made me work from a very young age. They didn’t give me a choice. They stopped paying for my clothes and my entertainment when I was a teenager. They wanted me to learn how to work. They would say “Don’t ever be dependent on a man financially.” What they really meant was not to be dependent on anyone. It was about having a work ethic and being self sufficient.”

“At NYU Business school in the early 90s, getting a job in finance was the thing to do. So I did. I was the only woman out of 30 people. I thought ‘Ok, anything a man can do, I can do.’ But early on I noticed a big difference. The men talked to each other and acted in a way that I couldn’t relate to at all. Screaming across the office, swearing at each other. Then, whenever they needed anything administrative done, it was always me they asked even though there were a few other entry level people that were men. Whenever the phone rang, because there was no receptionist there, they’d go ‘Liz, phone.’

Whenever supplies needed to be evaluated, they’d ask me to do it. I thought ‘I just got my MBA and now they think I’m their receptionist’. I left that job after six weeks.”

“I’ve had to develop thick skin. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sometimes you have to be tough in business. But when I was tough or strong I was referred to as ‘mean’ or ‘bitchy,’ but when my male colleagues were the same way they were ‘strong’ and ‘powerful’. Their words, not mine.”

“There are many times along the way that you want to quit. Things may go wrong, or things don’t happen as you would like or as they should. But if you have an idea and you have a passion and stick with it and do what you love, it usually works out.”

“I’m a believer in working hard. When I built Transperfect I was young, I wasn’t married and I didn’t have kids. I was able to work over 120 hours a week, which sounds crazy and excessive, but there’s this saying ‘do what no one is willing to do for a period of time so then you can do what nobody else can do’. So that was my approach.”

“I’m excited about the future. Now I’m focused on philanthropy. The Heart association, Go Red for Women, this year I’ve been the Co-Chair. Last year I was founding ambassador. I’m also involved in National Organization for Women.”

Q&A

“They work the hardest, they’re motivated overachievers. That’s who gravitates towards New York. You aren’t judged here the way you would be elsewhere. It’s fine to be pushy, it’s fine to be aggressive. People expect you to be all that in order to achieve what you need to achieve. And I do like that because you can be assertive and still be a good person.”

What neighborhood do you live in? The Upper East Side.

Best thing about living there? It’s super residential, and at the same time it has everything: restaurants, bars, museums, bookstores, clothing stores – everything!

Favorite neighborhood? The Upper East Side!! That’s why I moved here.

Favorite street to stroll? I’d say Park Avenue.

Why? It’s beautiful and tree-lined, unifying the very best of residential and business. For ten years I’ve been walking from the Upper East Side to my office at 34th and Park. Park Avenue is also the street on which I walked my son to school.

Favorite restaurant? Morini’s at Madison and 86th.

Favorite bar? Brandy’s Piano Bar on 84th between 2nd and 3rd – super talented performers belt out great classics and show tunes where the audience can sing along in a casual bar atmosphere.

Hidden gem? In the age of restaurant chasing, the classics and sometimes truly special places are easily overlooked. Villa Berulia Ristorante has been serving Murray Hill for over 30 years. The hospitality you receive there really makes you feel at home, which is why I’ve chosen it as a trusted place to have some of my most pivotal meetings and conversations. Not to mention the food is fabulous.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? The best and worst of everything, which means you can be your best or your worst here. Being a New Yorker means finding out how you fit into this incredible city and how it fits into you.

Your New York soundtrack? New York, New York by Frank Sinatra. It’s my absolute all-time favorite song!

5 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT LIZ

PEN “When I was 26 I came up with the idea of starting Transperfect which basically helps the world communicate. It’s how I spent my entire career and today it’s the largest translation company in the world. It also represents a part of my life that is now over.”

ELECTRONIC KEY “The house in The Hamptons is where I get my friends together, and this is the key to open the gate to that house. I love going there. It’s a place to get out of the city, forget about stress, forget our worries and just be with each other.”

FAMILY PHOTOS “I like to have pictures of them exposed in my house so I can look at them every day. My parents have been my two biggest mentors and role models. I am lucky they are still alive. My husband and kids are my biggest loves.”

GO RED PIN “I am involved with Go Red Woman Heart Organization. My mom’s side of family all had heart disease. It is very important to me on a personal level. I want to help make a difference and have been heavily involved the last five years.”

FRAMED QUOTES “My dad and I loved quotes and rules of life. We used to discuss them during high-school, so when I started college he had this made for me. I look at it every day, I refer to it, I use it and think about them as great rules of life.”