About Us

Until There Are Nine is a membership platform, powered by experiences of successful executives, that teaches women how to get their rightful share of compensation and advancement opportunities.

There are many great organizations supporting women but focusing on senior and executive-levels. But if we really want to close the pay and leadership gap, we need to start helping women much earlier in their careers.

Whether you're in your first job or have 20+ years of experience, you're dealing with hurdles, big and small, that make it tougher to get your fair share of pay and promotions. We know, because we've dealt with them too.

Goals

Our mission, vision & goals

Our mission is to give women practical tools, strategies and advice to successfully advocate for themselves throughout their career from entry to exit.
Our vision is close the pay and promotion gap for women.

Goal 1

Show women how to develop a purposeful strategy and plan to achieve their career goals.

Having ambition is important, but you need to be strategic about the career moves you make whether it's within the next six months or three years.

Goal 2

Shift the mindset that it’s better to ask for what you want than wait for it to be offered.

Waiting around to be rewarded can cost you time and money so it's critical to communicate your value and own your narrative.

Goal 3

Encourage women to openly share their successes and failures and the power it has to help others.

This network is built upon the experiences of executives so it's part of our value system that our members share their own to help others.

Why we do it

Women have been conditioned to believe that if they work harder and longer, do a great job, say yes to everything, they’ll get the promotion or raise they deserve. And wouldn’t it feel so much better to get it without having to ask? This is not the reality of the workplace. Women cannot afford to wait around to be recognized. There are tools and strategies in almost every company that are under-utilized and we show women how to apply them – and the rules – to work to their advantage.

We provide coordinated layers of support to help you strategize and plan your career journey along with personalized guidance from an executive Advisor, group coaching and peer-to-peer sharing.

How we got started & the meaning behind our name

After 20 years into a successful career in marketing did our founder Bhavana Smith learn the power of negotiating a new job offer, resulting in a 60% increase in her salary. After sharing the play-by-play with her friend Carly, who said “oh, that’s good, save that for me when it’s my turn” did she realize the power of sharing her experience to help other women achieve similar results.

Inspired by the foremost champion of equity, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was often asked by reporters how many women justices would be considered enough on the Supreme Court, her response was “when there are nine” because there have always been nine men and no one ever questioned that!

You may have noticed our logo has nine boxes, four of them shaded to represent the number of women currently on the Supreme Court. Our mission continues until women can occupy all nine seats without it being questioned.

Working With An Advisor

The Advisors in our network joined because they genuinely believe in the mission. They have experienced the same struggles of corporate life and learned how to strategically negotiate and advocate for themselves. They want to help you do the same. There’s nothing quite like talking to someone who can understand the uniqueness of your situation, empathize and give tailored advice.

Select an Advisor that best suits you (industry, special skills, etc.)

Schedule time based on your goals, either once a month if you’re working towards a long-term goal like getting promoted or ad hoc if you need immediate, short-term support like helping with a new job offer.

Get support and judgement-free guidance to support you while also helping to challenge your status quo.

The Advisor's Role

An Advisor is not simply a mentor. They have a specific purpose, which is to help you achieve the goals you set for yourself. Their role is:

To support you behind the scenes during compensation discussions and not be “employer facing” either in person, on calls or in writing (cc’d in emails).

To not offer any legal or financial advice that replaces an accountant, lawyer, or financial advisor, including advice provided on employment contracts.

To respect the confidentiality of your employment circumstances and any confidential information shared (e.g. previous or current salary).

To be conflict free and not benefit financially, reputationally or otherwise from your career outcome. Any conflicts of interest should be disclosed immediately.

To give you the time and attention you deserve within reasonable and appropriate timeframes and maintain a professional and respectful demeanor.

Working with an advisor
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